With Fr. Cekada on this issue, I understand his thesis/premise.
Why is it we must accept Modern/secular medical equiptment to prolong, sustain life, or to prevent Gods will?
The bigger issue seems to me that once a decision is made to put someone ON such medical equiptment, that a bigger issue then faces the family.
I dont undertand the other arguement.
I think most are not well thought out, and are emoptional, knee jerk type responses to what really is GODs will.
Either we all believe in medical equpitment, doctors, modern medicine or we accept GODs will in our decision on life, and We all have a WILL and instructions on WHAT to do IF we are ever in such a state, to not agonize a family with.
How long and at what cost to society must another Terry Schiavo have before we allow GODs will to be done? Hospital stays are $1000s per day. SOmeone (Public) must pay for them.
This isnt a Catholic hospital subsidy/gift as in the old days, it is another tax on all medical care, passed on to the populace.
Nor should we make blanket statements regarding the use of such equipment. Feeding tubes and life support equipment can and has saved an individual's life while the body heals itself. Most people who have been on life support at some point are now walking around alive and well
As far as the costs go, perhaps as Catholics we should be more concerned about government payments for transgender hormone therapies and surgeries and Viagra.
In the Schiavo case, the her parents wanted to take her home, and the med mal settlement would have paid for all expenses on her behalf. Thus costs are irrelevant in this case. I must admit though, I do find it somewhat distasteful that one shoudl be given less of a chance at fighting for one's life because we as taxpayers do not want to pay for it, while we continue to contentedly pay for all other manner of atrocities.
This person (Terri Schiavo) suffered Massive Brain trauma. Her body was not healing or in limbo.
She had Massive trauama, a stroke, and was totally incapicitated, kept alive only by machines. Experimental surgery was tried by her husband and med staff early on, to no avail.
She didnt break an arm or need a trach. She was for all intents and purposes brain dead, or very near to it.
Costs are releveant when WE are all paying for a vegetable to be kept alive, artificially.
Bottom line.
She made her wishes KNOWN.
She did NOT wish to have her life continued, BY Machines.
Why cant you respect and honor that?!!![/b]
1. A casual comment is NOT an advanced directive. I've already told you that there is NO contract legally binding through a casual comment. And, AGAIN, why were these "wishes made known" not mentioned during the first trial, the one for the money?
2. Your declaration that Terri was brain dead is a one medical opinion, not a fact. We do not know for certain her level of brain damage, and her husband had demonstrated clearly that he was not the person to decide for her.
Why are you so insistent to put people to death without giving them a chance? Should we disallow incubators next for premature babies?
IT is when it is told to 3 seperate Family members, a directive!
It was enough of a directive for the Judge to also believe it a directive.
She was in a vegetative state for crying out loud. If thats not brain dead, or close to it, what is?
I have a nephew born at 25 weeks premature, that was kept alive only BY Machines.
Were it not for those machines, he would not be here.
BUT, He is impaired in every way, cognitivly, physically etc
GOD intended for him to die without those machines. Only Machines kept him alive and my sister will care for him, for the rest of her life, and has no objection to it of course.
But I sometimes think Machines are a curse in living a GODLY life.
Topic: Fr. Cekada, Euthanasia and the Terri Schiavo Affair (Read 9216 times)