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CMA Responds to Consortium of Jesuit Bioethics Programs
In the February 13, 2009, issue of Commonweal, seven directors of bioethics programs at Jesuit universities (the Consortium of Jesuit Bioethics Programs) discussed their understanding of recent magisterial teaching regarding artificial nutrition and hydration. In the August issue of The Linacre Quarterly, representatives of the Catholic Medical Association responded to their statement.
The article, "Response to the Consortium of Jesuit Bioethics Programs Statement 'Undue Burden?'," notes that the Consortium's statement provides insufficient guidance on some matters, and fails to resolve misunderstandings on others. First, the Consortium perpetuates, rather than resolves, popular misunderstandings of this recent magisterial teaching, echoing the notion that it "represent[s] a departure from longstanding Roman Catholic bioethical traditions." Second, the Consortium adds to, rather than helps to resolve, the alleged “uncertainty about how to apply John Paul II's allocution. At the same time, the Consortium's deferential appeal to statutes, case law, and medical authorities in resolving this issue is misplaced and potentially dangerous. Third, CMA physicians think the Consortium's recommendation to start MANH based only on evidence-based data is unsound. Evidence-based research is fraught with methodological challenges, some of which are presently insurmountable, and subject to underlying assumptions regarding “quality of life and other similar notions which may in fact degrade the dignity of the patient and devalue his or her life.
The article closes with a discussion of five core ethical principles which must be properly applied to end-of-life cases and a series of recommendations. A full-text copy of the article can be read by clicking HERE.
