Duc in Altum

Another woman is being forced to die through the denial of food and water simply because it is the wish of the person who is charge of her care. Maria Korp, the Melbourne woman who was found in trunk of her car in February strangled and left to die, has stopped receiving nutrition and hydration through her feeding tube at the request of her legal guardian, Julian Gardner, who is the Victoria Public Advocate. Mr. Gardener is assured that the process of taking the comatose woman's life will be for her "pain-free and free from discomfort." The story is being reported that Ms. Korp is being taken off of life support, despite the information that indicates that the action being taken is to deny her food and water through her feeding tube.

Mr. Gardner was assigned as Ms. Korp's legal guardian because her husband, Joseph Korp, is facing numerous charges surrounding the case "including attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and intentionally causing serious injury." The husband's former lover, Tania Herman, pleaded guilty to strangling Ms. Korp and leaving her for dead. She claims that the husband put her up to the attempted murder for which she pleaded guilty and is now serving a 12 year sentence.

Ms. Korp is a Catholic who did not leave any written instructions for her care were she to find herself in a condition as she is now. However, because she is considered a devout Catholic, the Public Advocate, has "gone to pains to talk to a Catholic ethicist to ascertain just what the official views of the Church are on this." Unfortunately, it is clear that the Public Advocate only listened to unofficial views presented by Catholics because the official teaching of the Church, as expressed by the late Pope John Paul the Great, is clear that basic care such as nutrition and hydration should not be denied a person. Further, to not provide this basic care is "euthanasia by omission."

Mr. Korp, through his lawyers, indicated that it would not be his wife's wishes to have her life ended like this. The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Monsignor Les Tomlinson, expressed that it was the position of the Church that Ms. Korp was being denied a basic human need. However, he indicated that the archdiocese was not planning on taking any legal action.

Other family members have questioned decision to remove nutrition and hydration, including Ms. Korp's brother-in-law, Gus Korp, who said, "But just to remove the feed and say, okay, well, she'll be dead in two or three weeks, how humane is that (inaudible)? Can someone please explain that to me?" Indeed, that is the explanation which no one of the right-to-die advocates can give, simply because it is clear by any use of human reason that death by dehydration can only be inhumane.

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