BEGINNING AND END OF LIFE ISSUES
Do you have questions or concerns regarding Beginning or End of Life Issues?
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a document to help provide guidance in these areas entitled: Ethical and Religious Directives (ERD). The purpose of the ERD is to reaffirm the ethical standards of behavior in health care that flow from the Church's teaching about the dignity of the human person, and to provide authoritative guidance on certain moral issues that face Catholic health care today. (Cf. ERD 6th ed., 4) These "moral teachings that we profess . . . flow principally from the natural law, understood in the light of the revelation Christ has entrusted to his Church. From this source the Church has derived its understanding of the nature of the human person, of human acts, and of the goals that shape human activity." (ERD 6th ed., 4) These Directives are a "witness to the sanctity of life 'from the moment of conception until death.'" (ERD 6th ed., 16)
The ERD is available on-line on the USCCB web site here.
The two sections of the ERD that are most pertinent to these issues are: PART FOUR: Issues in Care for the Beginning of Life, and PART FIVE: Issues in Care for the Seriously Ill and Dying.
PART FOUR is grounded in the "Church's commitment to . . . the dignity of marriage and of the marriage act by which human life is transmitted." (ERD 6th ed., 16) It covers many related topics including: contraception, infertility, and reproductive technologies.
PART FIVE is rooted in "Christ's redemption and saving grace embrac[ing] the whole person, especially in his or her illness, suffering, and death." (ERD 6th ed., 20) It covers topics such as pain management, suicide and euthanasia, the use of life-sustaining technology, medically assisted nutrition and hydration, organ donation, and those being in a "persistent vegetative state" (PVS).
In addition, the Diocese of Dallas' End of Life Issues web page (found here), has additional information on topics including Advance Directives and Medical Power of Attorney, as well as a pointer to A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions by The National Catholic Bioethics Center.
Should you have further questions or require additional guidance in these areas, please contact the parish Pastoral Associate, Deacon Tony Silvestro at tsilvestro@stfoafrisco.org or (972) 712-2645 x251.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a document to help provide guidance in these areas entitled: Ethical and Religious Directives (ERD). The purpose of the ERD is to reaffirm the ethical standards of behavior in health care that flow from the Church's teaching about the dignity of the human person, and to provide authoritative guidance on certain moral issues that face Catholic health care today. (Cf. ERD 6th ed., 4) These "moral teachings that we profess . . . flow principally from the natural law, understood in the light of the revelation Christ has entrusted to his Church. From this source the Church has derived its understanding of the nature of the human person, of human acts, and of the goals that shape human activity." (ERD 6th ed., 4) These Directives are a "witness to the sanctity of life 'from the moment of conception until death.'" (ERD 6th ed., 16)
The ERD is available on-line on the USCCB web site here.
The two sections of the ERD that are most pertinent to these issues are: PART FOUR: Issues in Care for the Beginning of Life, and PART FIVE: Issues in Care for the Seriously Ill and Dying.
PART FOUR is grounded in the "Church's commitment to . . . the dignity of marriage and of the marriage act by which human life is transmitted." (ERD 6th ed., 16) It covers many related topics including: contraception, infertility, and reproductive technologies.
PART FIVE is rooted in "Christ's redemption and saving grace embrac[ing] the whole person, especially in his or her illness, suffering, and death." (ERD 6th ed., 20) It covers topics such as pain management, suicide and euthanasia, the use of life-sustaining technology, medically assisted nutrition and hydration, organ donation, and those being in a "persistent vegetative state" (PVS).
In addition, the Diocese of Dallas' End of Life Issues web page (found here), has additional information on topics including Advance Directives and Medical Power of Attorney, as well as a pointer to A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions by The National Catholic Bioethics Center.
Should you have further questions or require additional guidance in these areas, please contact the parish Pastoral Associate, Deacon Tony Silvestro at tsilvestro@stfoafrisco.org or (972) 712-2645 x251.