Posted on 04/10/2011 5:35:48 AM PDT by BykrBayb
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Grand Junction proclaimed Monday as National Health Care Decisions Day, urging all citizens to make their health care wishes known through advance care planning for managing a serious illness, or end-of-life care.
Living wills and advance directives are documents that spell out your wishes if you should become incapacitated due to a medical crisis.
Millions of people began filling out living wills and advance directives after the 1976 Supreme Court case of Karen Ann Quinlan, whose parents battled with hospital staff who sought to keep Quinlan alive through artificial means, even though she had lapsed into a vegetative state and doctors had determined she would never recover. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in the parents favor, who said they wanted Karen to die with “grace and dignity.”
People who make their wishes known in advance can avoid situations like Quinlan's, and that of another woman — Terri Schiavo — who suffered a cardiac arrest, that led to a vegetative state lasting 15 years before her mechanical life support system was removed.
The Mesa County Advance Care Planning Task Force, a group of local organizations, is offering “Medical Decision Making in Colorado” workshops on how to plan for end-of-life care, Thursday and Saturday, April 14 and 16. The sessions are free.
The sessions will include communicating end-of-life wishes to loved ones, and how to appoint a health care power of attorney. There will also be new information regarding living wills and other advance directive documents.
St. Mary's Hospital is hosting Thursday's session, and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado will host the Saturday workshop. Light refreshments will be provided.
Limited seating is available and reservations are required by calling Western Colorado 2-1-1.
GO&DO
What: Advance Care Planning Session - hosted by St. Mary's Hospital and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado
When and Where: April 14 - St. Mary's Saccomanno Education Center, 2635 7th St. April 16 - Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 3090 N. 12th St. Unit B, Room 102 Both sessions are 9-11 a.m.
Cost: Free
Info: Register before April 12 by calling Western Colorado 2-1-1
Not true. Most people still do not want to sign away their lives, and even fewer people wanted to in 1976. The idea of "living wills" was new, and not very popular. The default position of the medical community was to provide care. Most people agreed with that, and saw no need to put their wishes in writing. At that time, their desire to be cared for would be honored without question.
Most people shared the belief that The fact that the victim is on the threshold of death or in terminal condition is no defense to a homicide charge. Even if they mistakenly believed Quinlan was dying, they didn't think that justified killing her.
The euthanasia lobby has pushed for "living wills" for decades. People now generally accept that there is a right to sign a living will, but most people still don't sign them. The euthanasia lobby pressures people to sign them, and still we resist.
This seminar looks dubious. I think this has more to do with promoting the choice to die than any objective promotion of the actual desires of the attendees.
I think it would be nice if one or more pro-lifers attended this seminar, to provide a pro-life perspective, and to report what they see there. It would be nice to bring several copies of the Will to Live, to hand out to the people in attendance. And then take video of the hosts' heads exploding.
Could somebody ping the list?
Thanks for the Will to Live info. Be very careful when you select your Durable Power of Attorney for health decisions. When you are elderly and in frail health, the adjunct staff people (and sometimes even some doctors and nurses) in most hospitals will be all over that person to ‘pull the plug’. My advice: a conservative while you want to live, a liberal if you want to die.
With that decree, what's left to talk about?
Well, you could always try to prove me wrong. Give it your best shot.
I learned early in life not to waste time arguing with zealots.
Yes, why do I have the feeling the message will be
“Decide now not be a “burden” on your family and society. You wouldn’t want to be a BURDEN on your LOVED ONES, would you?”
You are a zealot. You ravenously promote death. Too bad you can’t come up with any facts to back up your position. Go ahead and try. Instead of spewing your usual “doody-head” rhetoric, give us something, anything, that backs up your position. Show us some substantiation of the claim that millions of people rushed into filling out “living wills” after the removal of Karen Anne Quinlan’s respirator. You’ve taken the position that it’s true. Prove it.
Stop. You're not very good at this.
I have had heart surgery with an advanced directive in place.
Ah, freedom.
Oh gee, that makes you an expert, and verifies all your ludicrous claims.
Now try again. Back up your claims.
Trying to get us use to it I see.
I can't get how Terri S was starved and dehydrated to death out of my mind.
Yes. As part of their conditioning they use lies and propaganda. They claim that millions of people rushed out to sign living wills the moment they first heard about them. They come onto conservative pro-life forums like this one to repeat those claims. When asked to back up their claims, they call the questioner names and insist they’re above such things. Those tactics work among their peers over at DU, so they just assume it will work among thinking people too.
Did you think that the default position in the medical community was still to provide care, unless the patient clearly and specifically requested otherwise? Did you think that a patient whose pro-life views were well known would be exempt from involuntary euthanasia? Did you think that Americans were too civilized to cheer for the brutal public execution of an innocent woman?
I hate to tell you this, but with a name like BykrBayb, you are going to have a hard time convincing anyone that you are a qualified bioethicist.
What are you talking about?
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