tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2654455663519806899.post3810503305819530206..comments2023-11-09T02:43:59.293-08:00Comments on Christian Medical Comment: A politically incorrect final solution for Britain’s growing elderly populationPeter Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17222354018504253042noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2654455663519806899.post-72225415809126467242011-08-10T20:34:49.151-07:002011-08-10T20:34:49.151-07:00Interesting indeed, Christian medical ethics is no...Interesting indeed, Christian medical ethics is not really my forte, but I was for seven years a palliative care social worker – and before have experience of working with people with chronic disabilities and people with dementia. Having worked in hands on cancer and end of life care and with disabled people and people with dementia I find the media – and particularly the Christian media (usually with a right of centre bias) insinuations and descriptions of the ‘push’ for euthanasia, at best a gross over simplification of complex fact; and at worst an hysterical and devious attempt to solicit outrage and concern about a problem that doesn’t exist – or if it does it is so peripheral to most people experience of chronic illness, dementia or long term disability as to be insignificant.<br /><br />A case in point are the words of ‘wisdom’ from the Bishop of Tonbridge reported by Anglicanmainstream: ‘The Rt Rev Brian Castle, Bishop of Tonbridge, said many people are no longer willing to submit to the “mystery” of death and instead try to control it through assisted suicide.’ Given the number of people in the UK who have committed assisted suicide is tiny, I think it is difficult to take our episcopal friend seriously when hyperbole seems his preferred means of discussing such a difficult subject.<br /><br />The real issue, which you may be able to help me with, is the fact although there is much talk of the ending of life – in effect doctors playing ‘God’; there seems less enthusiasm to talk of doctors playing God when it comes to prolonging life. I well remember a ward meeting where the patient under discussion was an 84 year old woman with vulva cancer, coming in for umpteen fractions of radiotherapy – we were discussing her case because she had moderate dementia and had become something of a problem on the ward (a ward full of people receiving treatment for cancer). Personally I thought it cruel to put her through the treatment - she couldn’t remember why she had to have some strangers fiddling around her groin several times a day, was sore and ill because of the effects of the radiotherapy and couldn’t remember why, she was in a strange place that didn’t help her confusion and she disturbed other patients wandering around half the night and thus found herself abused by . What would be the outcome of her treatment – she’d probably live a little longer, a little longer to mentally deteriorate and have a shadow of a life. There is a time to live and a time to die and sometimes I think it is just as immoral to prolong life as to end it. To that end both my parents and partner have discussed end of life care and we all have agreed that a living will is necessary to stop the artificial prolonging of life.<br /><br />Hence I think ‘life at any cost’ is also a departure from Christian thinking and how we have arrived (as seems so often the case with Christianity in Britain continuing to veer right of centre) at this foolish polemic is sad indeed. I have worked in residential and nursing care and seen homes filled with people who are so demented that their lives have no quality. Pumping such souls full of antibiotics when they have a chest infection or continuing heart medication seems to me just as immoral as abortion; it is playing God. <br /><br />My niece called me last week to wish me ‘happy birthday’ – it is also her grandmother’s 99th birthday the day after mine and so I asked how she was (not my mother, who at 85 is hearty and hale). My niece told me her gran hadn’t recognised her for a decade and now didn’t recognise her own children. She was no longer her ‘gran’; but a mere husk of the woman she was, now long gone. That isn’t life and if it was my mother, I would request she didn’t receive a flu jab each year and that any infection shouldn’t be treated with antibiotics. Yes, this is passive euthanasia, but I think it is necessary to regain the dignity of life and death.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2654455663519806899.post-35709571386222784522011-08-10T05:08:50.055-07:002011-08-10T05:08:50.055-07:00or make people work longer.or make people work longer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2654455663519806899.post-205939894890570332011-08-07T13:44:58.566-07:002011-08-07T13:44:58.566-07:00Abortion leading to euthanasia - a nice little ear...Abortion leading to euthanasia - a nice little earner!<br /><br />I promise that I will never "do the decent thing".<br /><br />I am not anonymous, but Chris Wright (Left-footer.blogspot) and Google won't let me sign in to comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com