Administrators Pastor Matt Posted December 12, 2009 Administrators Share Posted December 12, 2009 In the last three decades we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of headlines focusing on the “right-to-die” or euthanasia issue. Consider just a few of these:* In 1985, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that all life-sustaining medical treatment can be withheld from terminally ill patients, whether incompetent or competent. In that ruling the court included feeding tubes as “medical treatment.”* In 1985, a Virginia woman who killed her cancer-ridden husband with an ice pick was sentenced merely to two years’ prOBation and psychiatric treatment.* The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in 1986 to allow a woman to stop the feeding of her comatose husband.* In 1987, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an alert, mentally competent but dying woman, suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal nerve disorder, should have been allowed to order her respirator disconnected. The woman had died a few days before her case reached the Court. The same court ruled to allow a man to remove the feeding tube from his 32-year-old wife. Posted at http://www.wayoflife.org/files/cdffcc02ac1d6144b17beb6d51c2a54b-475.html#unique-entry-id-475 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 Which make me think of my aunt's old bf. Many times he been to a clinic because he tried to kill himself. He tried and failed. But the very last time he tried, he decided to call the ambulance to come get him (drug overdoses). Few months later, he died of untreated cancer. My aunt told me that his depression was unbearable for him. She had to walk on eggshells so he wouldn't fall apart. We spend all our life trying to help people with depression, but I wouldn't be surprised suicidal depression would be another reason for euthanasia because they feel they area burden to people. I can imagine many moms would be very upset that they decide they can do this for their adult kids with suicidal depressions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members His by Grace Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 My question here would be are you including ALL form's of life support? This would include people who have chosen to recieve a long-term form of life support but many at some point will make the choice to discontinue this medical treatment. Would you consider this the same thing? I know this is a difficult area. I've decided that "euthenasia" which is killing someone by giving them a drug over-dose, discontinueing normal human care measures ie; feeding and fluid's to be murder. YET, if a person has made the discission to begin a medical treatment for example chemo for cancer, open heart surgery for a heart condition or dialysis to treat kidney failure. This isn't "euthanasia" but a patient making a informed decision to cease a medical treatment. This usually happen's after their 3rd or 4th battle with cancer, the seventh or eigth open heart surgery and about 15 year's of three time's a week hemo-dialysis. I think this is a person choosing not to continue a medical treatment not "euthanasia" I would be very interested to hear what other people here have to say! If you can give me scripture that I am wrong than I will alway's side and abide by His Word but I haven't found it for a person deciding to cease treatment for themselves. in Christ, His by Grace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Seth Doty Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 My question here would be are you including ALL form's of life support? This would include people who have chosen to recieve a long-term form of life support but many at some point will make the choice to discontinue this medical treatment. Would you consider this the same thing? I know this is a difficult area. I've decided that "euthenasia" which is killing someone by giving them a drug over-dose, discontinueing normal human care measures ie; feeding and fluid's to be murder. YET, if a person has made the discission to begin a medical treatment for example chemo for cancer, open heart surgery for a heart condition or dialysis to treat kidney failure. This isn't "euthanasia" but a patient making a informed decision to cease a medical treatment. This usually happen's after their 3rd or 4th battle with cancer, the seventh or eigth open heart surgery and about 15 year's of three time's a week hemo-dialysis. I think this is a person choosing not to continue a medical treatment not "euthanasia" I would be very interested to hear what other people here have to say! If you can give me scripture that I am wrong than I will alway's side and abide by His Word but I haven't found it for a person deciding to cease treatment for themselves. in Christ, His by Grace I agree with that assessment. If someone has organs failing and is only being kept alive on machines with little or no hope of recovery taking them off that isn't euthanasia at all. It is just allowing death to come naturally. That is a personal decision to be made by the individual or the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 When I take asthma medicine, I am prolonging my life. But I can choose not to take it if I believe I shouldn't use anything just to keep me alive if my body wants to shut down. But when someone else make that decision for me and i tell them I want to be treated, then that is murder.(I am not talking about people who doesn't know what to do when someone is in a coma -- like my mother, we had to let death come naturally for her because of her cancer) , This apply to kids too. We have to use our common sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 Usually people take these surgeries so they can feel better and live a healthy and bearable life. When that can't happen, sometimes it better to say "No more" (medical treatments). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jason A Posted December 12, 2009 Members Share Posted December 12, 2009 It's a very complex subject, and I can see many sides of the argument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anon Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 I don't believe in taking drugs to hasten death but I do not think its wrong to decide not to artificially prolong your life. (Withholding food or drink would not be "artificial" because its nourishment). I mean if people died without medical treatment 100 years ago, why would it suddenly be sinful if you denied the same treatment today? I think it should be up to the sick person though, whether in a will or from their own mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 by the way, Some people who are dying will refuse food. They will tell you that they don't wanna eat (so many of my residents have refused food near their death, We offer broth, and they rarely eat that either) Because of this, I don't think we should force feeding tube to people who are dying. It make their death more painful. If you know someone is dying it is a good idea to remove the feeding tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anon Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 by the way, Some people who are dying will refuse food. They will tell you that they don't wanna eat (so many of my residents have refused food near their death, We offer broth, and they rarely eat that either) Because of this, I don't think we should force feeding tube to people who are dying. It make their death more painful. If you know someone is dying it is a good idea to remove the feeding tube. Hmm that's interesting.... I didn't think of the pain caused by the feeding tube. The one thing that made me mad about the Terri Schiavo case is that they were not allowed to do therapy to teach her to eat...but the nurses did try to feed her a bit by mouth and she did tolerate it and could have learned to eat by mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 well her body wasn't shutting down until they started starving her. yes, if your kidneys shut down and your body can't function properly, it make your body more in pain if all these food keep coming in . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 Loss of Interest in Food and Fluids As the body begins to shut down and loses its ability to process food and fluid, the person may have little interest in eating or drinking. Urine production will decline and may be the color of tea. The question of whether to begin providing fluids often arises. If food or fluids are given artificially at this point, the person may feel discomfort. However, she may want small amounts of ice chips or a Popsicle. Proper care of the mouth is particularly important at this time. http://endoflifecare.tripod.com/Caregiving/id89.html And this is very true for many residents who were dying that I cared for. Well just about all of them told me they don't wanna eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members His by Grace Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 To "deny them treament" would be for me as euthanasia BUT (for the patient to make the choice) whether to recieve treatment in the first place or later on to decide not to continue treatment would be just fine. To deny a person in the U.S. what was not avaliable 100 years ago would be sinful to me simply because #1 It is readily avaliable now! #2 The person that lives with or dies from their choice is the patient! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anon Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 I didn't mean to deny treatment, I meant by the choice of the patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Psalms18_28 Posted December 13, 2009 Members Share Posted December 13, 2009 yes, Some people like to picture themselves living back in time where we didn't have medicine and technologies. Or live in a developing countries where they don't have technologies and medicine as we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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