|
L e t t e r s
Twisted Logic and Lack of Knowledge
|
This Rock
Volume 15, Number 5
 May/June 2004 
|
|
|
I was disappointed by Edward Peters’s article on the Terri Schiavo case ("Neither Shalt Thou Kill Thy Spouse," January 2004). One doesn’t need to rely on canon law to know that killing one’s spouse is wrong.
Peters makes the same error as the lay press: He equates the withdrawal of extraordinary means of sustaining life (intravenous fluids, tube feedings) with murder. The Church’s stand on this is clear. "Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of ‘overzealous’ treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able, or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected" (CCC 2278). I was surprised by the editor’s failure to note Peters’s twisted logic and lack of knowledge of Church teachings.
Considering that Schiavo cannot eat or drink on her own, or perform any other normal function of daily living, it would be reasonable and perhaps even merciful to withdraw artificial means of keeping her body alive. Since Terri cannot convey her wishes, it is her husband’s repsonsibility to determine her "will and legitimate interests." The Florida legislature has disregarded Terri’s human dignity by interfering. I agree that it is wrong for Mr. Schiavo to pursue another relationship, but it cannot be inferred that this is guiding his judgment regarding her wishes.
David Lieb
Columbia City, Indiana
Edward Peters replies: Apologies, of course, for any twisted logic or lack of knowledge of Church teaching. I am a worry to my friends. But golly, where to start?
First, Lieb needs to explain how nutrition and water are "extraordinary care" in a case in which death is not imminent and how his version of "mercy" passes muster despite the clear prohibition in the Catechism of any action designed to hasten death (cf. CCC 2277).
Lieb’s test for who lives or dies seems to be whether one possesses the ability to eat or drink unassisted and to perform other functions of daily living. Such a criterion in a legal system would be ghastly. Not a baby born into this valley of tears would merit legal protection for years. For countless others visited by certain kinds of cancers, stroke, upper body injuries, etc., diagnosis would be tantamount to a death sentence. True, by extending to them the kind of "mercy" Lieb suggests for Terri Schiavo, we would save billions of dollars in health care costs, but is not something more at stake?
If anything about the Schiavo case helps Lieb avoid such uncomfortable comparisons, it is that Terri apparently cannot swallow her food. But here Lieb’s deference to husband Michael’s authority (an approach I might otherwise share) is seriously misplaced. It is a cornerstone of law, not to mention common sense, that a prejudiced person should not serve as the representative of one whose demise would benefit the representative. Michael Schiavo, despite clear interests strongly counter to Terri’s, has found a judge willing to support him in refusing the very therapies that might help his wife regain her swallowing skills, thus wrapping his self-fulfilling prophecy in legal robes. No wonder Terri’s plight sends shivers down the spine. Or should.
Scolding and Uncharitable Comments
I agree with Dave Armstrong’s basic premise that Catholics should read the Bible more because it will bring them closer to God, and a better familiarity with Scripture will help them witness better to our Protestant brethren ("Catholics Need to Read Their Bibles," February 2004). But if Armstrong’s goal was to encourage Catholics to read Scripture more, he failed because of scolding and uncharitable comments and incorrect analysis and conclusions.
Were comments like "kindergarten Christianity laziness" and "content to let Mother Church spoon feed them" supposed to encourage one to read Scripture? Was questioning a Catholic’s love of God and faithfulness really necessary? As I read these words I thought of my seventy-five-year-old mother and elderly aunts and uncles who do not make a practice of reading Scripture but understand the teachings of Christ and the Church (from Scripture) better than most. They live lives of love, faith, and charity. How dare anyone judge their love of God based on whether they make a regular practice of reading the Bible. And before Mr. Armstrong knocks prayer books and rosaries, maybe he should look one over, as they are based on Scripture and quote a great deal from it. I got the impression that he was rather dismissive of the impact of reading and meditating on Scripture in this way.
While official Church documents may encourage the study of Scripture, there is very little encouragement on the local parish level. Most parishes do not offer Bible studies, and most Catholics are not going to undertake Bible study on their own. It is too daunting a task. We would rather approach it through the rosary or a prayer book or a commentary to make it come alive and help us to experience the full meaning of the written word. Bad catechesis is a factor that needs to be corrected and faith renewed before a Catholic will undertake Bible study.
I am happy to say that I started attending a Bible study prior to reading this article. If I had read the article first it might have delayed my getting started. For years I hesitated over Bible study because of my experiences with Bible-quoting Protestants who "talked the talk" but didn’t "walk the walk" because in the very act of quoting Scripture they exhibited uncharitable judgments on anyone who disagreed with them. I was drawn to this particular Bible study by people who live and love as Christians but don’t quote the Bible every chance they get.
As a cradle Catholic, I have been blessed to experience the fullness of the faith through many different sources, and I am happy to say that Bible study is now one of them. Each person’s faith journey is different both in terms of stops along the way and how long it takes. Please be more charitable with others along the way.
Ann Roth
via the Internet |
C A T H O L I C A N S W E R S :
[TOP]
of
