By Julie Grimstad
Simply put, basic care consists of the bare necessities of life; it is care that each of us must either provide for ourselves or have provided to us because without it no one can live. It is, therefore, only common sense to recognize that purposely depriving human beings of food and water (nutrition and hydration) when it will sustain their lives is to calculatedly kill them. However, common sense is no longer common.
It may seem that you looked away only briefly and the whole world went berserk. But some of us have been closely watching society’s step-by-step descent into the culture of death for decades. The hallmarks of the culture of death are deception and confusion. HALO strives to oppose the culture of death with the truth.
The reasons given for purposely ending the lives of certain people can sound so convincing, but they are all lies. Mark Twain once said: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.”
Please, share the truth with everyone you know. Here it is.
Pope John Paul II emphasized that “the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act.” He also stated, “For those who cannot take food orally, in principle, there is an obligation to provide patients with food and water, including medically assisted nutrition and hydration. This obligation extends to patients in chronic and presumably irreversible conditions who can reasonably be expected to live indefinitely if given such care.” [1]
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith later would echo Pope John Paul II, definitively stating, “The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality, which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and death by starvation and dehydration are prevented.” [2],
According to Jewish law (Halacha), “While secular wills include the option to refuse nutrition and hydration, generally Halacha assumes that nutrition should be delivered to all patients. Halachic authorities consider nutrition to be essential, and generally recommend its provision to all patients, whether conscious or comatose.” [3]
On Jan. 25, 2012, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, adopted this resolution: “Euthanasia, in the sense of the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit, must always be prohibited.” The purpose of this resolution was to define the principles that should govern advance directives for healthcare in Europe. Tragically, this resolution was largely ignored.
Please, do not be taken in by lies. Regardless of the means, intentionally killing medically vulnerable people always was and always will be genuinely wicked – a crime against humanity.
Note: Every authority cited herein admits exceptions to the rule that nutrition and hydration should be delivered to all patients. When the body is unable to assimilate food and water or their administration causes serious complications, withholding food and fluids is both medically and morally appropriate. In these circumstances, the cause of death is the person’s disease or injury, not deliberate dehydration and starvation.
[1] Pope John Paul II, Address to the International Congress on “Life Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas” (March 20, 2004), no. 4.
[2] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration,” August 1, 2007.
[3] RCA-End-of-Life-Decisions-Guidelines.pdf (rabbis.org)
For more information about how HALO (the Healthcare Advocacy & Leadership Organization) can help you and your loved ones, visit halovoice.org.