Assisted Suicide

[Cataholic]

Back off, folks....he is going POSTAL!

[smokey the elder]

Do we need a referee?

[RICHARD]

First of all

It's not suicide if it's assisted. It's euthanasia.

I figured I'd split some hairs here...and why bring lawyers into it at this point?

It's the post-mortem stuff that they would be more interested in.

Depending on how the hospital is set up and who runs it, most of the money goes to the facility-not the doctor.

You have staffing, tests, bed space to pay for.

If it is a small for-profit hospital you can bet that the docs will keep a patient in for the ducats to keep the place running. I work for an HMO so the money don't go to the docs....of course, they do not want to keep people in to generate money....

Then there is a mysterious thing called a DRG, Diagnosis Related Group.

It gives the doc and facility a 'schedule' as to what the government will reimburse the docs/facilities for how long a patient can be kept in a hospital. After that schedule is up, TOUGH BED PANS, the facility will have to eat that expense..

Then you have a family either driven by greed, sorrow or the inability or unwillingness to accept a loved one in a long term care situation.

Also you have to take into consideration that a physician can (and will be)
sued and possibly lose their license for letting that happen on their watch.

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You can have a DNR (Do not resuscitate) order put in your chart-

It tells the physician that no one is to attempt to revive you in the case you are in the situation where you will expire....

While it's not a euthanasia-type order, it's pretty close and I have seen hundreds of them in my job.

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They only reason that this issue has become at the top of the newpage is the Schiavo case.

That was a total CF because there was no discussion or notation of what her desires were.

If you do not desire to be kept alive should you fall into a coma, suffer a injury/disease that prevents you from making that decision on your own, do not trust a conversation, held late one night with a loved one, to bind someone to keep your wish....


Not trying to tilt the thread one way or the other.....Merely spending two cents.

[lizbud]

Oregon's law is called Death With Dignity Act and it has many
requirements. The Drs don't even have to touch the person, only
provide the prescription for the drugs used. Here's a bunch of Q & A's
about the law.

http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/faqs.shtml

[Lady's Human]

Liz, with appropriate safeguards I'm fine with it. Just some publicized incidents out of holland give me pause.

[slick]

If I ever get to the point of being terminally ill, I give you all permission to take me out back and shoot me.

I'm a firm believer of "dying with dignity". It's my life....maybe I had no say when to be born, but it's my right to choose when to die. Great law, Lizbud. I just might make move if it ever comes to that.

[moosmom]

AMEN to that Slick!!

In CT, you can be arrested if you attempt suicide and you fail?