Health 17/05/01 Korean bishops offer advice on life-sustaining treatment..Guidelines includes recommendations that Catholics express intentions for spiritual

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Korean bishops offer advice on life-sustaining treatment

Guidelines includes recommendations that Catholics express intentions for spiritual care as well as medical care

Volunteers and staff care for a dying patient at a church-run hospice center in Korea. The Korean bishops have recently released guidelines on end-of-life treatment and palliative care. (Photo by The Catholic Times of Korea)

May 1, 2017

To help Korean Catholics prepare for their last moments according to church teachings, the Korean bishops' conference has offered guidelines on making a life-sustaining treatment declaration.

At the end of one's lifetime, how and what kind of medical treatments should be done? To this question, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea released "Guidelines and Explanations on How to Make a Life-sustaining Treatment Declaration."

In February 2016, the Korean National Assembly passed a law on palliative care and creating a system for how and when life-sustaining treatment should be provided. The law urged patients to make a life-sustaining treatment declaration to prevent confusion between family members and medical staff on continued treatment when they are in critical condition.

The guidelines contain the church's teaching on palliative care, considerations before making the declaration and a declaration form for Catholics. It was prepared by the bishops' Committee for Bioethics.

The bishops' committee said, "Catholics should make the declaration as part of their will to implement Catholic teaching that life should be cherished up to the last moment." It stressed that the supply of nutrition and water is an essential part of humane treatment and does not count as a medical intervention.

The bishops recommended Catholics also express their intention to have spiritual care as well as medical care. "Hospice and palliative care is an effective way to help patients spend their last days with dignity. At the same time, when they prepare for death, they need to reflect on their lives and reconcile with God."

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