Prolonging Life: A Traditional Interpretation

May William E. “Criteria for Withholding or Withdrawing Treatment,” Linacre Quarterly, August, 1990; 57: 3, p. 81–90.

Op cit. p. 82; John Connery, states that; “Originally, the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means to prolong life was based only on grave burden, experienced before, during or after the treatment.” Medical means which were useless were not considered mandatory because of the general realization that useless actions are not required morally. (Summa Theologicae, II-II, Q.6 a.3) But useless means were not called extraordinary. “Today, most theologians subsume the distinction between useful useless means under the definition of ordinary extraordinary means. Connery warns combining the two terms can cause confusion. “Prolonging life: The Duly and its Limits,” Catholic Mind. October 1980, p. 42.

“Every patient should be provided with measures which can effectively preserve life without involving too grave a burden.” National Conference of Catholic Bishops, “The Rights of the Terminally Ill,” Origins, 16: 12, pp. 222–224.

p. 12; p. 16 of this text;

Op. cit., p. 88.

Op. cit., p. 82.

McCormick Richard “To Save or Let Die, The Dilemma of Modern Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association 229 (1974) pp. 172–176. Thomas Schindler, “Implications of Prolonging Life,” Health Progress (April, 1988), 12. Dennis Brodeur, “Bishops’ Response to Act on Rights of Terminally Ill,” Health Progress, (January. 1987), p. 22ff. Cf. also authors cited in footnotes 36, 37, 38.

Pius, XII, Pope “The Prolongation of Life,” (Nov. 24, 1957) The Pope Speaks 4: 4 (1958), p. 395.

Congregation of the Faith, “Declaration on Euthanasia,” (May 5, 1980) Origins 10: 10, p. 154.

Pontifical Council Cor Unum. “Questions of Ethics Regarding the Fatally Ill and the Dying”, Vatican Press, 1981.

Op. cit., p. 86; On the other hand, Gerald Kelly, S.J. used the “spiritual benefit” resulting from therapy as a consistent norm in his writings. “The Duty Using Artificial Means of Preserving Life,” Theological Studies (June, 1950), p. 219.

“Declaration on Euthanasia”.

“Declaration on Euthanasia”.

Summa Theologicae I-II, Q1,; a.1.

“Declaration on Euthanasia”.

Pellegrino Edmund , & Thomasma David For the Patient's Good. The Restoration of Beneficence in Health Care, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 80–83; 170-171.

Cf. page 13 of this text.

Op. cit., p. 82.

Op. cit., p. 86.

The intellect and will are faculties of the soul. But in the human condition, soul and body are so united (an unum per se) that the soul needs a functioning body in order to actualize the intellect and will. The part of the body which must function in order for the soul body entity to perform human acts is the cerebral cortex. (Cf. Summa Theologicae, I, q. 75, a. 2: I, a. 84, a. 6, 7).

Boyle Philip , Larry King M.D. , and O'Rourke Kevin “The Brophy Case: The Use of Artificial Hydration and Nutrition,” Linacre Quarterly, May, 1987, 54: 2, pp. 63–71. Kevin O'Rourke, “Should Nutrition and Hydration Be Provided to Permanently Unconscious and Other Mentally Disabled Persons,” Issues in Law and Medicine, 5: 2, (1989) pp. 183-196.

“Position of the American Academy of Neurology on Certain Aspects of Persistent Vegetative State Patients,” Neurology 39: 125 (1989) p. 126.

Op. cit., Neurology, 1989. Allowing anencephalic infants to die, without life support, has long been considered an ethical practice. Their condition is similar to patients in PVS.

Op. cit., Neurology, 1989; Cf. Schneiderman L. H. , Jecker N.S. , Jonsen A. R. “Medical Futility: Its Meaning and Ethtcal Implications.” Annals of Internal Medicine. 112: 12 (June 15, 1990) pp. 949–953. “In keeping with the qualitative notion of futility, we propose that any treatment that merely preserves permanent unconsciousness or that fails to end total dependence on intensive medical care should be regarded as non-beneficial and therefore futile.” (p. 952)

Kass Leon “Neither for Love nor Money; Why Doctors Must Not Kill,” Public Interest, Winter, 1989, p. 25.

Op. cit., p. 10.

Op. cit., p. 88.

New Jersey State Catholic Conference, “Providing Food and Fluids to Severely Brain Damaged Patient.” Origins, 16: 32 (Jan. 22, 1987) p. 582. McHugh James “Artificially Assisted Nutrition and Hydration.” Origins 19: 19 (Oct. 12, 1989) p. 314.

James Walters , and Shannan Thomas , eds. Quality of Life: The New Medical Dilemma. (New York: Paulist Press, 1990), p. 78ff.

On Euthanasia, op. cit.

“Court Upholds Parents’ Wish to Let Retarded Newborn Die,” Chicago Tribune, (Friday, April 16, 1982).

Cf. Connery op. cit., p. 51. Germain Grisez, “A Christian Ethics of Limiting Medical Treatment,” Bioethical Issues, Pope John Paul Bioethics Center, Cromwell, Cf. (1986) p. 42; “In this sense, quality of life considerations are unavoidable elements.”

O'Donnell T. J. unpublished paper on May, et al. Cf. footnote #22.

Op. cit. May, et al.

Cf. Connery op. cit., p. 47. “Use of the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means was not limited to terminal cases.”

Supreme Court of Missouri. Nancy Beth Cruzan, by Co-guardians, Lester L. Cruzan, Jr. and Joyce Cruzan v. Robert Harmon. No. 70813, (Nov. 16, 1988) Petition of Certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States. October Term, 1988, p. A9; A26.

Illinois Supreme Court, “In Re: Estate of Sidney Greenspan v. Andrew Gelman, Guardian ad litem. Docket N. 67903 (July 19, 1990) p. 15.

Connery op. cit., p. 47 and Pontifical Council Cor Unum. op. cit.

Bole Thomas III “The Ordinary-Extraordinary Distinction Reconsidered: A Moral Context for the Proper Calculus of Benefits, and Burdens,” Hospital Ethics Committee Forum. 2: 4 (1990) p. 226.

Rahner Karl Foundations of Christian Faith, (New York: Crossroads, 1978), on eschatology, p. 434.

Op. cit., p. 89.

Kelly Gerald Medico-Moral Problems. St. Louis: Catholic Hospital Association, 1958, p. 138.

O'Donnell Thomas Medicine and Christian Morality, (New York: Alba House, 1976), pp. 54–55, (2nd ed. 1991, pp. 57-58).

Private letter from Father O'Donnell to K. O'Rourke (Dec. 20, 1990). “To your specific question, I agree that your consideration of the ‘spiritual purpose of life’ is consistent with my position on the ‘fundamental context of human life’ as expressed in Medicine and Morality.”

deVittoria Francis Relectio IX de temperautia, 1587; Cf. Relecciones Teologicas, edition critica, Madrid. Imprenta La Rafa 1933-1935, Vol. III.