Vatican City, Mar 31, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Yesterday evening, the Vatican weighed in on the death of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, who died yesterday morning following a two-week court-ordered starvation.
In a statement, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls said that, "The circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs. Terry Schiavo have rightly upset consciences. A life was interrupted. Death was arbitrarily anticipated, because feeding a person can never be considered as drastic therapy.
"There is no doubt", he continued, "that there can be no exceptions to the principle of the sacredness of life, from conception to its natural end. In addition to being a principle of Christian ethics, this has also been a principle of human civilization."
Navarro-Valls concluded with hopes that, "because of this dramatic experience, a greater awareness of human dignity will mature in public opinion and that this will lead to greater defense of life, even on a legal level."