Culture of Life: Pull the plug on conscious patients - W's law.

[DaveColorado]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/14/151930/63

Culture of Life: Pull the plug on conscious patients - W's law.
by YucatanMan
Wed Dec 14, 2005 at 01:19:30 PM PDT

No one here can forget the spectacle made over the death of Terri Schiavo, whose brain had died long, long ago. But in Texas, the law George W. Bush signed as governor allows doctors to inform the family that further treatment is hopeless (and costly) and Pull the Plug. Literally.

In the latest case to escape the Culture of Life warriors, Tirhas Habtegiris, a young woman and legal immigrant from Africa, was CONSCIOUS and responsive when removed from a respirator and allowed to die.

[FreedomAngel82]

1. They need to do away with that law

But than again it's Texas. :( And there was a little baby boy who got pulled too when the mother didn't want him too. She couldn't pay and nobody helped her. :cry:

[DaveColorado]

2. "The Culture of Life"

Only includes you if you are well off, white, and/or a fetus.

[Warpy]

6. Well, they did the baby a favor

since his condition was extreme and incurable and his time remaining on a vent would have been limited and agonized.

The only complaint I have with that Texas law is that it's tied to ability to pay, meaning the poor get disconnected while Grandma on Medicare can be tortured in an ICU until they can no longer manage to keep her lifeless body circulating blood and producing urine.

There really does need to be a mechanism by which the decision whether or not to continue heroics can be made by a hospital ethics committee consisting of the docs involved, the nursing staff involved, and the a permanent committee of docs, ethicists, and chaplains. Often families have a great deal of false hope, and the Schindlers were an example of that. People who should be released from ruined bodies are kept technically alive until even the machines can no longer force enough air into the lungs and fluids/nutrition into the body to keep it technically alive, often weeks or months.

There comes a time when preserving life turns into prolonging death, and we still haven't come to terms with that fact as a culture.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Where's the outrage?

Where's the... oh, I give up.

[tecelote]

4. A Culture of Life?

Who said that?

Don't you know we are at war?

[sandnsea]

5. Here's the irony of this revolting tragedy

In Oregon, they are fighting assisted suicide, pulling out all the stops. It's an abomination for someone to decide to end their life, THEMSELVES. This woman would have had that right in Oregon, but ONLY the woman. They rant and rant about the sanctity of life and all, and we wouldn't want the slippery slope to lead to forced deaths.

Yet, in Texas, the "pro-life" groups got together with the legislators and PASSED this monstrous piece of legislation that actually puts into practice the exact policy that these idiots claim to be wanting to prevent in Oregon.

This is awful awful awful. This was murder and there is no two ways about it.

[undergroundpanther]

7. Rightwingers

And some dems are social darwinists and straussian. They are eugenicists and elitists and it shows in thier voting records ..even though they don't speak of this in public.

[undergroundpanther]

8. Tell that to some of the

tookie supporters that thought it was fine that Terri die..She was not a murderer,she was disabled but innocent..She had to die because well,she takes up space and state money,and she didn't DO anything wasn't Productive..but to some people here that wanted terry offed, the idea of killing a convicted murderer gang leader/creator ,who was taking up space and state money being cared for as well is more evil.
Go figure.

Some people want it both ways..to have a good guy badge and kill the weak preserve the strong and corrupt ..

[madeline_con]

9. Why wasn't she getting free hospice care....

like Shiavo?

[DanCa]

10. Isnt this best left for family members and licensed Doctors on a

case by case basis? Abortion, Death Penality, Assisted Suicide, I cannot play god with other peoples private lives so I just try to stay out of these things. Unfortunately the fundies are like the mob they keep sucking you in. I am sorry for the mini vent I just feel that I am being constantly being forced to interfere in other peoples lives and I just dont want to it.

[undergroundpanther]

11. I feel the same way

But the fundies are whom make sure it is dangerous to be disabled and poor and a minority in this sick ass country with these sick ass tyrants running it alongside bean counters adding up human worth in $$$ doing murder in the name of money..Sacrifices to Mammon.

I warned people where this Shiavo case would go in the hands of this administration,to EUGENICS but Nobody but the disabled group listened to me and only the disability group got it because it is OUR asses most affected by the greed and lack of care first..

When they start killing male WHITE middle class people that are not "brain dead" THAN will all you care about this than?