Catholic nurse recounts hospice horror, says doctor euthanized priest

Renew America ^ | 4/1/11 | Matt C. Abbott

[wagglebee]

Some will recall that March 31 was the sixth anniversary of the court-ordered murder of Terri Schiavo. (Click here to read about the tragedy.)

Terri's execution was, according to Ron Panzer, president of Hospice Patients Alliance, "accomplished at The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast." He notes that the hospice's CEO, Mary Labyak, "has been a member of the board of directors of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization as well as Partnership for Caring, a successor to the Euthanasia Society of America."

Panzer also notes that Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, a euthanasia advocate, was chairman of Suncoast's board when Terri was brought there for the purpose of killing her.

"The public still does not realize that Terri was taken from us to fulfill a hospice-euthanasia partnership, fulfilling their agenda in an 'in your face' demonstration of what they can do, are doing, and will do to others," asserts Panzer.

In recent days, Panzer received the following (edited) e-mail from registered nurse and Illinoisan Wendy Ludwig, who recounts the horror of witnessing the euthanizing of an elderly Catholic priest:

'Hello, I spoke with you [Ron Panzer] some years ago about the many killings taking place within hospice. You may remember me; I'm an RN, BSN. Not long after I spoke with you, my father died of leukemia, and the following year my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in 2009.

'I'm contacting you again, asking for your help in trying to somehow stop the horrible hospice killings and euthanasia that occur even in hospitals. I know so many people not even terminally ill whom hospice quickly killed. I'm so upset, horrified and angry about this. In my area, the hospice went on an 'advertising campaign,' writing articles in the local newspaper, handing out flyers to doctors' offices and trying to drum up support from local clergy by going around to each church asking to set up a meeting with them so they can 'explain the benefits of hospice.'

'It's truly terrible where I live. It's not uncommon to see a patient eating in a restaurant with his or her family one week and the following week be dead after hospice has come in. When my mother was ill, she made absolutely clear that she did not want hospice anywhere near her, yet the hospital forced drugs on her, did many tactics to hasten her death and ended up doing as they pleased, coming up with some strange medical power-of-attorney that no one had seen before. It was truly awful. For the rest of my life it will affect me, and there is never a day that I do not think about it. I did everything I possibly could, but they still found ways to not treat infections, to deny her enough fluid, to do so many things, and it did not matter what I said or did — or what she said, for that matter.

'I'm currently seeking a new career, because as a pro-life Catholic, I cannot in good conscience work in hospitals anymore. Even the Catholic hospitals support hospice in one way or another. I can tell you honestly that I'm not aware of any hospice that is good. Everyone I know who has gone to a hospice in any state that I know of has been murdered by hospice.

'It's been so overwhelming to me. What's so unbelievable is the way that hospice can convince people they are doing 'good' and 'mercy' for their loved ones. It appears to me that they use a type of forceful brainwashing where they take the family at their most vulnerable time, convince them the only way the patient won't suffer is by using hospice, and lie to them about what is actually happening. Even when people feel like something isn't right, they do nothing, somehow believing what hospice has told them. With such an 'ad campaign' in the newspapers and elsewhere, I don't know how to begin to make people understand what hospice is doing. It's notable also that once a family member dies in hospice care, people do not want to hear the truth; it seems they defend hospice profoundly, probably because they don't want to think that they have just let their loved one be murdered.

'I witnessed a doctor euthanizing a Catholic priest who stated in no uncertain terms that he did not want hospice. The priest did not have cancer or any other terminal illness. He was 94, still saying Mass and very active. When the priest needed knee surgery for an injury to his knee, the doctor decided it was time to call in hospice. The priest adamantly and angrily refused. So the doctor took his medicine away and started to give him 'pain pills' even though the priest said he was not in pain.

'The priest was in a nursing home following his knee injury and was getting physical therapy. He had been also prescribed large doses of Coumadin by the doctor. I went to visit him one day and found him bruising all over, so I demanded that the nursing home call an ambulance. When they refused to call an ambulance and said the doctor was aware, I told them the priest was bruised all over his body and that he needed to go to the hospital. I told them that if an ambulance was not called, I was going to call the police. He was taken to the hospital and was told he had been given too much Coumadin and that he would need to stay in the hospital for a few days.

'While in the hospital, the doctor refused him food and fluids. I called the elder abuse hotline and when the doctor found out they were coming, he began IV feedings, but also began drugging the priest with morphine. The priest told me what they were doing. I waited for the doctor with a friend and I told him I was aware of what was going on and that the elder abuse hotline would again be called. The doctor pounded on the patient's chest and said, 'Does he seem awake enough to you?!' He called the family, which lived in another state, and they came. I received a call one day asking for me to come and visit Father because he was asking to see me. I went to see him; he was resting comfortably.

'He was in an ICU and I was watching the monitors. His heart rate and breathing were regular and stable. Not long after I arrived, I was taken to a waiting room and the family was there. A short time later the nurse came and got the family but told me to stay in the waiting room. I had a terrible feeling; I went to the nurses' station and the curtain was pulled in Father's room. I heard a priest saying prayers over him, the family in the room as well. I was told I could not go in. I told them I had forgotten my purse in the room, but I was not allowed to go in and get it.

'I stood outside and heard the nurse telling the family that they were giving him another dose of medicine and taking off his oxygen. I was told to go back to the waiting room. I knew what was happening: The doctor had viciously called me to sit in the waiting room while he euthanized the priest. I left the hospital, and before I got home, I received a call that the priest had passed away.

'About a month later, the local newspaper printed a story about an 'honor' this doctor was given by the hospital. It seemed quite planned in its timing. Right after the priest died, an anonymous letter was sent to the doctor informing him that people were aware of what he was doing to patients. A Catholic nun had also witnessed this same doctor giving a fentanyl patch in a terminal dose to another nun, who died within hours of receiving the patch. A few weeks after that letter was sent, the story appeared in the paper 'honoring' this doctor. The woman who was with me when the doctor pounded on the priest's chest thought that because the doctor was on the hospital's board, the 'honor' was probably given to distract people who may have heard of his tactics from believing what was said about him. The doctor still practices at the hospital.

'I have many other horror stories.'

[wagglebee]

"The public still does not realize that Terri was taken from us to fulfill a hospice-euthanasia partnership, fulfilling their agenda in an 'in your face' demonstration of what they can do, are doing, and will do to others," asserts Panzer.

Terri's murder was simply a dress rehearsal for what the culture of death plans for every elderly and disabled person.

[wagglebee]

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[Yet_Again]

As a physician, I never recommend hospice care for anyone for this reason. Hospice bills itself as an alternative to the continuation of heroic measures that would be futile. While I can see the value in this, hospice always ends up in the same place: the withdrawal of all life sustaining care in an effort to urge patients to die quickly and leave the system alone...often in a drug induced coma.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Another member of the MOD - Merchants Of Death - aka the MOD Squad.

[yldstrk]

Let’s start a list of death states:

Florida
Oregon

Please add on as you are aware.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

ping!

[Yet_Again]

There’s a remarkable correlation if you compare a list of “death states” and a list of “blue states”. If you’re an elderly person, you do not want to end up in a blue state nursing home.

[Yet_Again]

Oh - and let me add this. After sitting on a state medical board committee that rebuffed an attempt by our state university’s organ transplant team to lobby for state law changes that made it possible for a single physician to turn off life support (and thus make access to organs easier) I would strongly advise you not to sign your organ donor card.

The unfortunate reality is that today, American medicine harbors some hard core progressives with ethics no better than the Nazi physicians of Hitler’s day.

[wagglebee]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

[Sherman Logan]

Well, Florida’s about as purple as they come. 50/50, just like the nation.

[wagglebee]

I will NEVER sign a donor card.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with my organs being used to save someone's life, it just needs to be done AFTER I'm dead. I have signed directives stating this, but it's not on my driver's license.

[kalee]

NC
My mother’s 2009 hospice story would curdle your blood.

[SandRat]

Can Soylent Green be far behind?

[bronxville]

They did it to my sister. May she RIP. I left her in their care that night and will forever regret it. She was alert and talking when we left in the afternoon, we told her we’d be back in the evening, when we arrived back that evening we were told visiting hours were over and refused us visitation. When we arrived back the next morning she was in a coma. I trusted them and had no idea they’d overdose her. I’ll forever regret not putting up a fight but I’d been in the medical field and had never seen nor heard of such a thing hence my faith in them. I have all the papers necessary to get her medical files but haven’t done anything about it as I live in a Blue State. I’ve never worked in a hospital since. It appears that when one puts someone on Pallitive Care it’s code for euthansia...I was an innocent despite working in medicine for decades.

[yldstrk]

Death States:

Florida
North Carolina
Oregon

[wagglebee]

You also need to add Washington state.

[eastforker]

Not all Hospice care is evil or death warriars. I have dealt with Hospice up close and personal here in Texas when my wife was on her deathbed. Hospice was never mentioned or suggested by the hospital untill my wife decided she wanted no more treatment and wanted me to take her home. After signing the DNR I was inroduced to the Hospice agent at the hospital. He was very professional and expedited all aspect of getting my wife home ASAP. My wife died at home within 24 hours, content and glad she made it home. There might be some horror stories out there but Hospice is not all bad, especially when you need them.

[wagglebee]

The only experience that I've had with hospice has been good.

My grandfather was diagnosed with advance pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. There were no real treatment options and he wasn't willing to do something that was as likely to kill him as it was to add a couple months.

The hospice care was done in his home by a group of nuns. They kept his pain level tolerable, but didn't give him so much that he wasn't alert. He went in and out of consciousness the last couple of days, but it wasn't due to the morphine.

I think hospice started out as a very noble idea, but it has since been basically overtaken by the culture of death and is being used to a lot of people who aren't even actually dying.

[cycjec]

We need to hear the other stories Wendy Ludwig has, with
the medical/Rx details. The Coumadin (an anti-coagulant)
being one such detail.