Does this activism for Schiavo impact other end-of-life cases?

I am kinda upset hearing some of the rotten things people are saying about Mike Schiavo, characterizing the removal of the feeding tubes as "state legislated murder."

My 77 year old Mum was afflicted with a variety of horrific conditions, including Alzheimer's. Eventually she was bed ridden and helpless. It was her choice and that of my Dad to care for her in our home. One day she asked to see my Dad, and said she did not want to live any more, that she wanted to be allowed to die. We informed her doctor, who advised we participate in a Home Hospice program.

To this day, we all think it was the smartest decision we ever made as a family. My mother had a beautiful, dignified death.

At one point, the doctor advised removing the hydration, because he said the artificial hydration was harder for her body to deal with than none at all. We had palliative drugs to control any symptoms of discomfort. As death goes, my Mum mercifully went very well.

None of us have ever second guessed this decision. All we think is how lucky we were that Mum passed to peacefully.

What I am asking is -- will self-proclaimed "Pro-Lifers" and nutjobs like Tom Delay have the right to interfere in situations like my family's in the future? Will Tom Delay accuse us of murdering our mother, and perhaps lying about it being her wish, etc, if he finds it expedient to do so?

When we were in the process of making the decision, we DID have a med tech in our home who passionately made it known to us that she valued all life and that it was morally wrong for us to not to aggressively treat my mother's various ilnesses, etc. She had no right to do so -- but what if she had been some kind of activist and brought her congregation to protest outside of my family's house, having phoned the media, and invited Rick Santorum to score points by accusing us of murder, etc?

Is there a risk other people's private matters being turned into wacko circuses? I shudder at the thought.

for profit, mostly. of coarse, theirs (mispelling intended)
and family members have to angst like real human beings over these decisions.

I heard the initial Pub plan was to have their bill be very broad, but the opposition forced them to make this defined about Terri only.

I still don't think a Fed Judge is going to uphold this law. I think they will find it unconstitutional the same as they did in Fl.

Too bad Terri and her family have to go through this media circus to get to that point.

This federal legislative end-run has happened so fast that I haven't been able to keep up (out on a boat the last 48 hours, sorry.....)

Nevertheless, I wanted to say how touched I was by your own story about your mother. It is an immensely personal issue. We should all take heed and make sure that our wishes in regard to this issue, if we have strong feelings, should be put into writing, and attested to in whatever manner is required by the state in which you live.

You obviously did right by your mum. You did that, and can live knowing you allowed her to go on to the beyond with dignity. In addition, it sounds like the hospice folks were very aware. My father-in-law went through something similar. I was astonished at the incredible sensitivity that these low-paid workers brought to him as he died from lung cancer. They were amazing. When I went to visit, they gave me literature about how to allow dying patients to go along that path with no pain. And that included withholding fluids, which, even as a scientist myself, I didn't realize would be an important aspect of preventing pain. I noted this morning that certain physicians representing Ms. Shiavo's parents have said that such treatment would be torture, i.e., extremely painful. They are apparently lying or ignorant.

Thank you for sharing your story, chookie. It can't be easy.

b_b

We all feel participating in the Home Hospice program was wise. Not only did they provide merciful care to my mother, but they attended to her spiritual needs, and, incredibly, to the emotional needs of the rest of the family.

It wasn't easy, it was extremely tough, but we got through it, and, in hindsight, feel we were profoundly blessed. I know all too well that it doesn't end this mercifully for a lot of people.

When I see the circus on tv, in the depths of my heart I am grateful that all members of my family, and our health care team, were on the same page. To have a battle in the midst of this sad situation must be absolutely hell.

To think that some self-appointed activists could interfere in such a situation is extremely disturbing to me.

My Mum passed away in peace. It was a beautiful experience. I am quite confused that ANYONE can think of it as some kind of painful starvation, or consider it murder....

It's a powerful story. I could get into the political (like the Repugs turning their backs on federalism when it is convenient) but..

I know I will have to deal with this with my own mother. I just don't know when. I will remember what you have said here.

peace and cheers
b_b

if this lousy precedent is allowed to stand.

Mark my words, if a federal court orders the tube stuck back into the animated corpse, every last civil case will only be finalized after Congress has adjudicated it.

Especially before hospice. People fought for years to get the right to "pull the plug" on terminal cases. Remember Karen Ann Quinlan? Now hospitals have the right to make the decision, but family guardians don't. Upside down world.

Yeah -- I am old enough to remember pre-Hospice days. I remember learning about hospice as an undergraduate, and found it to be life-affirming and appropriate.

I thought of it as a major step forward in civilization.

Now we seem to be heading backwards again. These people have not been happy since the Enlightenment, and seem to desire to turn the clocks back a couple hundred years.

How many poor and middle class families have been, or are in, this same situation and yet CANNOT AFFORD to have the luxury to keep their loved one alive?
Make no mistake about it- this case is truly distracting the real problem of end of life care in America. Most people do not have the financial means to keep a family member alive like Terri....

everyone who has ever unplugged a relative's feeding tube is a murderer, and the state has a right to keep them alive.