I have been thinking about this issue for several weeks as a result of taking part on various Terri threads. I have noticed how several Freepers have argued on the side of the 'Right to Die' and much of their opinion has been shaped by personal experience, some have allied themselves to the death lobby only because of a certain amount of guilt they feel for allowing a relative to be admitted to a hospice, without a clear understanding of what happens to the patient once he/she is admitted. They fight tooth and claw to justify their own actions, and thus appear to place themselves into the death-by-hospice camp.
Once the truth about 'hospice care' is out in the open, the guilt they feel should be elminated. The entire concept is based upon a lie. Death with dignity! What BS. No treatment, no therapy, no facilities, IMO hospice care is no better than taking a lost dog to the Pound. (But in a Pound, if a new owner is found, at least the animal is allowed to be released!) Miss Mae is probably one of the very few who ever escaped with her life. Miss Mae may not live - but if she dies, her stay in the hospice certainly contributed to her death. (I pray she lives many years.)
I have an aged mother, 90 yo. Healthy and independant. She has made it clear she wishes no life-support, but NEVER WILL SHE BE COMMITTED TO A HOSPICE.
Wow! You really hit the nail on the head with that one.
One interesting thing also came out from the last few weeks of my neighborhood discussions. The couple on the east of me are moderate to left-leaning. The lady works in administration at a local nursing home. She wasn't happy with a lot of what she heard about Terri but during our Thursday night and Friday activities for Mae she got the news of what I was up to. She was horrified when she heard the facts of Mae's situation. She was more knowledgeable about the medical things surrounding Mae's case than I was. She said there was no way that lady should be in hospice and no way it was time for her to die.
She's commented on many occasions that hospice is a place to die. Where she works, only residents who are really about to die go to hospice. Her whole concept of hospice from her professional knowledge is hospice=death. So, that lines right up with your "lost dog going to the pound" analogy.
Now, that one lady and I agree on something political about one in 20 times. But, on this, she is one of the most outspoken for life. Interesting huh?
See The Entrenchment of Evil at my blog. I think it covers this subject nicely.
I noticed that too.