8mm
Posted on 03/06/2007 10:12:12 AM PST by presidio9
In a major victory for right-to-die advocates in Roman Catholic Italy, prosecutors on Tuesday cleared a doctor of wrongdoing after he switched off the life support of a terminally ill patient who had asked to die.
Anaesthetist Mario Riccio removed the respirator of muscular dystrophy sufferer Piergiorgio Welby in December to end a life that the paralyzed patient had repeatedly described as torture.
Supporters have called Riccio a hero for ignoring a court ruling that rejected Welby's high-profile request to have his respirator removed. Opponents, including in parliament, said Riccio was a criminal who should go to jail.
The Roman Catholic Church went as far as to deny Welby a Catholic funeral and Pope Benedict joined the national debate by saying life was sacred until its "natural sunset."
"Even under the law, it's confirmed: there's been no crime of euthanasia, just a patient who refused treatment," Riccio told Reuters in an interview.
Prosecutors, after more than two months reviewing the case, said Riccio had done nothing wrong since he was acting in the spirit of Welby's constitutional rights.
Their request to shelve the investigation into Welby's death, announced on Tuesday, is an important procedural step that makes future criminal prosecution highly unlikely -- and could be seen as setting a precedent in other right-to-die cases.
"Doctor Riccio's behavior does not appear to be censurable for not having reinserted the artificial mechanical ventilator when the respiratory crisis occurred," the prosecutors wrote in their request to shelve the investigation.
Still, neither Riccio nor the medical panel and prosecutors described what Riccio had done as euthanasia, which is illegal in Italy and carries a 10 to 15 year jail term.
Only Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the state of Oregon permit assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga formally demanded magistrates consider Riccio a murder suspect last.
But Riccio's supporters have noted that Welby, lucid despite his illness, had asked to die and that his treatment held no hope of improving his condition. Prosecutors noted those facts in their request to shelve the case.
Riccio, who gave Welby a cocktail of sedatives when removing the respirator, had already been cleared of wrongdoing by a medical panel last month. He said the prosecutors' decision was a major step toward strengthening patients' rights in Italy.
"The only one who can ultimately decide on the therapy is the patient," Riccio said.
>>>In a major victory for right-to-die advocates in Roman Catholic Italy, prosecutors on Tuesday cleared a doctor of wrongdoing after he switched off the life support of a terminally ill patient who had asked to die. >>>
The doctor didn't commit euthanisia, he merely let a person refuse treatment.
After watching my mother suffer with cancer, I thought "Wow, that Dr. Kavorkian doesn't seem like such a bad fella". My mother never would have set up her own suicide, but she surely sympathized with someone who was destined to live a brutal life for years on end. Luckily, her suffering was shortlived compared to some, but death doesn't come so quick for some.
Flame retardant suit handy.
Great news, now all the right-to-diers can kill themselves!
That's the stick in the whole "Euthanasia" argument. If a person gives or makes know explicitly that they no longer want to continue treatment, why should their wishes be ignored? Euthanasia and refusing treatment (Either verbally or in a living will) are 2 totally different things.
There must be more to this story. My understanding of Catholic teachings is that a respirator may qualify as "extraordinary means" and it would not be euthanasia to turn it off.
Let's see. Roe v. Wade : right to abort in first trimester now equals abortion on demand regardless of baby's age or health.
Pulling the plug at patient's request will devolve into euthanasia of the weak, unwanted or burdensome regardless of the victims' wishes or health.
This Doc is no hero.
>>>That's the stick in the whole "Euthanasia" argument. If a person gives or makes know explicitly that they no longer want to continue treatment, why should their wishes be ignored? Euthanasia and refusing treatment (Either verbally or in a living will) are 2 totally different things.>>>
Exactly!! I am not quite sure I am ready for plain out suicides, but everyone should have the right to say 'Enough' and end treatment.
ping
The patient required a respirator because he was paralyzed and had muscular dystrophy. I'm sure there was great suffering, but "suffering" is a subjective term. Where does one draw the line? Some people are mentally ill and suffering "torture" just by thinking their next thought. Some people are in "torture" as diabetics, or quadroplegics, etc. Although I would never WISH such a sad fate as Piergiorgio, Christ shows us there is redemption in the smallest and the greatest suffering.
The implication here is great, because his life or death came down to the opinion of a doctor, who agreed with his patient. Piergiorgio could not have died without the assistance and assent of the doctor. It opens the door to the "expert" opinion of other doctors to place a death sentence on comatose patients, patients who have irreversible brain damage, or patients who have no will to live whatsoever.
I'm sure that the last few years of Pope John Paul II's life were torture...
If a person makes a concious decision that he/she "has no will to live" with a terminal illness, shouldn't they be allowed to decide enough is enough?
People have been committing suicide since the beginning of time. But the government has never allowed it to be part of anyone's job description to help people slit their wrists or take the gas pipe. If it's going to be acceptable for doctors to help someone end their own life, we may as well have an entire industry of "suicide consultants" that can come to your house and go over the various options when you become ill. I mean, really, the outcome is the same isn't it?
Can't you see it? "Mrs. Johnson, we'd normally recommend running the car and stuffing a shirt in the tailpipe, but that's not environmentally friendly in this day and age. Have you considered hanging? We'll supply you with the best hemp and there are no toxic emissions. Take a look at our brochure, here's my card, have a lovely day."
"So long as food, water, air and hygeine are provided; I think the church allows the plug to be pulled."
Correct.
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