Decisions on dying: Italian case highlights complex issue

Published: 2007-01-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The death of an Italian muscular dystrophy patient who had his respirator disconnected is fueling a complex and significant discussion among top church officials. Piergiorgio Welby, who was paralyzed and kept alive by a breathing machine for nine years, pleaded for months for the device to be turned off. He said medical technology was only artificially postponing his death. In late December, a physician granted his request, and Welby died shortly afterward. The case had already become a political football in Italy, as proponents of right-to-die legislation flocked to Welby's bedside and, with his support, used his suffering to promote their cause. The church was drawn in directly when Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome, denied Welby a church funeral, saying he had committed suicide. The cardinal's decision was bitterly criticized by Welby's widow and many other Italians, including some prominent Catholics. On Jan. 21, in an article published in the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who has Parkinson's disease, said he wrote the piece partly because of his own medical experiences. He appeared to be sympathetic to Welby's request. He pointed out that Welby was lucid when he asked for suspension of the long years of respiratory treatment through a tracheotomy, which offered the patient no possibility of improvement.

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