Is Withdrawing ANH from Post-Coma Unresponsive Patients an Act of Euthanasia?
6. Euthanasia in the strict sense is understood to be an action or omission which of itself and by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering. Euthanasias terms of reference, therefore, are to be found in the intention of the will and in the methods used. Euthanasia must be distinguished from the decision to forego so-called aggressive medical treatment, in other words, medical procedures which no longer correspond to the real situation of the patient, either because they are by now disproportionate to any expected results or because they impose an excessive burden on the patient and his family. (Evangelium vitae, n.65) 7. Treatments cannot be classified ahead of time as ordinary or extraordinary. Reference must be made to the wishes[1] and values of the patient, his or her condition, and the availability of health care in the given context. Ordinary measures, in the traditional moral sense, do not involve excessive pain, expense or other burdens.[2] Extraord
