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Article: Guidelines on food and water for PVS patients.(Vatican)(permanent vegetative state)
- Article from:
- Catholic Insight
- Article date:
- November 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Catholic Insight. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Vatican City -- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has issued replies to two questions posed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), regarding the supplying of nutrition and hydration by artificial means to PVS (permanent vegetative state) patients. The CDF ruling can be summarized as saying that withdrawal of such feeding is immoral.
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"First Question: Is the administration of food and water (whether by natural or artificial means) to a patient in a 'vegetative state' morally obligatory except when they cannot be assimilated by the patient's body or cannot be administered to the patient ...