Regarding the Ron Houben case mentioned earlier by Joe Carter : There are crucial lessons to learn.
We hear constantly from the utilitarian bioethics crowd that people diagnosed as being persistently unconscious should be dehydrated to death because they are not “persons,” or even, they are actually “dead”–-and so should be available for organ harvesting. We hear that even if the family resists , futile care theory should permit bioethics committees to impose unilateral withdrawal of treatment. And we hear this even as repeated studies demonstrate that 40 or more percent of patients diagnosed as PVS really aren’t. Talk about not wanting to heed the facts.
Now, a man who was awake and aware for 23 years, but unable to communicate (locked in state), is telling his tale . This case serves as the latest in a series of warnings against treating the unconscious as if they weren’t fully human—a crucial principle recognized by the American Conference of Catholic Bishops in its new guidelines regarding the care of the apparently unconscious.
More analysis over at Secondhand Smoke .
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