abstract:

Pope Francis recently spoke about perinatal palliative care and the dilemmas that parents of critically ill babies encounter. In his speech, the Pope beautifully captured what many parents feel. They love their baby even if they know that the baby cannot survive. They need compassionate care of the sort that will allow them to express that love, even if it is only for minutes or hours, and even if the expression of love takes the form of comforting the dying baby rather than intervening medically or surgically to try to prolong life. “Many times,” the Pope said, “Those few hours in which a mother can cradle her child in her arms leave an unforgettable trace in her heart.” For those who work in perinatal palliative care, this affirmation and endorsement of their efforts by the Church is a welcome offer for an important collaboration. Medicine and religion can work hand in hand, here, to help parents and doctors who struggle to do the right thing when all the choices seem bad.

摘要：

教皇弗朗西斯（Pope Francis）最近谈到了围产期姑息治疗以及重症婴儿父母所遇到的困境。教皇在演讲中很好地捕捉了许多父母的感受。他们爱自己的婴儿，即使他们知道婴儿无法生存。他们需要富有同情心的照顾，使他们能够表达爱，即使只是几分钟或几个小时，即使爱的表达采取了安慰垂死的婴儿的形式，而不是通过医学或手术干预的方式延长寿命。教宗说：“很多次，母亲可以将孩子抱在怀里的那几个小时在心中留下了难忘的痕迹。” 对于那些在围产期姑息治疗中工作的人来说，教会对这一努力的肯定和认可是进行重要合作的可喜提议。