Do Not Resuscitate (dnr's) Requests

[jazzytakara]

What is the Church teachings in DNR requests? I was also wondering about other end of life care what does The Church teach? Also in regards to comatose patients (severe, where there is little possibility of waking up again), is Euthanasia allowed or do you wait for natural death? Thank you.

 

(Also I apologize if this offends or upsets anyone since it is a rather serious topic.)

[cappie]

DNR means in most cases the patient is dying from some cause and just wants to let the disease take him without forcing him to come around and start dying all over again.

 

If this is genuinely informed consent, signing a DNR form for oneself or for another is not inherently immoral because it identifies the extent of medical care that a person wishes to receive.

 

Life is a gift from God, to be welcomed, nurtured and cherished. There is, however, no moral obligation to prolong it by every means possible. Some medical procedures are morally optional. All life comes from God and must eventually be returned to God.

 

In their book: "Life Issues, Medical Choices: Questions and Answers for Catholics." Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/176-7865847-7945356?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Life%20Issues%2C%20Medical%20Choices%3A%20Questions%20and%20Answers%20for%20Catholics%20&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20 Janet Smith and Christopher Kaczor address the question, “What is the difference between ordinary means and extraordinary means of preserving life?”

 

Smith and Kaczor describe ordinary means as “treatments that are more beneficial than burdensome to the patient and others” and extraordinary means as “treatments in which the benefits do not correspond to the burdens of treatment.” They go on to write: “In determining whether or not a given procedure should be begun or continued, patients and physicians must assess the likely benefits and burdens of the procedure for a particular patient...what is in question is whether the procedure is worthwhile, not whether the person’s life is worthwhile.”

 

We struggle with death in our medicalised society. When there are medical options available we struggle to know when not to use those interventions, and when to let God's calling of a person back to Him run its natural course. The Church's teachings obviously lean towards continuing life, but perhaps as medical technology develops we need to have more conversations on how and when to decide to let people die peacefully and in a non-medicalised way.