Consequently, the decision to forego aggressive treatment is an expression of the respect that is due to the patient at every moment." vi From the patient's perspective, this is not "giving up" nor disregarding the obligation to care for oneself, rather, it is an acceptance of the human condition in the face of life threatening illness. The possible decision either not to start or to halt a treatment will be deemed ethically correct if the treatment is ineffective or obviously disproportionate to the aims of sustaining life or recovering health. Indeed, the object of the decision on whether to begin or to continue a treatment has nothing to do with the value of the patient's life, but rather with whether such medical intervention is beneficial for the patient. The refusal of aggressive treatment is neither a rejection of the patient nor of his or her life. "The awareness that the dying person will soon meet God for all eternity should impel his or her relatives, loved ones, the medical, health-care and religious personnel, to help him or her in this decisive phase of life, with concern that pays attention to every aspect of existence, including the spiritual." vĪnd while true compassion "encourages every reasonable effort for the patient's recovery the same time, it helps draw the line when it is clear that no further treatment will serve this purpose. The church lifts her voice so that the dying are not offended but are given every loving care and are not left alone as they prepare to cross the threshold of time to enter eternity." iv "The church knows that the moment of death is always accompanied by particularly intense human sentiments: an earthy life is ending, the emotional, generational, and social ties that are part of the person's inner self are dissolving people who are dying and those who assist them are aware of the conflict between hope in immortality and the unknown which troubles even the most enlightened minds. Rather than worrying only about a sudden death, many today confront fears of a prolonged and debilitating illness, of being a burden on others, and of facing a path possibly marked by suffering. Now, advances in modern medicine increasingly pose the challenge of coping with a terminal illness which may last months or even years. Traditionally, Catholics have prayed for the grace of a happy death: From a sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord. ii Pope John Paul, who was no stranger to sickness and suffering, raised the prophetic voice of the Church compassionately, often insisting on the care which is due to the sick and dying. The Church is also the innkeeper who provides the hospital, nursing home, and hospice for care and comfort.
The Church is physician and nurse, the Good Samaritan who treats the wounded and abandoned and never walks by. The Church is a patient advocate, working to ensure proper care for the sick and dying by promoting respect for their dignity. Christ looks mercifully upon us now and at the hour of our death, and the Church proclaims solidarity with our brothers and sisters at the end of their earthly journey.
In our own time, Christ continues his mission, and his preference for the vulnerable, through his Church. iĪll who respect their God-given dignity are called to be heralds of a "culture of life." Christ's mission was to every human person, and our Lord had a passionate concern for the sick, the suffering, and the dying. "For God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity" (Wisdom 2:23). God's plan for human beings is that they should "be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). The dignity of life is clear from our calling. We have been ransomed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18- 19). "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? You have made him little less than a god, and crown him with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5). We come to be by the loving action of God the Creator. The dignity of life springs from its source. Human dignity is an undeserved gift, not an earned status. He taught us that to understand death with dignity, first accept the dignity of life. He instructed just as convincingly with the witness of his own faith in the face of injury, suffering, hospitalization, illness and dying. The teaching of Pope John Paul II about sickness and death came not only from his speeches, addresses, and encyclicals.