ROME – A 38-year-old woman who ignited a fierce right-to-die debate that convulsed Italy and dragged in the Vatican died Monday just as lawmakers in Parliament rushed to pass a bill designed to keep her alive. Eluana Englaro had been in a vegetative state since she was in a car accident 17 years ago. She died Monday night at the Udine clinic where she had been for the past week, said family attorney Vittorio Angiolini.
"Yes, she has left us," the ANSA news agency quoted her father, Beppino Englaro, as saying. "But I don't want to say anything, I just want to be alone."
Englaro's doctors had said her condition was irreversible. Late last year, her father won a decade-long court battle to allow her feeding tube to be removed, saying that was her wish. In line with the high court ruling, medical workers on Friday began suspending her food and water.
But Italy's center-right government, backed by the Vatican, had pressed to keep her alive, racing against time to pass legislation prohibiting food and water from being suspended for patients who depend on them.
Senators who had just begun debating the bill observed a minute of silence Monday night when the news of her death was read out in the Senate chamber.
Government officials vowed to pass the legislation even though it was too late to save Englaro.
"I hope the Senate can proceed on the established calendar so that this sacrifice wasn't completely in vain," Health Minister Maurizio Sacconi told the Senate minutes after the death was announced.
Even if the bill had been passed in time, it wasn't clear that it would have kept Englaro alive. Alessandro Pace, constitutional law professor at Rome University, said the law couldn't have been applied to Englaro because of previous court rulings allowing her feeding tube to be removed.
Englaro's case bitterly divided Italy, with proponents on both sides of the right-to-die debate staging daily demonstrations outside the Udine clinic in northeast Italy and politicians hurling insults against each other. Pope Benedict XVI spoke out several times in the past week about the dignity of every human life.
"May the Lord welcome her and pardon those who brought her to this point," ANSA quoted Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the Vatican's top health official, as saying. But he ruled out excommunicating those involved in suspending Englaro's food and water.
Italy does not allow euthanasia but patients have a right to refuse treatment. There is no law, however, that allows patients to give advance directions on what treatment they want if they become too incapacitated to state their wishes.
Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said he hoped that Englaro's case would become a point of reference for reflection about how to accompany "the weakest in the necessary respect for the right to life."

Nairalanders,this issue has divided Italy into two fronts:the pro-life group(including the Catholic Church) who feels strongly against euthanasia and the Right- to-die group who feels she should be "allowed to die" since herself and her family want it that way.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Here's what baffles me.

They're saying people have the right to die, so does that now make suicide right?
Because when someone decides to die wouldn't that be their right to die?
If so why are we trying to reduce the number of suicides per year.

The lady has been unconscious for 17years,doctors say her condition was irreversible,how long should they keep her as a vegetable on life support?

and what does this have to do with the Christianity

P.oj:

The lady has been unconscious for 17years,doctors say her condition was irreversible,how long should they keep her as a vegetable on life support?

until she naturally dies. if we have means of saving life, shouldn't we use it?

**osisi:

and what does this have to do with the Christianity

christianity is about life. as living beings we deal with issues as these

until she naturally dies. if we have means of saving life, shouldn't we use it?

umm what if the family members went her gone especially in a time of recession.

**osisi:

and what does this have to do with the Christianity

the question is what is the christian point of view on such matter,if the lady happen to be a member of your local assembly,what will be your stance?
The Catholic church waded in and supported she should remain on life support,perhaps hoping for a miracle that has not happened in 16 years.

" since herself and her family want it that way.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

[quote][/quote]
the diseased has been in comma , how is it known that she wanted to die.
or was she still talking in her comma?

bawomolo:

umm what if the family members went her gone especially in a time of recession.

you are way too cute

P.oj:

the question is what is the christian point of view on such matter,if the lady happen to be a member of your local assembly,what will be your stance?
The Catholic church waded in and supported she should remain on life support,perhaps hoping for a miracle that has not happened in 16 years.

The Catholic Church's stance is not for a miracle to happen, although that would be greatly appreciated, but that ALL human life is sacred from the moment of conception to NATURAL death.
Natural death meaning a person's life is not taken and no one but God decides when the person takes his or her last breath. Medical services are supposed to help not hurt, stopping someone from living is hurting them and ending their life. Medical services are to help us survive, she was survivng on medical services and for 16 years they did the right thing, but now they played God by saying when her life should be ended.
When they switched off the machines they decided to end her life.

Euthanasia is wrong.

so do you think the death penalty is wrong?

bawomolo:

so do you think the death penalty is wrong?

Yes.

~Lady~:



The Catholic Church's stance is not for a miracle to happen, although that would be greatly appreciated, but that ALL human life is sacred from the moment of conception to NATURAL death.
Natural death meaning a person's life is not taken and no one but God decides when the person takes his or her last breath. Medical services are supposed to help not hurt, stopping someone from living is hurting them and ending their life. Medical services are to help us survive, she was survivng on medical services and for 16 years they did the right thing, but now they played God by saying when her life should be ended.
When they switched off the machines they decided to end her life.

Euthanasia is wrong.

I am a christian too and believe in the sanctity of life,but in this case,she and her family wants it that way.She has been vegetative for 16 years,that could continue for another 20,30,40 years, what about the trauma on the family and loved ones,keeping her in that pathetic state could have some very adverse effects on them,spirtually and otherwise.