Everyone reading this column will die one day. We just don't know when. But contemporary medical technology is increasingly forcing us to think about how.
Many people believe that Catholic theology requires prolonging life as long as possible, but this is not true. Since the 16th century, Catholic moralists have taught that one does not have to use "extraordinary means" to prolong the life of a person who is dying.
In addition, according to Pius XII and John Paul II, there is nothing wrong with using drugs to eliminate the pain of a dying person "even when the result is decreased consciousness and a shortening of life."
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