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Natural death and Christian fasting
1Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas.
Journal of Religion and Health
|December 5, 2013
Summary
Christian principles, particularly fasting, offer guidance for terminally ill adults deciding whether to forgo nourishment. This approach addresses ethical dilemmas in end-of-life care beyond current legislation.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Theology
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Competent adults have the right to control end-of-life care.
- Existing natural death legislation has limitations in defining life-sustaining procedures.
- The justification for withholding or withdrawing artificial and natural feeding remains a complex ethical issue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore Christian ethical resources for end-of-life decision-making.
- To adapt Christian fasting principles to provide criteria for forgoing nourishment in terminally ill adults.
- To address the moral permissibility of discontinuing artificial and natural feeding.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Christian ethical principles, specifically the concept of fasting.
- Application of these principles to the context of end-of-life care and nutrition.
- Ethical reasoning regarding the justification of withholding or withdrawing nourishment.
Main Results:
- Christian fasting principles can offer a framework for ethical decision-making regarding nourishment.
- This framework provides criteria for determining when forgoing nourishment is morally justifiable for terminally ill adults.
- It offers a theological perspective to supplement existing legal and ethical guidelines.
Conclusions:
- Christian fasting offers a valuable ethical model for end-of-life decisions concerning nourishment.
- The principles derived can help guide competent adults and healthcare providers in complex situations.
- This approach provides a nuanced moral basis for decisions about artificial and natural feeding.
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