You asked:"what if the wife had a "Living Will" in which she had written that she did not want to be kept alive by artificial means if she was comatose?"
I think "artificial means" would have to be defined more specificly. Feeding a person, bathing them, keeping them warm or cool, giving them water are "artificial means"! Would you really want to withhold such basic needs from one who was unable to do these things for themselves? Many people who are conscious and aware of their surroundings cannot do these things for themselves! Why should being comatose be a reason to withhold such basic care for the helpless?
You asked:"Would you then think it was right to keep her alive by feeding tube?"
I would certainly not think that one whose body carries on functions necessary for life should be denied food or water!
If someone cannot breathe on their own, and keeping them alive is dependent on a machine to breathe for them, I would call that "artificial means" and I personally would not want my family to go through the process of keeping me alive by such a means.
You asked:"What if the wife was young, and had not yet written a living will, but had communicated verbally to her husband the same desire? Should he not obey her wishes?"
If I was the husband of one who had expressed such a desire, I would ask a lot more questions such as , "What do YOU mean by "artificial means"? Any human assistance whatsoever? OR Normal body functions which no longer function and can only be performed by machines?
You asked:"How do you know that the person's soul has not already gone on to be with the Lord when they are comatose for a long time?"
Izzy, I don't. But I could also ask you, "How could you be sure that the person's soul HAD DEPARTED, simply because they were comatose for a long time?"
You asked:"You stated that you do not believe one should be kept alive by artificial means forever. So how long do you think they should be?"
Izzy, when I think of "artificial means" used to keep a comatose person alive I think of necessary bodily functions that can only be done by machines. (i.e. there is not sufficient brain activity so a person cannot breathe on their own, their heart will not beat on it's own, etc). How long such should be continued would be up to the next of kin.
My daughter was on a missions trip to Ecuador this summer, 4 hours from civilization by canoe and another 6 hours by bus from a hospital! She was comatose for a number of hours, almost quit breathing a number of times and was running an extremely high temperature. She was kept alive by artificial means and a lot of prayer by her co-workers!
Your brother in Christ, Bruce
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