CHA speakers explore ethics about end-of-life care, failing hospitals

Published: 2005-06-09

SAN DIEGO (CNS) -- When it comes to the Catholic Church's ethical policy regarding when it is appropriate to withdraw nutrition and hydration for a patient, there was one thing that everyone in the room could agree on: It's confusing. At the Catholic Health Association's annual assembly in San Diego June 7, Michael Panicola, corporate vice president for ethics at SSM Health Care in St. Louis, tried to help participants in a workshop session on "Ethics on the Front Lines" sort through the confusion by looking at past tradition and recent teachings, especially a March 2004 allocution by Pope John Paul II. At another session June 7, three panelists explored the ethics behind decisions faced by many financially burdened Catholic hospitals about whether to close, merge, sell or cut services to survive. At the workshop, Panicola assured an audience of about 50 people that they were not alone. "The people I work with are confused," he said. "Does (the late pope's statement) apply only to PVS (persistent vegetative state) patients? And some bishops are making statements that seem to go beyond what the (late) pope said."

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