No Sympathy For Pro-Death Writer - Good!!

Here's an appropriate rebuke to a writer who chronicled her mother's death by starvation and dehydration - and seemed to be impatient for it to happen.

Helping Mom starve to death

Jane Gross, a retired reporter for The New York Times, has written a book about helping her mother die. And while euthanasia and assisted suicide are deeply disturbing but hardly new concepts, something about her story is especially upsetting. Perhaps in part it’s because she chose to write a book about it in the first place. Maybe it’s because my own elderly parents are suddenly facing serious mental and physical problems that I find Gross’ story so repugnant. more

Italian Lower House Intervenes In Euthanasia Debate

Good for the Italian politicos - starvation and dehydration are NOT medical treatments and should not be used to kill people.

Italian lower house votes to ban euthanasia

The lower house of Italy’s parliament has voted to prohibit the starvation and dehydration of patients in a move that is seen as a response to the killing of Eluana Englaro in 2009. more

Such Fun: Starving & Dehydrating People To Death As Medical "Care"

Here we go - Canadian medicos pontificating that it's actually OK to starve and dehydrate patients to death. Note the spin: "Artificial nutrition and hydration." That is, getting food and water by other means than swallowing. Be afraid, very afraid.

Withholding and withdrawing artificial nutrition ethically acceptable, advise paediatricians

The Canadian Paediatric Society wants to help health care providers faced with difficult end-of-life decisions, with a new paper on withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH). The CPS says that withholding or withdrawing ANH is both legally and ethically acceptable as part of a palliative care plan. more

Some Hospitals Refuse To Starve Or Dehydrate Patients To Death

Some good news. Some hospitals are taking a stand that they won’t starve or dehydrate patients to death. The very fact that some hospitals have to make this pronouncement, and that other hospitals allow this, is creepy enough.

Sunday: Catholic hospital policy criticized

Tulsa’s Catholic hospitals will abide by their patients’ end-of-life wishes, but will never allow them to die from starvation or dehydration, say two Tulsa physician ethicists.

“If a patient is not going to die of disease, we are not going to let them die of malnutrition or dehydration,” said Dr. H. William Allred, vice president of medical affairs and chairman of the medical ethics committee at St. John Medical Center.

The bottom line? Catholic hospitals refuse to starve their patients to death. more