[Jim Robinson]

I pray I never end up in a medical unit where the staff refers to people as useless bags of meat and or advocate starving people to death. My own wife laid in a coma for a couple weeks and they didn't know if she'd live or die or end up in a permanent brain dead state. Thank God no one pulled her plug! I guarantee you that she is not a useless bag of meat! And I pray to God that they are not allowed to starve Terri to death either. If her husband doesn't want her, let her parents care for her. Love, prayer and therapy can accomplish miracles.

[Monkey Face]

Starving to death is not pretty to watch, and I'm glad you didn't have to make any decisions about your wife that you would have regretted.

You're right: There still are miracles. All we have to do is believe they can happen.

[Hi Heels]

I agree with you 100%. My daughter was pronounced brain dead at birth with the cord wrapped around her neck twice in a true knot. They said she wouldn't last the night. She was diagnosed with CP, Res. Failure, muscular disorders, moderate retardation, Prader Willie, blah blah blah. They said she'd never come off the respirator. She lived to be 3 1/2 years old. I would have been Italian mother livid (there's special awards for this category) had I heard anyone refering to my daughter as anything derogatory, and pulling the plug was offered a couple of times causing me to lose my temper with the staff.

I also agree that Terri's parents should have final say. They are her parents.

In the case of KP, though, I would say that I have, many times, outside of the patient's hearing, heard many nurses say these things. It's common slang within the profession. "The poor mother's a wreck. But after that last hemmorage, he's just a carrot now. You should see the MRI. Total bag of meat." It's the way some of them talk. I don't think it's necessarily meant to be vicious. KP appeared to be using it rhetorically and may have been egged on to a bad level by other posters.

Love, prayer and therapy can and do accomplish miracles. So does forgiveness.

[Darksheare]

I fear that this in Florida is a test case, a 'roe vs wade' of euthanasia if you will.
Has nothing to do with Terry herself as the full intent of their aim is demonstrated by the wording of the bills themselves that were introduced.
S2228 says this:

S 2228 Page 16 and 17, posted 8/28/2000
14 (9) "Life-prolonging procedure" means any medical

15 procedure, treatment, or intervention, including artificially

16 provided sustenance and hydration, which sustains, restores,

17 or supplants a spontaneous vital function.
...............................

By the above qualifier of 'supplants a spontaneous vital function', a pacemaker counts as reason to starve and dehydrate someone to death.

I've seen heated anger from both sides of the coin on this issue, and only a handful looking at it and saying, "Umm.. this is about euthanasia."


Thanks for the input.
I'll be pondering this awhile.

[America1stParty]

bump