Why one prominent doctor (Dr. Ezekial Emmanuel) says, "I hope to die at 75" [View all]

[KoKo]

As a result of advances in science and medicine, humans are living longer than ever. It's hard to believe that at the turn of the last century, the average American life expectancy was just 47. Today, Americans can expect to make it to the ripe old age of 79 -- and an increasing number live much longer.

Though many people welcome the idea of living as long as possible and watching their great-grandchildren grow up, some view the prospect of extremely old age as burdensome on both a societal and personal level.

In his controversial essay that appears in the October issue of The Atlantic, the prominent bioethicist Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel argues that longevity -- living into your 80s, 90s and beyond -- often comes at the expense of quality of life. Emanuel says he will be perfectly content if he dies at age 75.

By the time I reach 75, I will have lived a complete life," Emanuel writes in the magazine. "I will have loved and been loved. My children will be grown and in the midst of their own rich lives. I will have seen my grandchildren born and beginning their lives. I will have pursued my life's projects and made whatever contributions, important or not, I am going to make. And hopefully, I will not have too many mental and physical limitations."

Emanuel, the director of the Clinical Bioethics Department at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and head of the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, helped develop President Obama's health care reform law. Emanuel makes it clear that he is not arguing for euthanasia or assisted suicide at a certain age.

Instead, he wants to call attention to "a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining." Emanuel argues that in their oldest of years, people tend to see their creative output decline and contribute less to society.

Moreover, the efforts that go into living longer, including extreme lifesaving medical interventions, often result in lengthening the dying process and eventually in death without dignity.

"Ezekiel Emanuel did a remarkable thing: he created discourse. He made everybody start to talk about this," said CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus.

But Agus, author of the books "The End of Illness" and "A Short Guide to a Long Life," says we should embrace the extra years humans have been afforded as a result of scientific breakthroughs, better nutrition and overall improvements in quality of life. "If you start to live right, if you start to take the vaccines and preventive medicines you have, to move during the day, avoid smoking -- all of the things that have been detailed before --it will work," Agus told "CBS This Morning."

There was a time when "old age" was considered a common cause of death, but it has not appeared on a death certificate since 1951, says Agus.

Pushing the limits of the human lifespan is becoming more and more possible as cures are found for once-fatal diseases, and as researchers uncover potential ways to counter effects of the aging process.

More of an Interesting Read at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-one-prominent-doctor-hopes-to-die-at-75/