The Suicide Tourist

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a directive in November that bans any Catholic hospital, nursing home or hospice program from removing feeding tubes or ending palliative procedures of any kind, even when the individual has an advance directive to guide their end-of-life care. Their reasoning includes a statement that patient suffering is redemptive and brings the individual closer to Christ.

Let’s be clear about that: The Conference of Bishops believes that even if you have said clearly that you do not wish to be kept alive, if you are in a Catholic hospital, the staff cannot carry out your wishes, because it’s more important that you become redeemed. In other words, they do care whether you suffer after all … in fact, they actively want you to.

You can read more at David Dryden’s excellent article,  Catholic Bishops Enact Plan For 300,000 Terri Schiavos.