Would you choose to "pull the plug"?

[OxQQme]

If, while still coherent, you know the remainder of your life will be spent running up yuuge medical/drug bills,
extended hospital time/hospice care financially ruining your family, would you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_healthcare_directive

"If I suffer an incurable, irreversible illness, disease, or condition
and my attending physician determines that my condition is terminal,
I direct that life-sustaining measures that would serve only to prolong my dying be withheld or discontinued."

Arguments for and against
Since World War II, the debate over euthanasia in Western countries has centered on voluntary euthanasia within regulated health care systems. In some cases, judicial decisions, legislation, and regulations have made voluntary euthanasia an explicit option for patients and their guardians.[32] Proponents and critics of such voluntary euthanasia policies offer the following reasons for and against official voluntary euthanasia policies:

For
Proponents of voluntary euthanasia emphasize that choice is a fundamental principle for liberal democracies and free market systems.[12]

The pain and suffering a person feels during a disease, even with pain relievers, can be incomprehensible to a person who has not gone through it. Even without considering the physical pain, it is often difficult for patients to overcome the emotional pain of losing their independence.[12]

Those who witness others die are "particularly convinced" that the law should be changed to allow assisted death.[33]

Today in many countries there is a shortage of hospital space. Medical personnel and hospital beds could be used for people whose lives could be saved instead of continuing the lives of those who want to die, thus increasing the general quality of care and shortening hospital waiting lists. It is a burden to keep people alive past the point they can contribute to society, especially if the resources used could be spent on a curable ailment.[34]

Against
Critics argue that voluntary euthanasia could unduly compromise the professional roles of health care employees, especially doctors. They point out that European physicians of previous centuries traditionally swore some variation of the Hippocratic Oath, which in its ancient form excluded euthanasia: "To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.." However, since the 1970s, this oath has largely fallen out of use.

Some people, including many Christians, consider euthanasia of some or all types to be morally unacceptable.[12] This view usually treats euthanasia to be a type of murder and voluntary euthanasia as a type of suicide, the morality of which is the subject of active debate.

If there is some reason to believe the cause of a patient's illness or suffering is or will soon be curable, the correct action is sometimes considered to attempt to bring about a cure or engage in palliative care.[12]

Feasibility of implementation: Euthanasia can only be considered "voluntary" if a patient is mentally competent to make the decision, i.e., has a rational understanding of options and consequences. Competence can be difficult to determine or even define.[12]

Consent under pressure: Given the economic grounds for voluntary euthanasia, critics of voluntary euthanasia are concerned that patients may experience psychological pressure to consent to voluntary euthanasia rather than be a financial burden on their families.[35] Even where health costs are mostly covered by public money, as in most developed countries, voluntary euthanasia critics are concerned that hospital personnel would have an economic incentive to advise or pressure people toward euthanasia consent.[36]

Non-voluntary euthanasia is sometimes cited as one of the possible outcomes of the slippery slope argument, in which it is claimed that permitting voluntary euthanasia to occur will lead to the support and legalization of non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia.[37]

The right to life movement opposes voluntary euthanasia.

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[hlthe2b]

1. No question... A kind passing is something we rightfully offer our pets, but not our people?

[workinclasszero]

9. IKR?

I could never figure out why we make sure our pets don't die in agony but insist on our loved ones going through that.

It makes no sense.

[dameatball]

2. Yes. My living will designates a time period of non-responsiveness after which I request to be taken

off life support, so I see no difference between that and choosing to end pain and suffering if so desired.

[2naSalit]

11. +1

[MontanaMama]

3. Absolutely.

100%. Dying a slow painful death is what I would suggest is what many of us fear the most about end of life. If I could avoid that, I sure would.

[ADX]

4. Without question or hesitation...

...there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to suffer through a lingering, debilitating, painful death unnecessarily.

[Dave Starsky]

12. Not to mention the financial and emotional toll it takes on families and other loved ones.

For God's sake, shut me down, burn me up, and scatter me to the four winds.

[ADX]

16. I concur 100%...

...well said...

[Adrahil]

5. Yes. I have a living will with a medical directive.

I don't want my wife or daughter to have to make such a terrible choice.

[Hoyt]

6. Jack Kevorkian deserved a Freedom Medal.

[davsand]

7. The family endures it along with the patient.

There is no freaking way I want my husband or my daughter to be forced to endure that ordeal of hospital vigil or home vigil/care.

I watched my mom sit in the ICU with my dad every day for almost two weeks, with him in a coma for most of that time. She refused to sign a DNR or discuss hospice for several days after the docs told us there was nothing left to do. While I fully understand not wanting to "let" someone go that you've loved for 60 years, I also know my dad would have been supremely upset that he was hooked up to all the machines.

I also observed my MIL fight a stage four cancer for two years after the initial surgery and chemo. When she made the decision she was done with all the pills and cutting, her family respected it and worked with hospice and the church she'd loved all her life. Her passing was at home, as free of pain as they could make it, and in the way she chose.

I've told my family that if I ever get a horrible diagnosis I'll follow the doc's advice for the first try, but if that fails, I'm doing this on my own. I want a case of good scotch, a bale of pot, and a lawn chair. When those are gone, I plan to be gone too.


Laura

[3Hotdogs]

8. Why I did not vote.

First of all, I support physician assisted suicide. The question ask if "I" would pull the plug. I don't know. It takes courage on both ends... pulling the plug or facing what might be a horrible death. I guess most of us hope for a kind of quick heart attack death. I would even prefer the kind of death of Mr. Rockefeller who, when he died in bed with his lover, didn't know if he was coming or going. (Couldn't resist.)

Our fear is a prolonged cancer or dementia death. I refer to my father. He was diagnosed with throat cancer and the surgery was unsuccessful. His oncologist said he will die in one of two ways. If he is unlucky, the tumor will expand and slowly suffocate him. If he is lucky, the stress on his body will cause a heart attack. He wasn't lucky. P.A.S. was and is not an option in N.J.

About two months into his hospice, he went into coma. The staff at the facility said his eyes are drying out. If family cannot be with him to put eye drops in his eyes every few hours, they would have to sew his eyelids shut or his eyes would dry out. We stayed and put drops in is eyes.

My mother had the long -- 8 years, dementia death. Except for the first few days, she was never in stress about being in the "memory care" unit of the assisted living place. Some of the unit residents would bang on the door to get out. Most either resigned to the condition or accepted it. Still, it was tough when she asked, "When is my father going to come and take me home." Or asking why her sister who died ten years earlier, didn't come and visit.

But as for me? I don't know.

I believe money should never be an issue in this matter. I have a pension and my health insurance is paid for in retirement by my public employer. Elderly people in hospice also have medicare and medicare supplement. But as for, say a young person who is in coma from an accident or whatever.. Our society has enough money to continue the war in Afghanistan and buy useless military planes and shit. We can afford to pay for indigent care of the dying.

I don't believe a person should be forced to choose physician assisted suicide.

Equally, the religious or moral beliefs of people should not be used to deny a dignified death to those who want it. I recall a P.B.S. documentary about the guy who had to go to Switzerland to receive a lethal prescription. I live in N.J. I would have to go to Oregon or Vermont and establish a residence before I could partake if I so choose. That ain't right. My response to those people who feel abortion or assisted suicide is wrong, "If you don't like abortion, don't have one. If you don't like assisted suicide, don't do it."

Those are my rambling thoughts on the matter.

[Towlie]

10. "Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo" - "I was not, I was, I am not, I care not."

Said Epicurus

That's how I feel about the matter now, but that's no guarantee that I won't feel differently when the time comes. We all have to deal with a conflict in our minds between rationality and evolved instinct, and aside from insects that live in colonies with queens, evolution in animals favors fear of death for a reason that's obvious to anyone who understands the concept of natural selection.

But regarding John McCain, I suspect the announcement was really a euphemistic way of saying that his death was imminent, and didn't actually reflect a decision about his treatment.

[empedocles]

13. I lived through these issues with my Mother's dying last year - it's very tough.

My Mother was fiercely independent her whole life. Not wanting to be a burden, or even against 'living too long'.

However, 'pulling the plug'', unless there is easy to pull life support mechanisms, is incredibly difficult to pull off. Even in her favorable environment circumstances; longtime very sympathetic family doctor, relatively benign state of Vermont, etc. Tough.

Mom willfully staying alive to see her toddler great granddaughter, refused to eat or drink, for 6 days, until . . . she died.

Still very tough to take all around.

[2naSalit]

14. after watching

and in some cases tending to, loved ones who suffered for decades incapacitated, my living will also directs family to pull the plug when/if that happens. I see no sense in keeping people alive if there is no reasonable quality of life.

[smirkymonkey]

15. For myself, absolutely. I would have a hard time doing so for a family member

unless they specifically requested it.

There is no way I would want to live in pain, having someone else attend to my every need and being a burden both physically and financially. Once my quality of life has gone, I see no need to prolong my physical existence. I think it's cruel that we don't have that option in most states in this country. People should be allowed to die with dignity when their time comes.

[Ms. Toad]

17. The choice is not binary, you know.

There are a range of end-of-life responses - from no care to extremely aggressive care.

My own options are somewhere in the middle. While I am conscious and capable of making decisions, I want to be in charge - and what I do will depend on my assessments of the long-term benefit v. short term reduction in quality of life.

At the point I am no longer able to make decisions for myself (and medical treatment would be futile to provide any long-term high quality life, my directions are to provide hydration but no additional life-prolonging care. I am conscious (but unable to make rational decisions) to allow me to indulge in the pleasure of eating if that is what I want in the moment - even if I have decided to end my life by ceasing to eat. (i.e. if you're visiting me for my birthday and I act as if I want a piece of cake, to give it to me - even if I am 2 weeks into cessation of eating.)

ETA: I hold my mother's medical power of attorney because she knows my father would not be able to terminate life support - and she is clear that if she is no longer home, so to speak, she does not want to continue living. So both personally and witin the extended family we have had a lot of conversations about quality of death. I highly recommend it.

[RichardRay]

18. Already arranged

I’m 71, living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). People don’t die of PD, the disease just keeps stealing parts of life until there’s not enough left to fight off simple illnesses, and death comes by pneumonia, etc. End stage PD is not something I care to experience, so I’ve got the tools I will need to not have to do it. I hope I’ll make the choice while I still have the strength and coordination to manage it. It would be better to know that somebody could help without being exposed to legal or professional repercussions.

So, Yes.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. My parents gave this a lot of thought when they were healthy.

They decided that, when there was NO hope for recovery, that they did not want any aggressive forms of life support. No intubation, no tube feedings, no CPR. They would accept oxygen by nasal cannula for comfort only, and the only food or drink they would accept would be what they could give to themselves. Period.

My brother and I admired them for their forward thinking.

My father had had a large heart attack, but neither he nor anyone else knew it. Several days after this happened, he slipped on their kitchen floor, fell, and broke his hip. The paramedics took him to the hospital and it was there that his heart attack was discovered.

It was too severe an attack to do the surgery to pin his hip. He was sent to a nursing home/convalescent center to live out his life. We had no problem with any of this as all these actions were in line with his wishes. He was 91.

Near the end, my brother got a call from the staff. They wanted to change our father's medications, to add an anti-depressant. When my brother told me this, I was amazed and then I realized something. The staff was having a harder time than we were as they faced our father's death. My brother told them to forget changing anything and a few days later, our father died.

It was peaceful, pain-free and entirely in line with what both our parents wanted. My husband and I have put similar provisions in our legal documents for end of life care. As a retired critical care nurse, I have seen too many families deal with the uncertainty and grief associated with the lack of planning around this time.

We are a death-denying society and families who cannot face the fact that we all will die, struggle at the end.

[Meowmee]

20. I have been through this

And my family has 2-3 times. It should be the person’s decision and their family can carry it it out if they wish it. With proper health care and control of costs the financial issue should be removed from the equation. There is euthanasia of a sort in many hospitals and end of life care centers where people are overdosed on morphine etc given for severe pain and it causes their death. Of course officially it is not called euthanasia since that is still illegal.