When a person is diagnosed with a serious disease, do they have an obligation to treat it?

According to the Catholic understanding of the human person, each person is obligated to use ordinary means to preserve their health, including medications, surgery and other procedures to address serious illness. This does not mean, however, that a person is obliged to submit to medical interventions that do not provide a reasonable hope of benefit.

LIFE IS A GIFT
Treating illness rests on the foundation that every life is a gift. Each person is unique and unrepeatable, made in the image and likeness of God. As the Catechism teaches, “Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God” (CCC 2288). The dignity of the person is intrinsic and does not diminish with age or illness.

Catholics are encouraged to care for their health and seek appropriate medical intervention as a means of stewardship for God’s gift. This includes making informed decisions regarding health care, such as understanding the benefits, risks and potential outcomes of treatment options and consulting with professionals.

PROPORTIONATE VS. DISPROPORTIONATE
Not all medical interventions are proportionally beneficial to life. Depending on the disease and its prognosis, treatment may not be morally necessary or may be discontinued, even if it shortens one’s life. Following the criteria of medical proportionality, the individual should weigh the treatment’s potential benefit against its burden. Proportionate interventions that are likely to benefit should be pursued, while high-risk, painful or costly treatments may be judged as disproportionate and, therefore, optional.

TERMINAL ILLNESS
In cases where the disease is terminal and treatment is unlikely to be effective or would cause undue suffering, the focus should be on providing comfort and palliative care.

This often includes the use of medications to reduce pain and the continuation of nutrition and hydration insofar as they benefit the person (at the end of life, for instance, the patient may not be able to assimilate nutrition).

But even if an illness is deemed progressive or incurable, it does not indicate that all treatment should necessarily end—only those judged as disproportionate or burdensome. Furthermore, a terminal illness diagnosis does not permit the person to end his or her life or omit care that is proportionate and ordinary.

INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The Church recognizes that the decision to pursue treatment depends on specific circumstances, healthcare professionals’ guidance and the individual’s decision. Therefore, the choice to pursue, continue or discontinue a particular treatment is a personal one.

As part of their decision-making, individuals may name a healthcare power of attorney or sign an advance directive. A decision not to treat in a particular manner, even if this means life could be shortened, is not equivalent to seeking to end one’s life.

PATHWAY TO ETERNAL LIFE
Humans are not meant to live forever, and life does not need to be extended at all costs. For believers, the end of life is the pathway to eternal life. Serious illness can be an opportunity to draw close to Christ, who suffered for us.

Faced with sickness, suffering and death, we are reminded of the promise of an eternity with God. As we pray in the Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Father David Endres is professor of Church history and historical theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology.

This article appeared in the April 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.