As a post-grad, trying to figure out “Medical v. Law” school, I worked as a “Telemetry Tech” on a cardiac floor. Fantastic job for a 22-year-old guy, sitting in the corner of the nursing station, surrounded by wonderful women. It also left an indelible memory on me.
I won’t use the name, obviously, but the matriarch of a prominent family that had made massive donations to the University (Buildings named after them) was dying of untreatable heart failure. One day, unannounced, the entire family showed up. Once everyone arrived, the 65-year-old head of Internal Medicine walked into the nurses’ station and signed out a gigantic bottle of morphine.
The family enjoyed speaking to a fully conscious and still sharp great-grandmother with her children and grandchildren. The doctor went into the room and shut the door. Everyone knew what was planned for the day. One of the university’s top doctors was spending the entire day with her and the family. Every time she started gasping for breath, he gave her another 3-5 mg of morphine, decreasing her breathing rate, which kept her comfortable. She ate lunch and died before dinner. They all left together. The doctor signed the remaining morphine back in and left.
There was no doubt, none, that this woman died three, five days, two weeks earlier than she would have. She made a decision. The doctor took control to see that she passed on her terms, not suffering a bit. There is no doubt it was assisted suicide. And no one said a damned thing.
I thought about how wonderful it would be for everyone who was terminal and didn’t want to die alone, late at night, gasping for breath, could get the same treatment, just with an experienced nurse, not THE head professor of Internal Medicine. (Brought in to assure that not a soul in Utah would ever question what happened). My physician father said it happens far more often than people think.
New Mexico passed a law that allowed a doctor to prescribe medicine to a terminally ill patient who wanted to pass at home, surrounded by family. I would assume the Rx would be a massive dose of morphine to take orally or just injected into a muscle.
Enter the “Christian Medical Group” (of whatever name), who – AGAIN – insist that everyone abides by their rules so that the process isn’t available to anyone.
From “The Christian Post:”
“The Act forces objecting physicians to refer their patients to physicians or organizations who are ‘able and willing to carry out’ the patient’s assisted suicide. [And] expressly prohibits professional associations like CMDA from suspending, denying, or revoking membership to physicians who participate in assisted suicide, violating CMDA’s right to associate with members who will present a consistent message.”
Lacy and the Christian organization are being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, which has argued religious liberty cases before the United States Supreme Court.
NO ONE has to be involved in the process. No one. The doctors are required to refer the patient who requests it to a doctor who does believe that it is pro-life to allow patients to take ownership of their life. But that is too much to ask. Like gay marriage, this small group wants to shut down a law that the majority of New Mexicans wanted in the name of their religion, imposed on everyone even though no one must participate, not the doctor, pharmacist or any employees. AGAIN.
“The Christian doctors we represent believe that every life is sacred and full of inherent value, and that assisted suicide ends an innocent human life without justification. The government should not force doctors to surrender their religious, moral, and ethical convictions,” stated Lippelmann.
In effect, the doctors are saying that they alone have the right to “not care” for the patient in a manner the patient desires. And they’ll impose it on everyone.
These groups pose a massive danger to this country, especially with a super-majority on the SCOTUS who seem to sign off on whatever is termed “religious liberty.” The fact that the SCOTUS likely will take the case and make the policy national is, once again, the result of two stolen SCOTUS seats and one that left a lot of questions. (Coney-Barrett, and Gorsuch, obviously stolen. Kennedy suspicious).
People who have university buildings named after them will continue to receive such a beautiful death. Poor people? No one will take the risk if they could be arrested for assisting in a suicide.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak
There has been a large drop in church attendance and it now sits at the lowest level ever in the U.S. (presumably elsewhere but not our concern or interest). You’d think they would start doing a little self examination, stare at their navels for a bit, and figure out the problem which is their behavior. They are losing the demographic they so desperately need-young people who are keeping well away from churches, church people, and all they stand for. I suppose we should be grateful for their ignorance since it will mean we’ll be rid of them that much sooner.
I am so effing tired of these “Christians” who claim the right to make everyone else live by the rules of their particular sect, whatever it is. That is not what Jesus taught, and it isn’t even what Paul taught. It’s straight-up religious bigotry. They can refuse whatever they choose when it comes to their own health, but they can butt the f out of the lives of the rest of us.