Posted on 04/30/2017 7:02:32 PM PDT by Coleus
PORTLAND, Ore. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A bill in Oregon's senate is crafted to allow mentally ill patients to be starved to death.
Oregon law mandates that healthcare providers give food and water to all conscious patients, who can receive it naturally such as by spoon feeding. SB 494, which is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, would remove this mandate for patients suffering from dementia and other mental illnesses.
Gayle Atterberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, remarked, "Nursing homes and other organizations dedicated to protecting vulnerable patients work hard to make sure patients receive the food and water they need. Senate Bill 494, pushed hard by the insurance lobby, would take patient care a step backwards and decimate patient rights."
A recent case leading up to this legislation highlights the potential danger of the measure once passed. Bill Harris is a resident of Oregon and legal guardian of his wife Nora Harris. Nora suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and must be fed with a spoon. Bill Harris petitioned the court to issue an order directing the nursing home that's caring for his wife to stop feeding her altogether.
Oregon law, however, requires that conscious patients be given food and water if it can be administered naturally to the patient and consumed by ordinary eating and drinking. Because of this law, the court refused to honor the request by Bill Harris.
SB 494 would remove this safeguard and allow for the starvation and dehydration of such patients at the request of a legal guardian or by third parties if guardianship was lacking. The law would also appoint a committee of unelected officials and give them the power to make future changes to advanced medical directives without oversight or approval by the Oregon Legislature. Many fear this provision would result in a rapid erosion of patients' rights under the strong lobby of insurance companies.
Oregon already allows IVs and feeding tubes to be withdrawn from otherwise viable patients at the request of guardians and third parties. This causes horrible death by dehydration over a matter of days. SB 494 would extend that gruesome prerogative to include cases of "spoon feeding" of conscious patients, who are mentally incompetent.
Terri Schiavo made headlines when her feeding tube was removed at the request of her husband. This caused Schiavo to die a slow and agonizing death over the course of 13 days. Her brother, Bobby Schindler gave this account of her last days:
My sister's lips were horribly cracked to the point they were blistering. Her skin became jaundiced with areas that turned different shades of blue. Terri's breathing became rapid and uncontrollable. Her moaning, at times, was raucous, which indicated to us the insufferable pain she was experiencing. Terri's face became skeletal, with blood pooling in her deeply sunken eyes and her teeth protruding forward. What will be forever seared in my memory is the look of utter horror on my sister's face when my family visited her just after she died.
Oregon Right to Life is providing this link for Oregon residents to contact their state senator and ask them to stop SB 494 from becoming law. Catholics are asked to contact the archdiocese of Portland and encourage Abp. Alexander Sample to continue fighting against this bill.
I don’t like this legislation at all.
Sounds like the insurance company/medicare trying to save a buck.
For the record, Hospice agencies are paid a per diem to manage a patient’s terminal condition. MUCH cheaper than hospitals and multiple doctors. It is in a Hospice providers financial interest to keep a patient alive as long as possible.
Hospice providers are required to advocate for the patient.
That hospice nurse and that Dr are obviously idiots. Dehydration (in people with a thirst sense intact) is a hideous way to go.
Mild/moderate dehydration for several days leads to renal failure resulting in urea poisoning, which IS a peaceful way to go. MUCH better than pneumonia.
Pneumonia and renal failure are the two primary proximal causes of death.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience. I have had thousands of patients whose families would disagree.
Nazi Eugenics in a nutshell. The Nazis may have been destroyed but their legacy continues under various names: euthanasia, mental health, etc.
Once the precedent is set the definition of “quality of life” will change to justify the murders of ever-widening groups of people.
I was caretaker for an aunt with dementia. She was in a nursing facility. She slipped and fell and broke her hip.
When she came out of surgery her dementia had worsened. She had lost the ability to swallow. It was such that we could try to teach her to swallow through occupational therapy. Except by the time the next meal came by, she would have “forgotten” once again.
So, she wasn’t eating. She was in pain.
Pain meds were keeping her comfortable.
At what stage do you allow them to end their fight?
Renal failure can lead to multiple cardiac events. Not a pleasant way to go.
While true, it is rare in the very elderly and almost unheard of in the ES dementia patients.
It surprises alot of people, but over HALF of my Alzheimer’s patients had NO OTHER significant health issues.... NONE.
I call it: Senior Citizen’s Dementia Hip Syndrome.
You’d be shocked at how common your aunt’s story is....
So we learned.
Once we decided to let her go, she was unconscious in a day. But she lingered for a week...never regaining consciousness. I was amazed at how long she hung on.
What a long week that was.
Probably because they didn’t think about the process and what is involved. If they separated their emotions and looked upon it with more logic they would realize it is barbaric and there is nothing peaceful or dignified about the process.
My aunt had no medical history. She went to the dentist every six months. No cavities ever. She walked 3-5 miles every day up until six months before she passed.
If not for the AD, should could have lived well into her 90’s.
OK CBP.... your hatred of Hospice based on your bad experience is logical, while thousands of Americans that praise it to the skies are emotional.
Believe what you wish. Your emotions make you unable to be rational, therefore, I’m wasting my time on you.
Good day.
My beautiful Mom has dementia. This makes me ill.
I would bet cash money that if you allow a dog, cat or horse to starve in Oregon that you will be arrested and charged with cruelty.
I am so sorry, dforest. It is really awful, a terrible trial for all involved with many difficult decisions to be made.
The government should not be involved at all. They clearly do not know how to make wise or compassionate choices.
Thanks, the thought of her being starved to death hurts me to the bone. Life can be so cruel anymore.
If it’s anything like fasting, you don’t feel hungry after the first three days. Nonetheless, if I want to starve to death, that is my choice. If I don’t want to starve to death and some old folks home starves me to death, that is murder.
YES. I KNOW. MY MOTHER FOUND THAT OUT ALSO.
YES. I KNOW. MY MOTHER FOUND THAT OUT ALSO.
Thanks so much
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