Vatican condemns Italian court's euthanasia ruling
Rome, Jul. 10, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life has condemned an Italian court ruling allowing the removal of life support for a woman who has been in a coma for 16 years.
Eluano Englaro, who has been comatose since she was severely injured in an automobile accident in 1992. Her father, Beppino Englaro, has spent nearly a decade seeking legal permission to remove her feeding tube. The Milan Court of Appeals has now authorized that step.
Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that the court had allowed what amounts to "an act of euthanasia." He called for an appeal to a higher court to protect the woman's life.
Italy's highest court has already ruled, however, that the feeding tube can be removed if Eluano Englaro is found to be permanently comatose. The Milan court made that finding, saying that the "extraordinary duration" of the coma suggests that it is irreversible, and that Englaro "would have preferred to die" than to remain permanently on a life-support system.
"This is a victory for legal rights," said Beppino Englaro after the court ruling. The father said that he was relieved that he would be able to "set Eluana free."
The Vatican condemnation of the court's decision is based on the fact that by removing the feeding tube, doctors would be withdrawing ordinary care, rather than extraordinary treatment. But the patient's father rejected that logic.
"What the Vatican says, holds for the Vatican," Beppino Englaro told an Italian radio audience. "What my daughter says, holds for my daughter."
Rome, Jul. 10, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life has condemned an Italian court ruling allowing the removal of life support for a woman who has been in a coma for 16 years.
Eluano Englaro, who has been comatose since she was severely injured in an automobile accident in 1992. Her father, Beppino Englaro, has spent nearly a decade seeking legal permission to remove her feeding tube. The Milan Court of Appeals has now authorized that step.
Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that the court had allowed what amounts to "an act of euthanasia." He called for an appeal to a higher court to protect the woman's life.
Italy's highest court has already ruled, however, that the feeding tube can be removed if Eluano Englaro is found to be permanently comatose. The Milan court made that finding, saying that the "extraordinary duration" of the coma suggests that it is irreversible, and that Englaro "would have preferred to die" than to remain permanently on a life-support system.
"This is a victory for legal rights," said Beppino Englaro after the court ruling. The father said that he was relieved that he would be able to "set Eluana free."
The Vatican condemnation of the court's decision is based on the fact that by removing the feeding tube, doctors would be withdrawing ordinary care, rather than extraordinary treatment. But the patient's father rejected that logic.
"What the Vatican says, holds for the Vatican," Beppino Englaro told an Italian radio audience. "What my daughter says, holds for my daughter."
No comments:
Post a Comment