Did Bush Really Sign A Bill That Says They Can Withdraw Life Support

[DemocratSinceBirth]

If You Can't Afford It?


That's despicable...

I'd like to see anybody defend it....


P.S. I don't know where I stand on this whole issue of Terri Schiavo other than it makes me sad...

[Technowitch]

1. Yep, he sure did!

And just the other day, as the Terri Schiavo frenzy continued, an ancephalic baby was removed from life support, over the objections of its parents.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. That's Awful...

It should be a decision made by the family and not influenced by financial concerns...


I am genuinely torn up about this....

[davsand]

5. Check this article out--it is a financial decision:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3073295

Hospitals can end life support
Decision hinges on patient's ability to pay, prognosis
By LEIGH HOPPER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

"A patient's inability to pay for medical care combined with a prognosis that renders further care futile are two reasons a hospital might suggest cutting off life support, the chief medical officer at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital said Monday.


Dr. David Pate's comments came as the family of Spiro Nikolouzos fights to keep St. Luke's from turning off the ventilator and artificial feedings keeping the 68-year-old grandfather alive.

St. Luke's notified Jannette Nikolouzos in a March 1 letter that it would withdraw life-sustaining care of her husband of 34 years in 10 days, which would be Friday. Mario Caba-llero, the attorney representing the family, said he is seeking a two-week extension, at minimum, to give the man more time to improve and to give his family more time to find an alternative facility..."

The later part of this article discusses the law that allows the hospitals to pull the plug.



Laura

[Jesus Saves]

7. blog link

http://www.markarkleiman.com/archives/_/2005/03/schiavo_hudson_and_nikolouzos.php

[Fridays Child]

3. Is there a link for this? I'd like to read about it for perspective on...

...the Schiavo case.

[DODI]

6. Here is a link on the Texas issue from the Houston Chronicle from

March 8, 2005 about two cases of people being taken off life support in Texas. Need to find a link on * being the one who signed it into law. Texas friends tell me it so, but I would still like a link.


. . . A patient's inability to pay for medical care combined with a prognosis that renders further care futile are two reasons a hospital might suggest cutting off life support, the chief medical officer at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital said Monday.


Dr. David Pate's comments came as the family of Spiro Nikolouzos fights to keep St. Luke's from turning off the ventilator and artificial feedings keeping the 68-year-old grandfather alive. . .

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3...

[Dr Ron]

4. More information here:

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=581

[Nikia]

8. That's horrible

How can he seem to be on one side of the disability rights issue (Shiavo case) while actually being on the other by allowing this? People shouldn't have to die just because they are poor.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. Amen...

[Dr Ron]

9. Might be defensible, but strange in comparison to Schiavo

An argument might be made that, in light of limited resources, life support is discontinued at some point when futile. (Of course there would be problems to ensure that this is not done for purely financial reasons as hospitals decide to reduce expenditures on expensive, rather than futile, cases).

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that George Bush was right when he supported this, and put aside temporarily all the concerns about potential abuse of such a law. For those who accept this, it even weakens further any arguments regarding forcing the continuation of life support for Terri Schiavo.

It also shows how little the Republicans are considering a vital question--that of consent. In the Terri Schiavo, there is consent for withholding life support by her legal guardian (husband). In the Texas case, life support was withheld in oppoosition to the requests of the mother. If you have to decide in which case life support should be continued, and in which it should be terminated, such consent must be a major consideration. The Republicans chose the wrong way in each case.