Free Republic

A contentious battle over a law that gives hospitals the power of life or death over patients A contentious battle is taking place at this courthouse in downtown Houston, Texas over a law that gives hospitals virtually unlimited power to decide the fate of patients. Oral arguments took place centering on the question whether the law, called the Texas Advance Directives Act — or TADA for short — violates patients' constitutional rights by depriving them of due process. Texas Right to Life has led the vanguard in opposing this law. Incredibly enough, their main opposition is none other than the Texas Catholic bishops, who argue the...

SEMINOLE – Death and dying, hospice, palliative care, advanced directives, living wills and bereavement are among the end-of-life issues to be presented by the Applied Ethics Institute of St. Petersburg College at the college’s Digitorium on the Seminole Campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, 7 to 9 p.m. The free forum will be moderated by Mary Tittle, Ph.D., RN, College of Nursing, St. Petersburg College and begin with presentations from David A. Weiland, M.D., The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast; Patricia Thieleman, Ph.D., RN, College of Nursing, St. Petersburg College; and Hanna Osman, Ph.D., College of Public Health, University of South...

Interest in living wills - the documents that let people specify what medical measures they want or do not want at the end of life - has surged in the aftermath of the fierce nationwide battle over the fate of Terri Schiavo, lawyers and other experts on all sides of the issue say. While interest peaked around the time of Ms. Schiavo's death on March 31, it is still strong, these experts say. Many people are filling out the forms for the first time. Others are taking a new look at forms they filled out some time ago. Most living...