| MORAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING INFANTS WITH ANENCEPHALY |
| Committee on Doctrine National Conference of Catholic Bishops (U.S.) |
| Doubts about the anencephalic infant's human
dignity "have no solid ground, and the benefit of any doubt must be in the child's
favour. As a general rule, conditions of the human body, regardless of severity, in no way
compromise human dignity or human rights", the Committee on Doctrine of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement sent to all U.S. Bishops 20 September,
following approval of its distribution by the NCCB Administrative Committee. The statement
took issue with the argument by some that anencephalic children, "because of their
apparent lack of cognitive function, and in view of the probable brevity of their
lives", lack human rights "or at least have lives of less meaning or purpose
than others", and thus "may be prematurely delivered, even when this would be
inappropriate for other children". The committee said, "It can never be morally
justified directly to cause the death of an innocent person no matter the age or condition
of that person". It said, "The anencephalic child during his or her probably
brief life after birth should be given the comfort and palliative care appropriate to all
the dying". However, it said, "this failing life need not be further troubled by
using extraordinary means to prolong it". The statement includes discussion of the
treatment of pathologies in a pregnant mother, baptism and burial for anencephalic
infants, and organ donation. (Last year the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the
American Medical Association suspended its controversial 1994 policy decision that would
have permitted transplant of organs of anencephalic newborns "even before the
neonates die, as long as there is parental consent and certain other safeguards are
followed".) The doctrinal committee said that donating the organs of an anencephalic
child to "assist other children" is commendable for parents, "but this may
never be permitted before the donor child is certainly dead". (The statement refers
to the U.S. Bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care
Services". That text appeared in Origins, vol. 24, pp. 449ff.) Bishops' Committee on Doctrine statement BCD Staff Commentary Fr. Benedict Ashley Commentary |
| Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 23 September 1998, page 6
L'Osservatore
Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See. The Cathedral Foundation Provided Courtesy of:
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