8mm
Posted on 04/12/2008 4:10:24 PM PDT by wagglebee
Madrid, Spain (LifeNews.com) -- A respected European oncologist has changed her mind about euthanasia after battling cancer. Sylvie Menard's change of heart has one leading anti-euthanasia activist to urge people not to abandon the elderly and disabled patients who need love and support the most as they battle medical problems.
Menard, one of the most renowned oncologists in Europe, has been battling bone cancer and she shared her transformation on end-of-life issues with the Spanish magazine Huellas.
"Those who promote euthanasia do so for two reasons: they don’t want to suffer and they don’t want to lose self-sufficiency, thus becoming a burden for others," Menard explained.
“Even if you do not have complete use of your faculties and you cannot get up because you are confined to bed, but you still have the affection of your family members, in my opinion, even in those conditions, it’s worth it to keep living," she told the magazine.
She said ill patients “do not want to experience pain” and that “they have a right to alleviate it" but emphasized that “pain therapy has advanced considerably in recent years.”
Alex Schadenberg, the head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, said he is encouraged by the news and said he hoped Menard's conversion would help promote the dignity of people whose qualify of life society disregards.
"Dignity is related to how we interact and care for others," he said. "People who feel abandoned in their time of need will often feel that they are a burden on others or that their life has become hopeless."
"The antidote to the culture of death is a culture that cares for and supports the most vulnerable in their time of need," Schadenberg added.
"The culture that we live in needs a radical shift towards a commitment by society and individuals to care for people and not kill people," he concluded.
This is WONDERFUL news!
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“”The culture that we live in needs a radical shift towards a commitment by society and individuals to care for people and not kill people,” he concluded.””
That about says it all, I think!
Yes, that is wonderful news.
It’s amazing how much insight a person can gain by actually being there. And I don’t mean being present when someone else is going through it. Some people can very easily write off others, but it’s a whole different situation when it’s them. It’s good that she was able to apply the lesson she learned to others. Some people can’t do that.
typical lib, laws for Thee and not for me.... I'm special and deserve to live.... you and yours...not so much.
The most important tenant nurses and physicians have is “First do no harm”
It is important that people who are transitioning out of this life be made as comfortable and pain free as possible. The families also need care. If that type of support is promoted and provided, then less people will feel the need to end their lives.
You make a good point about the families of the dying also need care, support and help. Medical and end-of-life issues have become too “specialized”, everything is in hands of “professionals” such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, hospice and social workers. People expect Medicare or the government to pay for everything and for everyone to fit an official job.
Dying has become a weird, surrealistic event in a hospital isolated from the person’s normal community. Maybe someone just needs an ordinary neighbor or friend to stop by and sit with the sick person to give the family member relief. The family needs to be able to talk about their worries in other people’s homes, at casual meals, there needs to be more overall extended family, church, community involvement (not just medical “professionals”) in caring for the sick and their families. As a society we would also benefit by not hiding and isolating sick and suffering people like it’s something to be ashamed of.
One idea I have seen is day care centers and nursing homes in the same building. The children visit and play with the elderly, and both benefit.
You are right. We have really become disconnected from family in this country. Speaking as a future nurse, maybe I just have the shiny idealism of a student, but it is important that the professionals treat the whole person: their body, spirit, and family. I see nursing as a spiritual calling not just a career and I hope to bless as many people as I can by being loving a caring toward them while they are in crisis.
You have a good approach to nursing. Having been in hospital several times myself, and also seeing relatives die, I assure you the nurses make all the difference. Doctor is in and out for a few minutes. The nurses do everything. And it really feels very lonely in a hospital, especially if you cannot move out of the bed without help, and therefore sensing that the nurse does care is tremendously comforting. It does not need to be anything demonstrative, just how they ask the questions, and taking an interest if the pain killers are working, looking at you when speaking instead of being officious, validates that I’m a worthwhile person, not just a burden.
Funny how it’s a different story when it hits home....
Wow! That’s awesome! I’m glad she’s sharing her change of heart with others.
Without passing judgment o this specific case one way or the other, it is not hypocrisy to change your mind about issues as you gain experience and knowledge.
How does the saying go? “Experience is a hard school, but fools will learn in no other”. Better than never learning at all, though.
you’re right...
Always am. :lol
Seriously, thanks.
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