Catholic Perspective on Decision-Making for Critically Ill Newborns and Infants. Children (Basel) 2022 Feb 06;9(2)
Date
02/26/2022Pubmed ID
35204927Pubmed Central ID
PMC8870660DOI
10.3390/children9020207Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85124205867 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
In this paper, we discuss the foundational values informing the Catholic perspective on decision-making for critically ill newborns and infants, particularly focusing on the prudent use of medical technologies. Although the Church has consistently affirmed the general good of advances in scientific research and medicine, the technocratic paradigm of medicine may, particularly in cases with severely ill infants, lead to decision-making conflicts and breakdowns in communication between parents and providers. By exploring two paradigm cases, we offer specific practices in which providers can engage to connect with parents and avoid common technologically mediated decision-making conflicts. By focusing on the inherent relationality of all human persons, regardless of debility, and the Christian hope in the life to come, we can make decisions in the midst of the technocratic paradigm without succumbing to it.
