Posted on 04/30/2017 7:02:32 PM PDT by Coleus
PORTLAND, Ore. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A bill in Oregon's senate is crafted to allow mentally ill patients to be starved to death.
Oregon law mandates that healthcare providers give food and water to all conscious patients, who can receive it naturally such as by spoon feeding. SB 494, which is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, would remove this mandate for patients suffering from dementia and other mental illnesses.
Gayle Atterberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, remarked, "Nursing homes and other organizations dedicated to protecting vulnerable patients work hard to make sure patients receive the food and water they need. Senate Bill 494, pushed hard by the insurance lobby, would take patient care a step backwards and decimate patient rights."
A recent case leading up to this legislation highlights the potential danger of the measure once passed. Bill Harris is a resident of Oregon and legal guardian of his wife Nora Harris. Nora suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and must be fed with a spoon. Bill Harris petitioned the court to issue an order directing the nursing home that's caring for his wife to stop feeding her altogether.
Oregon law, however, requires that conscious patients be given food and water if it can be administered naturally to the patient and consumed by ordinary eating and drinking. Because of this law, the court refused to honor the request by Bill Harris.
SB 494 would remove this safeguard and allow for the starvation and dehydration of such patients at the request of a legal guardian or by third parties if guardianship was lacking. The law would also appoint a committee of unelected officials and give them the power to make future changes to advanced medical directives without oversight or approval by the Oregon Legislature. Many fear this provision would result in a rapid erosion of patients' rights under the strong lobby of insurance companies.
Oregon already allows IVs and feeding tubes to be withdrawn from otherwise viable patients at the request of guardians and third parties. This causes horrible death by dehydration over a matter of days. SB 494 would extend that gruesome prerogative to include cases of "spoon feeding" of conscious patients, who are mentally incompetent.
Terri Schiavo made headlines when her feeding tube was removed at the request of her husband. This caused Schiavo to die a slow and agonizing death over the course of 13 days. Her brother, Bobby Schindler gave this account of her last days:
My sister's lips were horribly cracked to the point they were blistering. Her skin became jaundiced with areas that turned different shades of blue. Terri's breathing became rapid and uncontrollable. Her moaning, at times, was raucous, which indicated to us the insufferable pain she was experiencing. Terri's face became skeletal, with blood pooling in her deeply sunken eyes and her teeth protruding forward. What will be forever seared in my memory is the look of utter horror on my sister's face when my family visited her just after she died.
Oregon Right to Life is providing this link for Oregon residents to contact their state senator and ask them to stop SB 494 from becoming law. Catholics are asked to contact the archdiocese of Portland and encourage Abp. Alexander Sample to continue fighting against this bill.
Oh yeah.....probably right!
Interestingly, the beginning of it all, the concept of leibens unswertesleibens (life not worthy of life) was not a Nazi-era law, but an earlier Progressive stage--the Weimar Republic. The Nazis (who were Progressives also) were just using what was lying around.
My wife cared for her wheelchair bound dad for 25 years, and ALZ mom for 6 years. They both died on the farm here.
I will say that spouses may need a man cave to survive odd dramas. My dad went quick, at age 57, with congestive heart failure from diabetes. I kid my wife that I want to go quick..
We’re near Salem, and will surely add our voice to this..
The horrors contemplated and proposed in Oregon are past belief and redemption.
Hospice DOES NOT starve or dehydrate people! Insinuating that we do is both ignorant and insulting!
WE alleviate uncomfortable symptoms. Period. God decides when our patients are called home.
Dementia runs in my family. I love Alaska, snow, and snowdogs (not brown bears), and when I read “Snow Walker” I thought that that is how I should go. Thing is, I won’t be able to make that decision for myself. I wonder how the rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s has increased due to technology and becoming office chair potatoes.
HERE YA GO, LOONEY CHRISTIANS!
” and other mental illnesses. “
——End stage dementia patients——
Interesting concept. What is “end stage”
I have recently heard that there is a sort of “mean dementia” where the patient goes haywire and lashes out. I have a friend that has uncontrollable outbursts against everybody and is an extended care facility. My mom was in a similar state but not so bad. Her meanness took the form of writing long very nasty letters or making mean comments.
Towards the end, she had swallowing problems that may have contributed to her death.
Oh, by the way, I read the Bible slowly (taking notes) cover to cover and I am just starting Judges. Having finished Joshua I am particularly vigilant for national consequences of rebellion (nice way of saying promised threats) and I have been wondering how long it will be before the Great Tribulation. Before abortion becoming worldwide I couldn’t imagine why God would be so angry.
Well, this morning a note dropped out of my Bible. Genesis 15:16 [Abraham was told] “Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” God told Abraham about his descendants going to another nation and being enslaved for 400 years then returning because the Amorites who lived in the Promised Land weren’t as bad as they were going to be and being wiped out wasn’t going to happen until they practiced child sacrifice.
So, we have about 6 nations in the world that outlaw pre-born genocide. Is God waiting for all nations to legalize child sacrifice? Is God waiting for all nations to become equally abominable? Last year was Israel’s 40th year.
I think we should sue these people for what they are doing in provoking God to wrath.
Two things are inevitable, death and taxes.
So naturally, the state encourages both.
You are absolutely right. And medical and care providers discuss this with the families of patients who are fortunate enough to have them. What concerns me are the dementia patients who have no one to look out for them and raise holy Hell if need be. Seems to me this legislation is trying to fix something that isn’t broken. Which makes one wonder why.
LJ, when a dementia patient is unable to swallow, there are no good choices. And aspiration pneumonia is not a pleasant way to go. The real question is who is best equipped to decide for the patient who has no one to make the hard choices. The legislation does not address this satisfactorily. Not to my mind.
If you did this to an animal you'd be arrested!
this truly dangerous to Oregon’s leaders considering most liberals suffer from dementia. Are they going to lock themselves and starve
Disgraced former Governor Kitzhaber placed a moratorium on executions...against the will of the voters..and useless Kate Brown continues the policy. Death row inmates probably eat better than many of Oregon’s citizens.
I am not insinuating anything. I am stating that patients are dehydrated. In fact, I was told by the hospice nurse that it’s a pleasant way to go.
To deny that patients are being dehydrated is avoiding the truth.
Do some googling. Your’ll find in a couple of minutes health professionals pushing dehydration, e.g., “”The process of starving to death seems very barbaric but in actuality is very peaceful,” said Dr. Fred Mirarchi, assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.
You and your wife know better than most how much stress and sacrifice is involved in care giving. And you know the rewards as well I’m sure. It’s harder than any job and it’s more than a duty it’s family.
Good luck fighting this evil bill.
I live in Arkansas and just witnessed all this outpouring against the death penalty. One of the things of concern was if these animals being executed would suffer pain as they were dying.
Having just gone through three weeks of Hospice with my Father last December I could only think was were are you people about the suffering of patients in Hospice?
I have have had a lot of reflective thought on this and I just look at Hospice as either, Assisted Suicide, or even more so, Legalized Assisted Murder.
I would oppose vehemently a Bill as this in Oregon. It is wrong and pretty much amounts to Murder any way you cut it.
I am tired of hearing the phrase death with dignity, I don’t think it exists.
Sorry I beg to disagree. Been through it and I found it a horrible experience. It’s barbaric, I would rather my Father have swallowed a Cup of Hemlock than watch what I did.
ES dementia is when a patient can no longer self ambulate (walk without assistance or self-propel a wheelchair) and can no longer have meaningful speech (cannot express their needs).
There are numerous types of dementia from the basic “senile dementia” which is the common forgetfulness/eccentricity of the very elderly all the way up to ES Alzheimer’s dementia.
Most dementia pts can/do exhibit some irritability/aggression, but Lewey Body dementia is the epitome of this. Very difficult to control.
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