The tragic cases of Charlie Gard and, more recently, Indi Gregory in the United Kingdom have brought into question the rights of parents in cases where civil authorities consider prolonged medical intervention to be inappropriate. In both cases, accommodations were offered to the parents by medical systems outside the country, but the government of the United Kingdom refused to release the patients. This article discusses the disagreements over the use of what Catholic thinkers would call ordinary vs. extraordinary means balanced with the rights of parents to make health care decisions for their minor children.

The release of the document Fiducia supplicans from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith in December quickly led to intense discussion over its implications. Some quickly assumed the document allowed certain blessings previously disallowed by the Church while others considered it a clarification of the Theology of Blessings that remained in line with previous teachings. Still others found great confusion in the discordant interpretations. This article aims to clarify the document’s teaching and aid the faithful in its interpretation while discussing how it may be reflected upon by church leaders and laity alike.