   Pope claims Euthanasia is immoral
  Pope Declares Feeding Tube Removal Immoral    Sat Mar 20,11:34 AM ET  Add World - AP to My Yahoo!  By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II said Saturday the removal of feeding tubes from people in vegetative states was immoral, and that no judgment on their quality of life could justify such "euthanasia by omission." John Paul made the comments to participants of a Vatican (news - web sites) conference on the ethical dilemmas of dealing with incapacitated patients, entering into a debate that has sparked court battles in the United States and elsewhere. The pope said even the medical terminology used to describe people in so-called "persistent vegetative states" was degrading to them. He said no matter how sick a person was, "he is and will always be a man, never becoming a 'vegetable' or 'animal.'" In a vegetative state, patients are awake but not aware of themselves or their environment. The condition is different from a coma, in which the patient is neither awake nor aware. Both, however, are states in which the patient is devoid of consciousness. If the vegetative state continues for a month, the patient is said to be in a persistent vegetative state; after a year without improvement, the patient is said to be in a permanent vegetative state. Providing food and water to such patients should be considered natural, ordinary and proportional care — not artificial medical intervention, the pope told members of the conference, which was organized by the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican advisory body. "As such, it is morally obligatory," to continue such care, he said. Since no one knows when a patient in a vegetative state might awaken, "the evaluation of the probability, founded on scarce hope of recovery after the vegetative state has lasted for more than a year, cannot ethically justify the abandonment or the interruption of minimal care for the patient, including food and water," he said. Similarly, he said that someone else's evaluation of the patient's quality of life in such a state couldn't justify letting them die of hunger or thirst. "If this is knowingly and deliberately carried out, this would result in a true euthanasia by omission," he said. John Paul has consistently voiced opposition to euthanasia, which the Vatican defines as "an action or omission that by its nature and intention" causes death to end pain. It says euthanasia always is a violation of God's law. The issue over removing feeding tubes has prompted several court cases and legislation in the United States, Australia and elsewhere. In a highly publicized case in Tampa, Fla., the husband of a severely brain-damaged woman, Terri Schiavo, has battled her parents for years to have his wife's feeding tube removed so she can die. He says she wouldn't have wanted to be kept alive with it. The issue has involved the state legislature as well as the governor, who was given the authority to have the feeding tube reinserted after the woman's husband had it removed. In his comments, John Paul said families of such ill people needed more emotional and economic support, so that they can better care for their loved ones. In addition, he said, society should commit more money to find cures for them. Original ArticlePersonally, I think its generally a waste to keep someone in a vegetative state alive for an indefinite period of time if there is no guarantee of that person coming out of it. Its fine I suppose for the pope to declare it immoral, but I'd like to think that the pope's ruling won't have the much weight on laws. I just don't see how a person that is in a vegetative state for over a year can be reasonably expected to come out of it. They aren't experiencing life, and are both medically and statistically expected to not recover. I think its a crime to keep people like that alive because for what purpose are they being kept alive for? I think its cruelty to keep them alive. All they are doing is carrying out bodily functions.[edited by - nervo on March 20, 2004 12:54:12 AM]
quote:I think its a crime to keep people like that alive because for what purpose are they being kept alive for? I think its cruelty to keep them alive. All they are doing is carrying out bodily functions.A crime? Cruelty? If they''re in a vegetative state, then by definition, they can''t be suffering and therefore it''s not cruel.Statistics should never, ever be used to decide whether someone ought to live or die. And, finally, if someone wants to care for a vegetated person, why would you want to outlaw that? Let them have their peace of mind.    ----Bart ;quote:Original post by trzy  quote:I think its a crime to keep people like that alive because for what purpose are they being kept alive for? I think its cruelty to keep them alive. All they are doing is carrying out bodily functions.A crime? Cruelty? If they''re in a vegetative state, then by definition, they can''t be suffering and therefore it''s not cruel.Statistics should never, ever be used to decide whether someone ought to live or die. And, finally, if someone wants to care for a vegetated person, why would you want to outlaw that? Let them have their peace of mind.    ----Bart   Well, the only thing I can agree with is not outlawing keeping them alive, but rather if it came down to outlawing euthanasia of this type then I''d think that is crazy.  ;quote:Original post by trzy  for what purpose are they being kept alive for? for what purpose are we* keeping you alive for? What if we* considered that there is no difference between you and a vegetal and therefor it were better to kill you?What is "moral"? What are the requirements to be accepted by this "moral"? To be awake? To be usefull?*we: People who potabilize water, people who makes clothes, food, medicine. ;  Let''s just do the opposite of everything the Pope says. ;  Funny, I''d assume that the pope would think it wouldn''t matter, as dying only gets you to heaven...   "Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall." - Grizwald ;quote:Original post by owl  for what purpose are we*   keeping you   alive for? What if we*   considered that there is no difference between you and a vegetal and therefor it were better to kill   you?You''re being a bit extreme here. I''m assuming you''re making the slippery-slope argument?This whole issue is much more subtle. There are so many questions: Can we make the decision to end a life based on statistics and unreliable medical predictions? What of the wishes of relatives? If a person in question has at some earlier time formally agreed to allow the plug to be pulled is it still okay considering that they may recover (and would probably not have wanted to be killed in that situation)? What happens if doctors become lazy and start giving up sooner than they should? Wouldn''t it be beneficial to keep people alive in the hopes that medical science may one day help revive them or others in the same situation? What about the potential for abuse on the part of relatives (to collect insurance money, for instance) and doctors (to harvest organs)? What about the costs of keeping them alive? Will it potentially divert aid from other patients who are more likely to recover?Whatever the case: It''s clear that our lawmakers are, on the whole, idiots that aren''t responsible or wise enough to make any final decisions on this topic. ----Bart ;quote:Original post by cowsarenotevil  Funny, I''d assume that the pope would think it wouldn''t matter, as dying only gets you to heaven...   Don''t post flamebait.    ----Bart ;quote:Original post by Tron3kLet's just do the opposite of everything the Pope says.   I think the pope needs to be euthanized (can that be used as a verb? *runs to dictionary.com*).Edit: Yay, it can be used as a verb."Ignorance is a cure for nothing." -- W.E.B. Du Bois[edited by - Mscgamer on March 21, 2004 2:04:50 AM];quote:Original post by cowsarenotevil  Funny, I''d assume that the pope would think it wouldn''t matter, as dying only gets you to heaven...   "Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall." - Grizwald   Technically the human hasn''t commited any sin, they''re just one more vegetable for the people in heaven to take care of.   Pumpkin Pieman - [Blogger]Go to war again, blood is freedom''s stain, But don''t you pray for my soul anymore. 