Gina Noia, an Assistant Professor of Theology at Providence College and expert in healthcare ethics, dives into Catholic teachings on end-of-life care and suffering. She discusses the moral nuances between mandatory and optional treatments, illustrated by a case study of a patient with stage four breast cancer. Noia also contrasts euthanasia with compassionate care, emphasizing the importance of palliative and hospice care while debunking common misconceptions, ultimately advocating for ethical decision-making and compassionate support in challenging times.
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Jenny's End-of-Life Choice
Jenny was a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with stage four breast cancer facing multiple treatment options.
She chose to forgo chemotherapy to spend meaningful time with her family and return to her home country.
insights INSIGHT
Catholic Middle Ground in Care
Catholic teaching distinguishes itself from subjectivist and medical vitalist extremes in treatment decisions.
It mandates preserving life but permits rejecting treatments that are disproportionately burdensome or minimally beneficial.
insights INSIGHT
Ordinary vs Extraordinary Treatments
Catholic tradition divides medical treatments into ordinary (morally obligatory) and extraordinary (morally optional) means.
This hinges on whether treatments offer reasonable hope of benefit without excessive burden or cost.
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The Good Samaritan and the Good Death, Catholic Reflections on Euthanasia
The Good Samaritan and the Good Death, Catholic Reflections on Euthanasia
Richard Dorflinger
Summa theologica
Thomas Aquinas
The Summa Theologica is a comprehensive work divided into three parts. The first part deals with God, the creation of the world, angels, and the nature of man. The second part is subdivided into two sections: the first part of the second part discusses general principles of morality and law, while the second part of the second part addresses morality in particular, including individual virtues and vices. The third part, left unfinished by Aquinas, focuses on the person and work of Christ and the sacraments. The work also includes a posthumous supplement that concludes the third part and discusses Christian eschatology. Aquinas drew on Aristotelian and Augustinian influences and aimed to integrate faith and reason in his theological arguments[1][2][4].
Evangelium Vitae
Pope St. John Paul II
Evangelium Vitae is a powerful encyclical by Pope John Paul II, issued on March 25, 1995, which reaffirms the sacredness and dignity of human life. It addresses contemporary issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty, calling for a new culture of life. The document emphasizes the importance of promoting and defending human life from conception to natural death.
Declaration on Euthanasia
Declaration on Euthanasia
Pope Pius XII
Prof. Gina Noia explores Catholic teaching on end-of-life care, suffering, and medical treatment decision-making, highlighting the nuanced distinction between morally obligatory and optional treatments within the Catholic ethical tradition.
This lecture was given on March 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.
Gina Maria Noia, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Providence College. She received her PhD in Theology and Health Care Ethics from Saint Louis University. She has served as a clinical ethicist for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL and St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and she is published in Christian Bioethics and the Journal of Moral Theology. Outside of academia, you’ll find her spending time outdoors with her (philosopher) husband, Justin Noia, PhD, and their vivacious children.
Keywords: Catholic Bioethics, Catholic Moral Teaching, End-of-Life Care, Ethical and Religious Directives, Euthanasia, Medical Decision-Making, Ordinary and Extraordinary Means, Palliative Care, Prudence, Samaritanus Bonus
The Thomistic Institute 
