The Roman Catholic tradition does not teach that life has to be prolonged at all costs — we are not a vitalist tradition. The old-school manualists would say, for example, if the only way to save your life is to get exotic treatment far from home for a prolonged period, you don’t necessarily have to do it — especially if you’re a homebody. It is an “extraordinary” means — at least for you, and you don’t need to take it.

Things are more complicated however, when we’re dealing with adult incompetent patients and with children — because neither group can make decisions for themselves. It’s especially complicated when we get to children with disabilities: how do we sort out legitimate medical concerns versus illegitimate devaluing of “less than perfect life”? If for example, the syndrome from which this girl suffers significantly reduces the chance that the kidney transplant will be successful, does that matter? If her life expectancy is much shorter than another child’s (whether or not she is mentally disabled) does that matter?

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