Involuntary Euthanasia, anybody?

[markomalley]

Let doctors kill without consent, says ethics expert

By Ian Evans

DOCTORS should be allowed to help to kill terminally ill patients with or without their consent, a leading professor of medical ethics said yesterday.

Emeritus Professor Len Doyal said that doctor-assisted deaths were already taking place in Britain on a “regular and recurring basis” and needed to be better regulated.

He said that many doctors took part in a form of euthanasia by withdrawing essential treatment to “alleviate suffering”.

Writing in the Royal Society of Medicine journal Clinical Ethics, Professor Doyal said: “When doctors withdraw life-sustaining treatment, such as feeding tubes from severely incompetent patients, it should morally be recognised for what it is — euthanasia where death is foreseen with certainty.

“Doctors may not want to admit this and couch their decision in terms such as ‘alleviating suffering’ but withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from severely incompetent patients is morally equivalent to active euthanasia.”

(snip)

Referring specifically to the Joffe Bill, Professor Doyal claimed: “Some supporters of euthanasia remain silent about non-voluntary euthanasia, presumably because they believe that focusing on voluntary euthanasia offers a better chance of legalisation.

“Yet, in doing so, they ignore important arguments for their own position.

“If doctors are now allowed control and should be able to exert even more control over the deaths of severely incompetent patients, why should competent patients not be able to control the circumstances of their own deaths if this is what they wish? “Proponents of voluntary euthanasia should support non-voluntary euthanasia under appropriate circumstances and with proper regulation.”

Source: London Times

Note to self: next time I go to the UK, make sure not to get sick or injured...

Just remember, is people!

[George Aar]

Re:

"Remember Soylent Green is people!"

Well, thank God for ketchup!

[SafariVista]

Well, after the disgust turned to anger, which turned into questions, which brought to light a familiar sounding ring... a German ring... someone seeking a little more perfection in their society...

No, I don't like it one bit.

If doctors were to have such power, it seems their insurance would be so high, that health care would be in a bigger mess than it is now.

Are there records of people coming out of their terminal illness, anyone improving?

One of my sister in laws is a hospice nurse for children. It's difficult watching the life drain right out of these little guys.

For the elderly who are suffering, it seems to be their choice. Every situation is different, and family & the person suffering should have a say...

Another one of those 'things' people should talk about and take care of BEFORE they're too sick or hurt.

[jr4jc]

i am a Hospice nurse and we are on the horizon of a problem, the elderly baby boomers,

combine that with the limited and dwindling social security funds to care for them as they get older

fyi---- if all those aborted in this country had been born and were working when they came of age, that would have been a lot more social security for those that passed the laws to allow them to die

back to the subject---- terry schrivo case why was it in the news, a common story in the world of hospice, but this one in florida known for it's elderly population, and the focus becomes living wills, and durable power of attorney's and poof it's in the NEWS. realize too that most medical professionals and even more outside the medical world, do not understand living wills or what is called advanced directives, they are to say what you want done or not done, if your situation is a terminal one. and only then. no you bump your head in a car wreck and you think you get to decide whether you get put on a vent or not. WRONG

if you get to decide what happens to you outside of the context of a terminal disease, that would constitute suicide sort of. but the political and insurance world want to cloud the issue and scare people into signing that they don't want to be a vegetable on machines...., so people who don't fully understand what they are signing sign advanced directives, then a change or two in laws, and a chunk of the elderly can be under treated, in situations that currently aren't legal but would be easy to change by politicians and we know they have OUR best interests at heart-----sarcasm

ok LAWS do not need to be lessened---dr dobson at focus on the family has some great info on the slippery slope it is where it has been legalized--euthanasia that is.

be aware, that hospice care is to give someone comfort to have the highest quality in their remaining days, not to shorten them, that is MURDER

i take pride in my work to relive pain and diminish symptoms, while improving the pt's neuro status.

it can be done and is done a large majority of the time.

morphine for example is a wonderful drug at the right time in the right amount, and i have seen many many pt's on it for long periods of highly functional time with their loved ones, though they should not drive for obvious reasons, but other than that in most ways they can function very close to normal.

yes this is a real problem and because it effects MONEY in a large way, it will be dealt with.

follow the money trail

politians and insurance companies have a lot to lose if the baby boomers live to enjoy their golden years!!!

[dmiller]

Jr4JC -- good post. :)