This session of Emerging Topics in Catholic Health Care Ethics, led by Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics at Loyola University Chicago, will discuss physician aid in dying and the revisions to Part V (Issues in Care for the Seriously Ill and Dying) in the newly promulgated Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
Physician-assisted suicide (PAS), also commonly known as medical aid in dying (MAID), has become state law in many places that Catholic health care serves. While Catholic health care does not participate in PAS/MAID, it still raises ethical and clinical questions within Catholic ministries. This presentation will outline typical features of aid-in-dying laws, identify the language within the new revision of the ERDs that addresses referrals and care for patients at the end of life, and conclude by exploring clinical questions raised for health care professionals.
