Vatican newspaper cautions against misuse of sedation in care of terminally ill

In a front-page column in L’Osservatore Romano’s December 6 edition, Ferdinando Cancelli cautioned against the misuse of deep and continuous sedation for terminally ill patients.

Cancelli, a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy of Life and expert in palliative care, was commenting on a recent report by France’s National Center for Palliative and End-of-Life Care. That report, which examined the implementation of France’s 2016 Claeys-Leonetti law on end-of-life care, chided doctors for their reluctance to use deep and continuous sedation.