My wife’s
mother is in critical condition in a Boston hospital. She is ninety years old and has been in the
hospital a number of times over the last year, and has been in constant pain and
discomfort. She has a serious infection
and without treatment can only last two or three days. She
has told the doctors and her family she wishes to die.
The only
option in Massachusetts it to ‘keep her comfortable’ and let the infection
eventually shut down her systems.
Our first
cat I loved very much. He was in
terrible pain and I took him to the vet to be euthanized. I held
him as the vet injected the serum and the cat relaxed and died instantly in my
arms.
Why can’t a
human have the same humane option?
A number of
years ago my aunt, in her nineties, suffered a massive stroke. She was in a vegetative state. Her daughter had to make the decision to pull
the feeding tubes and allow her to die.
A person can
last a couple of months without food, but a healthy person only five or six
days without water. But, dehydration is
a terrible way to die; and what a terrible thing for the daughter to have to
stand the ‘death watch’ while her mother’s body shut down.
Now my wife’s
brother and sisters are standing the ‘death watch.’ What a cruel thing for the mother and the
family.
This
prohibition against euthanasia is Christian religious bullshit based – a form
of Christian sharia law that has been imposed on the public and affects us
without our consent.
the Ol’Buzzard
You are right.
ReplyDeleteIt's beyond cruel.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, but things have slowly improved. Not long ago it wouldn't have mattered what a person's wishes were, he or she would be pumped full of drugs, hooked up to respirators, and forced to keep breathing until legally brain dead (or the insurance ran out).
ReplyDeleteHere in my province of Ontario, there is now medically assisted death. This is a new legislature. A few years ago my mother suffered a stroke and we essentially waited for her life to end. It is not a quick process. I feel for your wife's mother and family. I agree that we can put our beloved pets out of their misery and suffering, so why shouldn't people who are ready to die allowed the same compassion. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI would have an dnr on my medical records but I always kidded my son that if I did he would run down the hall so fast to pull the plug he'd trip and fall...
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that your mother-in-law has to go through such a hard time just to die. "Dying With Dignity" was my thesis almost 20 years ago. It's hard to believe we as a nation have not moved up into the future yet. The terminally ill and elderly should not have to face the indignity of dying in pain or starving to death. It's inhumane treatment and should not be tolerated. So far only Washington, California, Oregon, Vermont and soon Colorado will have Right to Die laws as of Jan 2017. Montana already has a Right to Die law as of 2009. I just hope when my time comes I'm living in a Right to Die state.
ReplyDeleteThe irony is that some doctors won't give enough pain medication to keep a dying person pain free because they don't want the person to become "addicted"??
ReplyDelete