Artificial Nutrition and Hydration for Persons in a State with Disorders of Consciousness - an Updated Study in Theological Ethics Applied to Three Moral Cases

Abstract

The Catholic Church has, over the past decade, given clear signals in the official
 teaching that one should not withdraw the artificial supply of nutrition and hydration
 from a person in a permanent vegetative state because this is not a medical treatment, but
 a basic human right. This master thesis considers not only the historical development, but
 above all the past decade's research, to investigate the advantages that the artificial supply
 of nutrition and hydration provide, in proportion to the burden placed on the unconscious
 patients. The thesis reflects on how strictly the Catholic Church's teaching should be
 interpreted, in light of the moral theological tradition, and the insights of the new findings.
 Deeper insights into different degrees of consciousness judged to be relevant to the ethical
 evaluation of three moral cases are of special interest.