-Caveat Lector-
Source: World Net Daily; April 8, 2002
Too Old -- Or Sick -- To Live
by Barbara Simpson
[Barbara Simpson, "The Babe in the Bunker" as she's known to her KSFO
560 radio talk-show audience in San Francisco, has a 20-year radio,
television and newspaper career in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.]
Mayday! Mayday! There's a dangerous trend in medicine that could take
your life. Actually, they won't take your life, they just won't save it.
By what they don't do, you are certain to die.
I'm not talking about refusing extraordinary treatment like organ
transplants, open-heart surgery or use of cutting-edge technology when
those treatments wouldn't benefit your condition.
I'm talking about the "little things" - like oxygen, so you don't choke
to death; or food (nutrition), so you don't starve to death; or water
(fluids), so your organs don't shut down and you dehydrate. The song was
right: "Little Things Mean a Lot."
They're refusing treatment which could make you more comfortable, lessen
your suffering and support your life until you die naturally because
your time had really come and not because you got a great, big shove by
your doctor.
The dirty, little secret is that all medical personnel are being taught
that medical treatment can be stopped when the doctor (aided and abetted
by ethics committees and insurance companies) decides that you're going
to die anyway so they're not going to do anything. Well, they do say
they'll give you pain pills. I guess starving and dehydration is a bit
uncomfortable, especially towards the end.
The shocker is that educated, professional people actually teach this to
students, lecture this to peers, promote this to those who make final
decisions, and use this as a guideline for insurance coverage.
Ah yes, money. It is cheaper after all, not to treat someone. And it's
cheapest of all, if the patient dies! Hey, when you're dead, they don't
pay anything! Wow, what a concept!
The name for this concept is "Futile Care." When it happened to my
father - the doctor cut off all "medication," including hydration (since
when is water considered "medication"?) - one of the doctors told me,
that "some people call it 'benign neglect."' He quickly added that he
didn't like the term, but he did nothing to prevent it. Shame on him.
And my father is still dead.
Another tragic example is that of Katherine Eileen Hallisy, who endured
cancer five times by the time she was 9-years old. In August, 1998,
oncologists at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center
decided they wouldn't treat her anymore. She was going to die anyway, so
why bother? They did promise Kate would get "plenty of pain medication."
Angry their daughter was denied the ability to fight for her life,
Kate's parents found another doctor who would help. The child lived 19
more months, which included, according to her mother, dentist Dr. Julia
Hallisy, her 10th birthday, an Easter egg hunt, trips to the beach and
family times filled with treasured memories for her parents, two
brothers and other family members. How much is that worth?
In an attempt to put some brakes on this in California, State Sen.
Raymond N. Haynes, R-Riverside, introduced S.B. 1344, Futile-Care
Reform. The purpose is to ensure that patients will not be denied
desired treatment that is medically-beneficial and life-sustaining.
The first hearing, before the Senate Insurance Committee, was April 3. I
testified in favor of the bill, as did Dr. Hallisy and Wesley J. Smith,
attorney, advocate and author of nine books including "Culture of Death:
The Assault on Medical Ethics in America," which focuses on the
insidiousness of "futile care."
Testifying against the bill was an interesting mix: The American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the California Medical Association,
the California Dialysis Council, Kaiser Permanente, the California
Healthcare Association and the California Association of Health Plans.
Their objections were couched in jargon but boil down to two points:
1.We're the experts; don't tell us what to do.
2.It'll cost too much.
The good part of this is that the committee voted to make it a "study
bill," which essentially means it will be examined, refined and be voted
on again. Committee members acknowledge it's a difficult issue.
Be warned: This is not just a California problem. It's everywhere. After
my WND columns about it, ("'I'm your doctor and I'm here to kill you"'
and "He thinks he's 'Doctor God"'), I heard from people across the
country and Europe. They're furious yet feel helpless against what has
become a heartless, cold medical system.
People asked me, "what can be done?" My suggestion is to find out what's
going on in your state, publicize it and find a courageous legislator
who will sponsor a bill.
And the next time someone needs hospitalization, find out the hospital
policy. Chances are, they won't tell you until it's too late.
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