Abstract

Decisions about withdrawing or continuing life-sustaining treatments are often not made in a reasoned manner: those who must make the decisions are often not sure what would constitute an upright decision and, therefore, doubt the correctness of the decisions they have made or are about to make. Making use especially of what Thomas Aquinas says about omissions (i.e., omitting to do something), this article attempts to establish some principles regarding when and why one might (and might not) morally withdraw life-sustaining treatments, regarding the grounds on which a family might resist a doctor's decision to withdraw treatment (or a doctor the family's wishes) and regarding other related issues