The CDF on food and hydration

Here is a link to the English translation of the CDF's recent response to questions from the USCCB on food and hydration for patients in a persistent vegetative state.  The response states, among other things, that even when the vegetative state is persistent, "the provision of water and food, even by artificial means, always represents a natural means for preserving life, and is not a therapeutic treatment" (emphases original).

Here are some initial thoughts, by Paul Lauritzen, at Commonweal.  Here are comments from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.  Here is the USCCB's statement, commenting on the response.