How I helped my mother starve to death: NY Times reporter writes book...

LifeSitenews.com ^ | August 23, 2011 | by Jeremy Kryn

[topher]

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, August 22, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A recently retired New York Times reporter has penned a book in which she details how she followed through on a shocking pact to help her 88-year-old mother, Estelle, starve to death.

Julia Gross with her mother Estelle. In an excerpt from the book, “A Bittersweet Season,” published recently in the Daily Mail, Jane Gross describes her mother’s increasing dissatisfaction with life as her health deteriorated, and her mounting desire to die, despite the fact that she was not terminally ill.

“So here we were, my mother and I, wishing that she were terminally ill and feeling a bit creepy about it,” Gross writes about her conversations with her mother about her death wish.

Gross admits that there “was no pretending I hadn’t been part of her decision [to die], and had arguably even encouraged it,” but argues that she made sure that her mother, with whom she had never been particularly close, was “doing this for herself,” and not out of a desire to spare her children “trouble and expense.”

Finally, after her mother spelled out the words “N-O-W,” Gross met with staff at the hospice where her mother was being cared for, and thus began the lengthy and grueling process of her mother’s death by starvation and dehydration – a process that staff had told Gross would only last a week, but that actually lasted 13 days.

[brytlea]

I remember the frustration of trying to find help for my Dad when my Mother was ill. She didn’t want to refuse all but palliative care, she was not ready to give up, so hospice was not an option. She wanted to stay at home. There is really nothing like hospice for the person who wants to live.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Repeating tagline without typo:

[trisham]

I confess that I too wasn't sure what you meant by your post. I probably should have said something, but I didn't, and for that I apologize.

Thank you for continuing to discuss this issue.

[trisham]

Well said, Mrs. D.

[brytlea]

Sometimes I just think everyone knows exactly what I”m thinking! You mean you all don’t? How strange! :)

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thank you!

[trisham]

LOL! I can barely read my own mind these days. :)

[trisham]

It’s wonderful to see you, Brad’s Gramma! :)

[brytlea]

I learned a lot when my Mom was dying. I learned that you really need to be surrounded by people who love you and will advocate for you and I learned to have a bit of concern about the medical community. You really REALLY need to have a loving family and I would hate to be alone in the world. I do NOT want the government or even my doctor making decisions for me. Ever.

[brytlea]

You need a teleprompter. Then we could all read it! :)

[Doc Savage]

That’s is a Class A Felony. She should receive the death penalty!

[trisham]

I seem to be older than I was in the past. I hope that this isn’t happening to everyone. :)

[Brad’s Gramma]

Hi trisham! I hope all is well with you?

(Personal brag....read my new tagline)

:)

[trisham]

How wonderful! I hope that we can expect to see pics? When will that be? :)

[Tax-chick]

Immortalized in tagline posterity ...

“netmilsmom” had it right on this article: the woman hated her mother and wanted her dead, and probably a little extra suffering was gravy. It makes you not want to be a rotten person who raises rotten children who hate you!

[newzjunkey]

I don’t see what your issue is with the post you replied to. You seem to be advocating for euthanasia.

[netmilsmom]

>>It makes you not want to be a rotten person who raises rotten children who hate you!<<

Truth be told!!!!!

[Secret Agent Man]

Nope. Wrong. If someone is terminal and they don’t want any more medical care except pain management, if that’s what THEY want, I don’t have a problem with it, because that’s allowing the death process to occur without abnormal intervention to prolong the dying process. If they want food and water they should have whatever they want until they get to the point they don’t want food and water anymore. And the bodies of dying people do get to a point in the shutdown process where they don’t want food and water anymore.

[Secret Agent Man]

And my issue with the guy I replied to is this: don’t advocate for euthanasia for non-terminal people. The woman in this story was not terminal. This is not the example to convince people to treat people like animals that are dying and are euthanized to be spared further pain when things are futile. Non-terminal people are not in a futile, dying state. They many not feel good or they may be bored but that’s not dying from a terminal, no hope illness.