The United States Bishops' Committee Statement on Nutrition and Hydration

Abstract

In April 1992, the U.S. Catholic Conference Bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities issued a statement, "Nutrition and Hydration: Moral and Pastoral Reflections," described by the 21 members of the committee as "our first word, not our last word" on some of the complex moral questions involved in forgoing nutrition and hydration. The committee invites response, as does the document itself, which was never approved by the Conference as a whole. In this issue, we asked a number of bioethics notables to comment on the document from their perspectives....The commentary that follows is generally negative regarding the Bishops' statement. Several problems with the statement stand out in our commentators' views, not the least of which is the presumption that life is always a benefit and that death is an evil to be avoided. Not only is this inaccurate, it is not an adequate presentation of the Catholic tradition. Furthermore, there is a presumption that, in the absence of preferences by the patient, prolonging life is to be rated over quality of life, no matter in what condition.