Ostertag Christopher, Karches Kyle
Saint Louis University, MO, USA.
Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, MO, USA.
Linacre Q. 2019 Nov;86(4):335-346. doi: 10.1177/0024363919872622. Epub 2019 Sep 9.
In this article, we provide an update to Catholic ethicists and clinicians about the current status of Catholic teaching and practice regarding brain death. We aim to challenge the notion that the question has been definitively settled, despite the widespread application of this concept in medical practice including at Catholic facilities. We first summarize some of the notable arguments for and against brain death in Catholic thought as well as the available magisterial teachings on this topic. Although Catholic bishops, theologians, and ethicists have generally signaled at least tentative approval of the neurological criteria for the determination of death, we contend that no magisterial teaching on brain death currently exists; therefore, Catholics are not currently bound to uphold any position on these criteria. In the second part of the article, we describe how Catholics, particularly Catholic medical practitioners, must presently inform their consciences on this issue while awaiting a more definitive magisterial resolution.
Some prominent Catholic theologians and physicians have argued against the validity of brain death; however, most Catholic ethicists and physicians accept the validity of brain death as true human death. In this paper, we argue that there is no definitive magisterial teaching on brain death, meaning that Catholics are not bound to uphold any position on brain death. Catholics in general, but especially Catholic medical practitioners, should inform their consciences on this intra-Catholic debate on brain death while awaiting more definitive magisterial teaching.
在本文中，我们向天主教伦理学家和临床医生提供关于天主教在脑死亡问题上教义和实践现状的最新情况。我们旨在挑战这样一种观念，即尽管脑死亡概念在包括天主教机构在内的医疗实践中得到广泛应用，但这个问题已经得到最终解决。我们首先总结天主教思想中支持和反对脑死亡的一些显著论点，以及关于这个主题现有的权威性教义。尽管天主教主教、神学家和伦理学家普遍至少表示暂时认可用于判定死亡的神经学标准，但我们认为目前不存在关于脑死亡的权威性教义；因此，天主教徒目前没有义务坚持关于这些标准的任何立场。在文章的第二部分，我们描述了天主教徒，特别是天主教医疗从业者，在等待更明确的权威性决议期间，目前必须如何在这个问题上遵循自己的良心。
一些著名的天主教神学家和医生反对脑死亡的有效性；然而，大多数天主教伦理学家和医生接受脑死亡作为真正的人类死亡的有效性。在本文中，我们认为不存在关于脑死亡的明确权威性教义，这意味着天主教徒没有义务坚持关于脑死亡的任何立场。一般的天主教徒，尤其是天主教医疗从业者，在等待更明确的权威性教义期间，应该在天主教内部关于脑死亡的这场辩论中遵循自己的良心。
