Jayard S Stephen, Irudayadason Nishant A, Davis J Charles
JDV Centre for Applied Ethics, Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Ramwadi, Pune, Maharashtra 411 014, India,.
Indian J Med Ethics. 2017 Oct-Dec;2(4):238-243. doi: 10.20529/IJME.2017.054.
Death is inevitable, but that does not mean it can be planned or imposed. It is an ethical imperative that we attend to the unbearable pain and suffering of patients with incurable and terminal illnesses. This is where palliative care plays a vital role. Palliative care has been growing faster in the world of medicine since its emergence as a specialty in the last decade. Palliative care helps to reduce physical pain while affirming the aspect of human suffering and dying as a normal process. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life both of the patient and the family. Palliative care resonates with the healing ministry of Christianity that affirms the sanctity and dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Christianity is convinced that patients at the very end of their lives, with all their ailments and agonies, are still people who have been created in the image and likeness of God. The human person is always precious, even when marked by age and sickness. This is one of the basic convictions that motivate Christians to take care of the sick and the dying. Palliative care is a great opportunity for Christians to manifest God's unfailing love for the terminally ill and the dying.
死亡是不可避免的，但这并不意味着它可以被规划或强加。关注患有不治之症和晚期疾病患者难以忍受的疼痛和痛苦是一项道德要求。这正是姑息治疗发挥关键作用之处。自上世纪末作为一门专业学科出现以来，姑息治疗在医学领域发展迅速。姑息治疗有助于减轻身体疼痛，同时确认人类痛苦和死亡是一个正常过程这一方面。姑息治疗的目标是提高患者及其家人的生活质量。姑息治疗与基督教的治愈事工相呼应，该事工从受孕之时到自然死亡都确认人类生命的神圣性和尊严。基督教坚信，处于生命尽头、身患各种疾病和承受巨大痛苦的患者，仍然是按照上帝的形象和样式所造之人。即使被年龄和疾病所标记，人始终是宝贵的。这是激励基督徒照顾病人和垂死者的基本信念之一。姑息治疗为基督徒展现上帝对绝症患者和垂死者永恒不变的爱提供了一个绝佳机会。
