Question about life support

[rturner76]

I was watching a detective show where a woman was in a car accident and on life support...........

This scenario made me wonder what we believe on this topic As pro-life people do we support keeping alive a person who can neither breathe nor produce a heartbeat without machines? Especially when no brain waves can be detected.......The pro-life part of me says to keep them going as long as possible but. the sympathec side of me says to take them off of life support at let them go to god. I feel that even if one can still think and dream in that condition, it would be a torturous way to "live." Would it be better to take them off life support in an organized way where other people who are mortally sick can get a second chance at life with the donation of the person's heart, liver, and kidneys, or help someone regain eyesight with donated retinas?

In what light do "we" see this? I have mixed feelings about it and I would like to know how a devout Catholic should perceive life support.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I was watching a detective show where a woman was in a car accident and on life support...........

This scenario made me wonder what we believe on this topic As pro-life people do we support keeping alive a person who can neither breathe nor produce a heartbeat without machines? Especially when no brain waves can be detected.......The pro-life part of me says to keep them going as long as possible but. the sympathec side of me says to take them off of life support at let them go to god. I feel that even if one can still think and dream in that condition, it would be a torturous way to "live." Would it be better to take them off life support in an organized way where other people who are mortally sick can get a second chance at life with the donation of the person's heart, liver, and kidneys, or help someone regain eyesight with donated retinas?

In what light do "we" see this? I have mixed feelings about it and I would like to know how a devout Catholic should perceive life support.

I think the question is whether such life support is ordinary or extraordinary. We have to do the ordinary, not the extraordinary. We cannot kill but we can let someone die by not using extraordinary means.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I was watching a detective show where a woman was in a car accident and on life support...........

This scenario made me wonder what we believe on this topic As pro-life people do we support keeping alive a person who can neither breathe nor produce a heartbeat without machines? Especially when no brain waves can be detected.......The pro-life part of me says to keep them going as long as possible but. the sympathec side of me says to take them off of life support at let them go to god. I feel that even if one can still think and dream in that condition, it would be a torturous way to "live." Would it be better to take them off life support in an organized way where other people who are mortally sick can get a second chance at life with the donation of the person's heart, liver, and kidneys, or help someone regain eyesight with donated retinas?

In what light do "we" see this? I have mixed feelings about it and I would like to know how a devout Catholic should perceive life support.

The person is no longer alive.
A flat line brain is deceased.
That happened to my dad. The machines are making the functions happen.

That said: without brain function, it is not a coma.
It's not disabled.

Terry Shiavo was disabled. My dad was brain dead with no EEG movement.

Brain death

Brain death differs from other states of unconsciousness in important ways.

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au