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Essay / Ethics for end-of-life care - 1090
In the article Ethics for end-of-life care, Jos VM Welie presents the case of Terri Schiavo. Schiavo suffers from a health condition called PVS or "persistent vegetative state." The main question that arises is whether or not treatment should be continued with low chances of recovery. This brings us directly to the next question of the role that medical treatment and technology play in the final days of life. How do you decide which treatments should be used for which patients? Today, the majority of doctors agree on the fact that a treatment must be “medically indicated” before being initiated or continued. A majority of us would be skeptical of an experimental and potentially dangerous treatment. The second key point of the article concerns Catholic medical ethics known as “ordinary versus extraordinary.” Ordinary and extraordinary treatments should always be based on the patient's current situation. Before treatment is initiated, there must be scientific evidence demonstrating that the treatment will benefit the patient. Treatment should be discontinued if it does not improve the patient's condition. Only the patient is allowed to make the decision. If they are also not sufficiently competent, a legally authorized person is obliged to decide. If there is no more hope for the patient, letting go is a better alternative than euthanasia. Euthanasia conflicts with God's view of the human body. Gula explains in his book Reason Informed by Faith, that there has been a significant revival in Roman Catholic moral theology. There has been a shift from the idea of human nature to that of the human person. The human body is considered an image of God and is therefore considered sacred. The human body must respect the laws of the material world around it. Be...... middle of paper ......s. Although it was doubtful whether he would be capable of making a decision, the doctor rarely, if at all, contacted him about it. From a Christian perspective, death is inevitable, but it is not the end. People struggle with death, I believe, because they are afraid of the unknown. What happens after death? Is there really life after death? Will I be rewarded or punished for my time on Earth? I believe the best way to die is to be surrounded and comforted by family and friends. The idea of a planned death seems so unnatural. This is why I think euthanasia should not be legal. The hospital must perform treatments that will actually help patients recover. If no treatment is sufficiently appropriate, the doctor should not have to resort to assisted death of the patient. God intended death to be a natural cause, and it should remain so.