I will never understand how some hospitals and doctors can be so cruel to those who cry out for mercy.聽聽聽聽聽 聽
Recently, an 84-year-old man, a patient in a Vancouver hospital, was afflicted with failing kidneys, heart disease and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal causing pressure on sensitive cord tissue. Aware of his agonizing future, he asked his doctor to apply for Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). But Catholic hospitals and some non-Catholic facilities do not allow doctors or nurse practitioners to assist patients in dying.
So what happened? He had to be transferred to another hospital. This is difficult for anyone near the end of life, particularly if you鈥檙e
in severe pain.
His daughter reported: 鈥淢y Dad yelled out in agony as they lifted him from his bed to the stretcher. He cried out at every single bump in the ambulance.鈥� No one should have to endure such an experience.
A lawyer recently argued that if hospitals were funded by public funds to practice religion, they would have the right to make religious decisions. But tax dollars are provided for health care. Hospitals, therefore, have no right to refuse MAID. If they continue to do so, they should lose public funding.
But some doctors also refuse to be associated with this procedure. And even if there are willing physicians, obtaining the necessary legal documentation creates another hurdle. Why must it be so difficult?
In 2001, the Dutch parliament became the first in the world to legalize euthanasia for those suffering from incurable disease and unbearable suffering. Now, Dutch authorities have gone a step further. They believe older people have a right to end their lives when faced with suffering they find unbearable.
How many of us have seen the utter despair of a man or woman when a partner of 60 years suddenly dies? Or, witnessed the lonely, forlorn, look of those in nursing homes void of family and friends. They endure a life without meaning, waiting for it to end. Surely, these people have a right to MAID if they desire it.
In sa国际传媒, lawmakers won鈥檛 even agree to advanced consent, which would allow those with early dementia to sign a living will, stating they wish to die when their brain is no longer functioning.
Moreover, the current law states that extreme suffering is not always sufficient grounds for MAID. This means stroke victims and others could linger for years before being 鈥渞easonably鈥� close to death.
I believe it borders on criminality to move dying patients to another hospital for MAID. It鈥檚 also a medical sin for doctors to turn a blind eye to this request when it鈥檚 their prescribed role to end terminal suffering. Freedom of choice should determine who qualifies for MAID, not a hospital, doctor or a court of law.
