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To: Cboldt
The charade is that the patient chose to starve to death, by saying "no extraordinary medical procedure." That term of art includes feeding tube.

Succinct. What's scary to me in all of this is that "extraordinary medical procedures" and being kept alive by "artificial means" now includes food and water. We should be concerned that the judiciary considers us all to be alive by "artificial means," and that someone with "custody" of us on paper can decide to starve us to death.

933 posted on 03/22/2005 10:41:36 AM PST by Types_with_Fist (I'm on FReep so often that when I read an article at another site I scroll down for the comments.)
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To: Types_with_Fist
We should be concerned that the judiciary considers us all to be alive by "artificial means," and that someone with "custody" of us on paper can decide to starve us to death.

I just finished my lunch and I have to confess that while eating it I didn't consider consuming the food and drink as anything "extraordinary" (although Wendy's food is quite tasty) or "artificial" (definitely not that). Taking in necessary nourishment is just something that living things do, and is characteristic of life. I learned that in 10th grade biology. And here all this time we should have been thinking of it as "artificial means" of preserving life. Geez, the wonders that can be had by the judicial twisting of language...

952 posted on 03/22/2005 10:46:23 AM PST by chimera
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To: Types_with_Fist
We should be concerned that the judiciary considers us all to be alive by "artificial means," and that someone with "custody" of us on paper can decide to starve us to death.

The person with custody is obliged to follow YOUR instructions regarding medical care and the withholding thereof. Specifying the type of medical care you want (or not) is the key.

But do know that the term of art, "extraordinary medical means" includes food and water, and is not limited to resprirators; artifical lungs; articifial kidney; and so on. Even an IV drip is a medical procedure.

972 posted on 03/22/2005 10:53:12 AM PST by Cboldt
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