In a story appearing on the Telegraph.co.uk on February 3rd, it is revealed that the Roman Catholic Church feels that sedating patients just prior to their death to alleviate their pain prevents the patients from experiencing a “good death.” Apparently, a guide to spiritual care asserts that when a person is dying if they happen to get too much relief from pain via drugs then their semi-conscious state will leave the individual with the inability to make their peace and to say their goodbyes. The guide also further argues that medical professionals should not do anything that will shorten a person’s death experience intentionally.
This new spiritual guide is entitled “A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person,” and has been published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales along with the assistance of some medical professionals, academics, and chaplains. The guide asserts that it is not acceptable to cease treatment in order to hasten death in any instance and that how one spends their remaining days on earth is more important than the actual length of one’s life. This same guide asserts that the over-treatment of patients with heavy drugs that leave them semi-conscious or unconscious inhibits their ability to have a good death and it hinders them from being able to settle things before they pass on.
I believe that people should die the way they choose to die and that the church should have no say in the matter. If a person is suffering terribly before death it is their right to seek out the type of relief that will make them the most comfortable even if it is at the cost of losing some of their lucidity just before their death. In fact, I believe that some people would much rather prefer to go into death in complete peace and would prefer not to be lucid at all. I’ve heard many people say “If I have to die, I would prefer to die in my sleep.” I understand that it may not always be necessary to sedate patients before death, but such a decision should be left solely to the patient and/or the family members. I don’t believe that this is something the church should really have a say on. It’s already bad enough that the church tries to rule over every aspect of a person’s life on earth and now they are putting forth guidelines on how people should die too?
If a person wants to be completely sedated just before death and they are relieved from suffering from a great deal of pain that is their right. Why should a person suffer without reason just to have a “good death?” Perhaps it is easier for some to transition into death without being forced to say their goodbyes or without spending their last hours filled with pain, emotional regret, or anxiety about death. There are many people that hang onto life and that seemingly wait for everyone to leave the hospital room before they pass on too, and it could be that the presence of loved one’s may actually cause the dying to linger longer than they might otherwise remain alive. What next? Is the church going to say that family and loved one’s should never leave the room of a dying loved one because it could hinder their ability to die a good death by causing them to die to quickly? Bottom line; let the dying be in peace and let them retain the dignity of choosing the way they want to die.
Read more about the spiritual guide offered by the Catholic Church.
