In addition to being a Podiatrist I also work for a Catholic hospice (not in the clinical care of patients.) I also will be serving as the chairman of a national pro life group that is deeply involved in end of life care. And we have directly cared for loved ones at end of life in very trying circumstances.
So even though I’m not a clinician directly involved in patient care, I am familiar with the topic at hand here and I’m in communication with the prolife leaders in the field. The opinions I express are not uninformed and this is an important pro life battle. Many people are dying prematurely from arbitrary withdrawal of hydration and nutrition and over medication with opioids, sedatives and antipsychotics.
So while I truly respect your views and your experience, I also have extensive experience in this field and feel a duty to point out the pro life aspects of this debate. Thank you for sharing your opinion.
Perhaps it is time for you to get some direct clinical experience with those who are suffering from autonomic system failure, and consequent organ shut-down.
I do not doubt that there are people dying prematurely, improperly denied hydration and nutrition, and overly medicated, as you suggest.
But, do not fall off the horse on that other side, because there are medical situations that require much less medical interference than is “present protocol”. And, many docs pursue these, for fear of legal consequences or personal gain.
General comments made in an online forum that could intimidate loving relatives trying their best to provide comfort and care for those terminally ill, making them feel guilty for not “doing everything medically possible” could be (in my layman’s opinion) at least, considered insensitive to individual situations, and might verge on what we commoners consider “verbal malpractice”.
Who knows what someone might decide to do, based on a general statement you have made over the internet? Have you considered the impact that the initials behind your screen name might have on someone who concludes you are more qualified than you are, in fact?
We do not want to devolve into a world where our loved ones, no matter what their age or circumstance, become subject for medical experimentation, when weird tests and trials are conducted in the “name of science, and the betterment of mankind”.
This has happened in the past, as I am sure you know, and it is probably happening in the present. I hope it never happens to me, or anyone I love.
In conclusion, remember that saying about words being like feathers released from a pillow?
Most doctors would not generalize on an internet site, about a patient they have not examined, or express an opinion on someone who medical history and situation they have not studied.
So, why have you?