What did the Vatican say about nutrition and hydration in 2007?
The 2007 responses came from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That is the Vatican office that rules on such points. It answered two questions. Both were framed about patients in a vegetative state.
The responses said that food and water are in principle an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. In plain terms: a basic step, in step with the good it does. That holds even when a tube or a drip gives them. They are obligatory "to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality." That last word means the aim of the step. Here the aim is "the hydration and nourishment of the patient." In short, water and food. John Paul II had used a similar qualifier in a 2004 address.
A Vatican commentary came with them. A commentary is a note that spells out the ruling. This note explains why that case is not the same as that of a dying cancer patient. It points to what people in a vegetative state can still do. They "breathe spontaneously, digest food naturally, carry on other metabolic functions, and are in a stable situation." So they are stable. Take away food and fluid and, in the commentary's words, "the cause of their death will be neither an illness nor the vegetative state itself, but solely starvation and dehydration."
That reasoning does not carry over to someone whose cancer is ending their life. The same commentary allows for other cases. One is where a patient cannot take in food and liquids. One is where feeding is too much of a burden.
For the dying patient, two texts are the ones to look at. They are Directive 58 and Samaritanus bonus. Both speak to it head on.
Sources
- CDF — 2007 Responses on Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
- CDF — 2007 Commentary on those Responses
- National Cancer Institute — Last Days of Life (PDQ) Health Professional Version
- National Cancer Institute — End-of-Life Care for People Who Have Cancer
- USCCB — Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Seventh Edition
Want the full picture? Read our complete explanation: Catholic Teaching on Feeding Tubes and IV Fluids
Know someone who needs this?
Plenty of people are looking for something like this and do not know where to start. If this would help a friend or someone you love, send it on — we have written an opening line so you do not have to stare at an empty message. You can change every word of it.
Your message is written and sent in your own email or messaging app — we never see who you send it to, and nothing is added to any list.