Wednesday, March 12, 2008
DON'T SEEK TO INDEFINITELY PROLONG LIFE
In the words of Benedict XVI:
"Medicine is a fight for life over death, to find the medicine of immortality,"
The pontiff said that even if an 'immortality pill' was found, "the world would fill up with old people; there would be no space for the youth."
"We cannot then, hope for the infinite lengthening of biological life." said Benedict.
Read all of it...
I agree. But how do we play this out here on the ground? Because no one has an immortality pill and no one is likely to get one, so that really isn't the issue. Instead what we have is a "cure" for this particular life-threatening malady, and medication that will control that other particular life-threatening malady. What we do is heap one medicine on top of another until the medicines start to fight with each other or the cost of them becomes greater than the person's budget can bear.
Do we put age limits on treatment? Do we adopt the Biblical standard of three score and ten as the proper limit to life? Do we put the burden on patients to refuse treatment when they recognize that their days of usefulness are coming to a close? Do we put the burden on the medical establishment to emphasize pain management over prolonging of life? Just how are we to morally escape the condition of an aging population which Benedict seems to be saying is not a good thing, when modern medicine continues to advance?
