Show U 7 V V Church Evolves Attitude on Feeding Tubes Tube Manuel Roig-Franzia Roig The Washington Post The Terri case for all its legal and political is also churning up spiritual questions ones with particular relevance for Catholics observing the holiest holiest holi- holi est days of the church calendar calendar calendar calen- calen dar this weekend The Roman Catholic Church has taken a strong stance in the saga of the damaged brain-damaged woman whose parents are fighting to keep her alive Her Catholic faith has been such an important tant issue in the case that a acourt acourt court ordered doctors to deliver the sacrament of Holy Communion through her feeding tube before it was removed March 18 Pope John Paul II has said feeding tubes are arc morally obligatory obligate obligate- ry for most patients in vegetative vegetative vegetative vege- vege veger states and ranking high-ranking cardinals have followed up by referencing saying that removing her feeding tube could lead to legalized euthanasia Theologians disagree about whether the pope is altering Catholic tradition but there is is consensus across the ideological ical spectrum that the Vatican's position in the case has given Roman Catholics a new calculus calculus calculus cal- cal culus for of life decision- decision making This is the most authoritative tive live statement we have to date said Richard M. M Doerflinger vice president of the Pro-life Pro Secretariat of the US U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an opponent of ending feeding Before this case before the popes pope's statement even conservatives conservatives conservatives con- con cone such as Doerflinger say there was enough of a debate about the Catholic position that a person could choose which side to take continue or discontinue tube- tube feeding But now the pope and rt n r J lv d r a am a 1 m much m ch more more def definitive state state- state state- t that nger his polar opposites agree seems to require Catholics to continue contin- contin ue with tube-feeding tube as long longas as it provides nourishment and alleviates suffering The debate is far from an s academic exercise Its ultimate ultimate ultimate ulti ulti- r mate answers could affect t how Catholics draw up their 1 living wills and influence the c decisions at the end of life r now being faced by c deeply divided family And l the churchs church's evolving stance c on feeding tube cases may f end up as one of the most lasting lasting last last- l ing legacies of the c controversy Some prominent theologians theologians theologians theolo theolo- gians argue that the pope is c contradicting his recent predecessors predecessors pre pre- c by declaring that f food and water are morally c obligatory basic care and s as the Rev John Paris a at Boston College F put it wholly upending four c centuries of consistent Catholic moral analysis Other prominent Catholic l thinkers believe th the Vatican is r merely updating the churchs church's F position to reflect modern r medical advances Catholics have been 1 u I 1 w v me the e ethics and obligations c of technologically advanced sustain life i ing treatment for c decades a debate that s surged with the cases of Nancy Cruzan Karen KarenAnn KarenAnn KarenAnn Ann Quinlan and others v whose court fights e established much of the 1 legal precedent being applied to Conservative Catholics s such as Doerflinger argued that patients s should not be disconnected disconnected disconnected discon discon- f except in rare l instances Others argued that centuries of J Roman Catholic tradition tradition tradition l tion allowed patients tobe to tobe tobe be disconnected if they had no hope of e ery That uncertainty left Catholics free to decide disconnect or dont don't disconnect Either way they would not have sinned Doerflinger said as long as they prayerfully prayerfully prayer fully considered the dilemma and followed the moral argument they felt was most per per- Before the 1 pope made his statement statement state state- statement ment about feeding- feeding tube lube cases at a confer confer- ence last year Doerflinger said there was enough uncertainty uncertainty uncertainty about the churchs church's position position position tion that Catholics could remove feeding tubes without fear of committing a sin No one could fairly have said to you that you were dissenting dissenting dissenting dis dis- from clear Catholic teaching said Doerflinger Now you would have to say Yes you are On this point Doerflinger's ideological opposites agree with him saying the popes pope's stance has greatly narrowed the morally acceptable conditions conditions conditions condi condi- under which Catholic patients and their families can remove sustaining life-sustaining care Hes overshot the mark by drawing a line in the sand on withdrawing nutrition said James J. J Walter a at Loyola Mary Marymount Marymount- mount University in Los Angeles who has written extensively about the Catholic tradition in of life cases Catholics abound in the case now 41 was a practicing Catholic Her parents Robert and nd Mary are Catholics and have been surrounded by sympathetic priests during public appearances Gov Jeb Bush R who has been rebuffed by the courts for taking taking tak tak- ing unprecedented steps to preserve her life converted to Catholicism after his mar mar- Almost from the beginning both sides sides parents and her husband Michael have mixed religion into the process Initially the spiritual mantle seemed to tilt in favor of Michael who says his wife would have wanted him to remove the See Hiking continued on page 10 Hiking cont cant from tram page 5 feeding tube that has kept her alive since her brain was damaged from lack of oxygen after a heart attack 15 years ago A Catholic priest testified on Michael behalf at a trial in 2000 Around the same time the were striking out with the Catholic hier hier- archy They pleaded with the Diocese of St. St Petersburg to intervene after Michael won a court ruling that allowed him to briefly remove his wife's feeding tube in 2001 Bishop Robert Lynch refused Im Tin ashamed of him Jim Eckert who was then the attorney said of Lynch at the time Lynch also issued a statement in February that said the ultimate decision rested with husband though he has since signed statements by the Catholic bishops bishops bishops bish bish- ops of Florida that urged feeding feeding feeding feed feed- ing be continued Catholic scholars such as Walter and Paris say Lynchs Lynch's original position was supported by more than four centuries of precedent In the the renowned Spanish theologian Francisco de Vitoria wrote that a sick man could refuse food without without without with with- out risk of committing a mortal sin if he had no hope of survival Another prominent prominent prominent nent Catholic theologian Domingo Banez built on Vitoria's premise in 1595 by establishing the guideline that ordinary means of medical treatment were obligatory but extraordinary methods means that would cause great pain or burdens were burdens were not required That position was further solidified in 1957 by Pope Pius XII considered the modem modem modern mod mod- em ern architect of Catholic medical ethics who told a group of anesthesiologists that they were not required to provide sustaining life-sustaining care unless there was a reasonable hope of recovery For years though theologians such as Doerflinger have contended that tube- tube feeding is not an extraordinary means arguing against theologians such as Paris and Walter Doerflinger's Doerflinger s pro-life pro committee issued recommendations inthe inthe in inthe the that discouraged the removal of feeding tubes from patients in a persistent persistent persistent per per- vegetative state though the full conference noted in its guidelines that settled the issue really been In Florida the have not been without their Catholic supporters throughout the even as the church initially was rejecting their pleas picas Students at a Catholic high school in in Tampa raised for the by selling ribbons Conservative priests posted letters of support on the Internet As courts in Florida batted the case from one courtroom to another the Catholic leadership worldwide was veering toward a more vocal stance against abortion and assisted suicide In spring 2004 Pope John Paul II told the audience at an ethics conference that providing food and water was morally obligatory It was just what the need need- ed They highlighted the popes pope's comments comments comments com com- ments in a public relations campaign that has drawn masses of supporters including anti-abortion anti activists and advocates for the disabled But judges have said the popes pope's remarks do not affect the legal case Terri wants to do what the pope has instructed her to do which is basically what God has instructed her to do said Pat Anderson one of the attorneys The popes pope's statements have become all the more intriguing to because of his failing health Some Catholic thinkers have begun to wonder what decisions would be made if the 84 year-old year pope who pope who has Parkinson's disease disease disease dis dis- dis- dis ease and recently received a tracheotomy my needs a feeding tube The popes pope's condition is preventing him from participating in Easter Sunday services for the first time in his year 26 papacy But the protesters outside hospice were praying for him and for the woman his words have been unable to save |