Lawmakers Debate Advance Directives Law

[The Philosopher]

from The Texas Tribune

Families, doctors and health advocates testified Tuesday on the grief and tough decisions surrounding Texas' advance directives law, which allows hospitals to cease treating terminally ill patients after a 10-day waiting period if an ethics panel agrees there is no hope for recovery.

Michael and Jackie Woelfel faced that pain last year, when their son suffered a traumatic accident. The hospital labeled him terminal, the Woelfels said, and gave him three days to "look alive." When he didn't, the parents sat by their son's bedside for the duration of the 10 days, waiting.

"Their objective was to have him out of there one way or another," Michael Woelfel said. "We felt like we had to guard him."

HB3520, by Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would lift the 10-day rule and require hospitals to provide care for terminal patients indefinitely, or until another care placement is found.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-legislature/82nd-legislative-session/lawmakers-debate-advance-directives-law/">Click Here To Read More

[sonias]

1. I read that too

The lifers are fighting each other over "quality of death" so to speak.

Reminds me of the Terri Schiavo incident. If you want to make sure you are not kept in a vegetative state for some prolonged period of time, you better have your living will in order.

Not that I particularly trust corporate doctors to be the death panel boards either, so your family should know your wishes early.

:kick: