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Milan, Oct. 4, 2007 (CWNews.com) - An Italian court has denied a request to withdraw nutrition and hydration from a young women living in a comatose condition, re-awakening a national debate on end-of-life issues.
Eluana Englaro has survived in a coma for 15 years since sustaining grave injuries in an automobile accident. This year her father approached a court in Milan asking for authorization to remove the tube that provides the woman with food and water; the court rejected his argument.
The case of Eluana bears some resemblance to the case of an American woman, Terri Schiavo, who died in March 2005 after her estranged husband won court approval to remove her feeding tube. The Italian case has also drawn comparisons to that of Piergiorgio Welby, a muscular-dystrophy victim and an outspoken advocate of euthanasia, who died in December 2006 when his doctor unplugged his ventilator. Welby had previously petitioned for court approval to have the ventilator unplugged, but his plea was rebuffed.
In September the Vatican added to the debate with a statement teaching that the provision of nutrition and hydration for a comatose patient is "an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life," and is therefore "obligatory" in most circumstances.
Italian court upholds feeding tube for coma patient
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