Ella, I had some nice talks with people last night; even people who didn't think we should ever remove a feeding tube from anyone under any circumstances.
I heard a man call on the radio the other day who was disabled and was worried that he and other disabled people would be next.
He was serious and frightened and alone. And my heart just wrenched for him.
I understand the emotions govering this, on both sides. When I first started investigating this, my husband, who knows all too well how opinionated I am, was shocked that for the first time in 25 years, I didn't have a strong opinion either way. I just didn't want to see FR become a dumping ground of conspiracy theories.
But you know, this country has such a history of valuing life. All life. Remember the little girl who fell in the well years ago? I think people lost their lives saving her. We do so much to save people in this country. More than any other country on earth.
I don't want us to develop a policy where we discard people. But I think we should have the absolute right to self determination and decide how we are going to live and how we are going to die.
And so I don't like Congress getting involved because sure as shootin', they will pass something hastily without having a full conversation with their constituents, and something will get passed that will take some right away from someone somewhere. They always muck stuff up.
I want my husband to decide this for me with the advice of doctors. Not Congress. Not anyone else.
But when I hear stories about how some people are frightened they will be next and think for a moment that a family in America is truly concerned that "they" might be coming for them next like that man on the radio, my heart bleeds.
And our leaders aren't doing a good job discussing this issue. I think they are frightened. It's a big issue.
But we all need to keep talking with each other and not AT each other and name calling, etc. I'm not pro death and most of the freepers are not pro government interference or endorsing anarchy or violence, I'm sure.
That's for sure.
I think they are frightened.
Frightened b/c they never should have touched it.
It was the third rail.
It's a big issue.
Much too big. That' why they dropped it like a hot tator.
Ella, I didn't mean to post that thread to just you or to sound preachy. LOL
There's nothing you've said about this that makes me even know your position, just that you are reasonable and a valued member of the WPPFF!
And it should...
Doctors for Michael Schiavo have said that an MRI and PET are not necessary for Terri because PVS is primarily a “clinical” diagnosis, that is, one arrived at on the basis of examination of the patient, rather than by relying on tests. And the neurologists I have spoken to agree on the clinical nature of the diagnosis, while insisting that advanced tests nonetheless are a necessary part of it. But the star medical witness for Michael Schiavo, Dr. Ronald Cranford of the University of Minnesota, has repeatedly dismissed calls for MRI testing, and his opinion has prevailed.
Dr. Cranford was the principal medical witness brought in by Schiavo and Felos to support their position that Terri was PVS. Judge Greer was obviously impressed by Cranford’s résumé: Cranford travels throughout the country testifying in cases involving PVS and brain impairment. He is widely recognized by courts as an expert in these issues, and in some circles is considered “the” expert on PVS. His clinical judgment has carried the day in many cases, so it is relevant to examine the manner in which he arrived at his judgment in Terri’s case. But before that, one needs to know a little about Cranford’s background and perspective: Dr. Ronald Cranford is one of the most outspoken advocates of the “right to die” movement and of physician-assisted suicide in the U.S. today.
In published articles, including a 1997 op-ed in the Minneapolis–St. Paul Star Tribune, he has advocated the starvation of Alzheimer’s patients. He has described PVS patients as indistinguishable from other forms of animal life. He has said that PVS patients and others with brain impairment lack personhood and should have no constitutional rights. Perusing the case literature and articles surrounding the “right to die” and PVS, one will see Dr. Cranford’s name surface again and again. In almost every case, he is the one claiming PVS, and advocating the cessation of nutrition and hydration.
Dr. Cranford has been an instrumental force in redefining the determination of death. Death was once defined as the time when the heart permanently stopped beating. Through Dr. Cranford’s activism, it was changed to coincide with the cessation of brain waves. The motivation for this redefinition was so that human organs would survive the death of the patient and be available for transplant.
"The United States has thousands or tens of thousands of patients in vegetative states; nobody knows for sure exactly how many," he wrote. "But before long, this country will have several million patients with Alzheimer's dementia. The challenges and costs of maintaining vegetative state patients will pale in comparison to the problems presented by Alzheimer's disease." The answer, he suggested, was physician-assisted suicide.
Better hide granny in the fruit cellar...they are coming after her next.
I came back today mainly to get an update on the Pope, and have seen two OPUS threads from long time contributors. What a true shame.
Hopefully this thread has almost reached his limits now that Terri has passed, but reading some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Medical Examiner, I kind of doubt it.
Anyway, Thanks for the "support group", and add me as one of the members.