AMA acts on Terry Schiavo - inspired policy

Chicago Sun Times ^ | June 21, 2005 | LINDSEY TANNER

[FairOpinion]

The politicization of Terri Schiavo prompted the American Medical Association on Tuesday to adopt policy opposing any legislation that presumes patients would want life-sustaining treatment unless it is clear that they would not.

Tuesday's action at the annual meeting of the nation's largest doctors group also reaffirms existing AMA policy that says it is ethical in some cases to discontinue life-sustaining treatment if it is in the patient's best interests.

[Gondring]

I don't think the Schindlers or the Schiavos could have been thinking well enough to plan all this out under the stress that they were put through.

Bingo! That's why I think it's perfectly reasonable that Mr. Schiavo might have had hope for a while, but then finally listened to the physicians who convinced him that she was gone. It doesn't have to mean he had some game plan....Many people have in their directives that they want some treatment tried, but then if it doesn't work, to let them go.

But there are many subtleties involved. For example, by getting the Feds involved, it helped Randall Terry have continued employment--since that goes directly against the conservative point that the Feds shouldn't be forcing abortion upon the states and have no right to be involved. Now, it weakens the fight against abortion and allows him to continue to feign relevance.

[Earthdweller]

No doubt you have that side of the players list identified..now what about the other side?

Clearwater Florida, especially downtown Clearwater, is Scientology's worldwide spiritual headquarters and main training ground. The Flag Service Organization, located in Clearwater, provides the highest level of Scientology training and is the largest single Scientology "church" in the world. Scientology brochures claim that Clearwater Florida has the "largest community of Scientologists in the world." Back in 1998, Scientology generated from 1.5 to 2 million dollars of income per week. This material success enables them to maintain ownership of tens of millions of dollars worth of property (about 40 buildings) as well as many businesses: To date, the church owns more than $50-million in Clearwater-area properties and is nearing completion of a $50-million Mediterranean Revival-style building nicknamed "Super Power." Additionally, the church now has 565 hotel rooms in and near downtown for visiting Scientologists who consider Clearwater their spiritual mecca.

Scientologists believe (1) that a disabled person is in such a state due to his or her own failings, (2) the disabled person will deliberately move in the direction of death, and (3) disabled people (Individuals who score low on the emotional tone scale) will also bring death to those around them. (See L. Ron Hubbard's book, Self Analysis, chapter 4)

One of Scientology's major goals is to change society's views about death, dying.

Indeed, Greer is a longtime crony of various Scientology lawyers. This is a picture of him from years ago.

Left to right: Chief Judge David A. Demers, Tim Johnson, Probate Judge George Greer, John Blakely, Bruce Bokor, and then Wally Pope. Wally Pope was (at times) listed as Scientology's lead counsel in various parts of the Lisa McPherson-related cases. Blakely and Bokor are or were both partners in the law firm Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel, & Burns, which often represents Scientology.

Here's some more from the founder of Scientology..

"Society, the bulk of which is bent upon survival, fails or refuses to recognize death or the urge of organisms toward it. Society passes laws against murder and suicide. Society provides hospitals. Society carries such people [the disabled] on its back. And society will not hear of euthanasia or "mercy killing." (Self Analysis by L. Ron Hubbard; pg. 28)

[Smartaleck]

">>...it is ethical in some cases to discontinue life-sustaining treatment if it is in the patient's best interests."
"And just who gets to decide what THAT means...."

Policy statement on provision of life-sustaining medical treatment (AMA)
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14899.html

E-2.20 Withholding or Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8457.html

[Gondring]

No argument there.

L. Ron Hubbard ranks with Stalin and Hitler in my book, and anyone who continues that sick leeching deserves...well, to be punished. (sitting on hands so I don't type more!)

Looks like they got their young little starlet to rake in some more recruits. Check out the timeline here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160192,00.html

[Earthdweller]

Do you think there are others here that can see both sides or are we all alone?

We need to start our own club!!!

[BykrBayb]

Treatments such as mechanical ventilation and artificial nutrition and hydration should be provided only with appropriate authorization from a patient, a surrogate, or a court.

If you were travelling alone, were rendered unconscious by an accident, and required a ventilator to survive, you would die under these rules. Chances are you don't currently have a surrogate. There is no court set up in the emergency room, or travelling on the ambulance. Let's just pretend you happened to give your authorization for medical treatment to all the hospitals along your route before you had your accident. So they save your life. Now you're hooked up to whatever machines are necessary.

Once initiated, life sustaining treatments may be ethically withdrawn upon request of the patient, or a surrogate or court acting on the patient's behalf.

All it takes is for some judge, or your surrogate (who might not even be chosen by you) to request removal of that equipment, and you're dead.

Even if the patient is not terminally ill or permanently unconscious, it is not unethical to discontinue all means of life-sustaining medical treatment in accordance with a proper substituted judgment or best interests analysis.

WTF?

FUE, could you ping the list to these articles in post #23? They contain quite a bit of information, most of it scary.

[tutstar]

Tuesday's action at the annual meeting of the nation's largest doctors group also reaffirms existing AMA policy that says it is ethical in some cases to discontinue life-sustaining treatment if it is in the patient's best interests.

[tutstar]

Goyal also criticized Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for questioning Schiavo's diagnosis without having examined her. Frist, a doctor, violated AMA ethics in doing so, Goyal said.

So did Judge Greer.

[MEGoody]

The politicization of Terri Schiavo prompted the American Medical Association on Tuesday to adopt policy opposing any legislation that presumes patients would want life-sustaining treatment unless it is clear that they would not.

Huh? Whoever wrote this sentence needs to try again.

[MEGoody]

I thought the hypocratic oath stated that they were to do no harm. Withholding that which is required for life is doing harm.

[tutstar]

Can you make a thread for the one that has that statement about "not" being terminally ill? That is the kind of stuff that people are really not aware of.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[tutstar]

You are so polite and courteous! TY

Be sure to see info in post 23!

[BykrBayb]

Here it is. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1428208/posts

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your kind encouragements and for the heads up to post 23!

[kenth]

"Oath" is just a word that doesn't really have meaning with a lot of people these days, much like "honor" and "commitment".

[Saundra Duffy]

The world has turned upside down.

[tertiary01]

E2.20-- ...."To relieve suffering", that's going to be a real subjective Pandora's Box.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

the American Medical Association on Tuesday [adopted] policy opposing any legislation that presumes patients would want life-sustaining treatment unless it is clear that they would not

In other words, doctors will not presume that patients would WANT life-sustaining treatment. So, rather than err on the side of life (which would be the humane thing to do), they will err on the side of death. Do you now understand?

The American Medical Association is on the side of death. Can it be any clearer? Your doctors are not there to help you. They are only there to make a buck, play golf, disemburden themselves from your medical situation, play golf, and make a buck.

[bvw]

The patient doesn't get a say in that. It is just a general warrant for killing.