One of the very practical concerns that patients face near the end of life involves the question of feeding tubes. How can we discern whether a feeding tube is morally required?
MAKING SENSE OUT OF BIOETHICS
FR. TAD PACHOLCZYK, PhD
Driector of Education National CaPhiladelphia
The answer always depends on the particulars of a patient’s situation, but there are a few broad considerations that can help in the discernment process. As a general rule, we ought to die from a disease or an ailment that claims our life, not from an action (or inaction) by someone that causes our death (for example, withholding hydration). Our death, in other words, should result from the progress of a pathological condition, not from a lack of food or water if it could have been readily offered to provide comfort and support to a patient.
