Vatican to promote the use of painkillers
When I saw the headline I was thought it might be in relation to those faithful suffering from liturgical wackiness at some parishes. Enough painkillers and many modern liturgical hymns might be bearable. Alas no.
Restating its opposition to any form of euthanasia, the Vatican yesterday said that painkilling drugs should be used in order to help dying patients live out their days to a "natural end".
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, Pope John Paul II's spokesperson on health care issues, was responding to a question about living wills at a news conference.
"We must preserve life from its beginning to its natural end," he said. "Life doesn't belong to us. Life belongs to God."
The Vatican is holding a conference this week to promote the use of painkillers for chronic pain suffers and terminally ill patients [Source ] [Via WIred Catholic].
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Interesting. I wonder if medicinal marijuana advocates will try to pick up on this. For some reason, I doubt they will...
This has actually been quite a subject in Spain lately, as the Spanish-suicide-movie-painted-as-if-it-were-euthanasia draws attention ... and Church voices have then spoken out to explain how doctors can treat pain, etc. Very interesting subject...a roundtable I went to 2 weeks ago, said this is another form of judicial positivism, where the Law is redefining "death," just as law seeks to redefine "marriage."
Final few points about euthanasia, and specifically in the Netherlands, where the pandora box has been opened wide...and they are now unable to shut the door.
I blv in 1995 a study in Netherlands was done by UK officials to check for proposal regarding euthanaia in UK. The results of the study were shocking. they found one third of the 3,000 people officially "euthanised," were done so against their wishes...there were another 2,000 cases that werent classified as euthanasia, where doctors admitted killing their patients via "over-medication," and get this another 14,000 cases where doctors admitted there actions allowed their patients to die.
The UK commission urged euthanasia not be accepted, as they argued there was no way to control it, especially once the door was opened.
Paz
Robert
Pain killers basically mask the pain of a chronic pain sufferer. I don't advocate euthansia either, but why not consider and support alternatives like acupuncture and other progressive techniques that actually help people rather than fill their bodies with poisons and toxins that perpeuate and often aggravate the individual's disease?
Most pain killers are recommended primarily because the majority of physicians don't know any other way to respond to it and because they get a kickback from the drug companies. However, when they or someone in their family develops a serious disease with chronic pain and they have to deal with the reality of chronic pain themselves, then they look for alternatives. It is then that they finally come to a true understanding of what chronic pain is all about.
I thank God for the people He has brought into my life to help me deal with the chronic pain I face on a daily basis and for the faith and perseverance He gives me in the midst of pain.
Coordinator of St. Therese of Lisieux Fibromyalgia Syndrome/CFS Support Group