What fundamental principles should guide a Catholic, and indeed any person, who is thinking about health care decisions?
Human life is a precious gift from God. This truth should inform all health care decisions. Every person has a duty to preserve his or her life and to use it for God’s glory. We have the right to direct our own care and the responsibility to act according to the principles of Catholic moral teaching. Each person has a right to clear and accurate information about a proposed course of treatment and its consequences, so that the person can make an informed decision about whether to receive or not receive the proposed treatment. Suicide, euthanasia, and acts that intentionally and directly would cause death by deed or omission, are never morally acceptable. Death is a beginning, not an end. Death, being conquered by Christ, need not be resisted by any and every means and a person may refuse medical treatment that is extraordinary. A treatment is extraordinary when it offers little or no hope of benefit or cannot be provided without undue burden, expense, or pain. There should be a strong
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