Anti-Abortion Groups Disagree on End-of-Life Law
The state’s two leading anti-abortion groups agree on where life begins, but not on a law governing how it may come to an end.
Texas Right to Life wants doctors and hospitals to continue treating terminal patients as long as they or their families want — or until they can find another medical facility that will. They’re endorsing a “treat to transfer” bill, HB 3520, authored this session by Mineola Republican Rep. Bryan Hughes. The legislation will be considered today by its third committee over three legislative sessions.
Texas Alliance for Life opposes the bill and wants to preserve ...
Comments (11)
Marc Lippincott via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Nice splinter issue for the GOP...one the one side, crazy anti-choice crowd. On the other? Big hospitals, insurance companies and doctors.
Sonora Hartley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If everyone wrote down their end of life choices it would save the family - and the docs - a lot of grief. and it is so simple to do.
Cecilia Solis-Sublette via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It is interesting how the subject of money is brought up when it comes to treating a person in a vegetative state. That data is used to argue for the right to terminate a life. However, if you present data relating to the cost of raising a child or data relating to the cost of the state raising a child that results from an unwanted pregnancy THAT is somehow immoral. Consisitency, please. If it is wrong to consider the effectiveness of life-termination for a baby, it is worng to consider it in the life-termination of an adult. Vice-versa, if it IS important to consider cost effectivess when thinking about the value of a no longer viable adult life, then it is worth considering cost-effectivess information when thinking about the value of a fetus - for a family.
Michael B Openshaw
Any of you really know the way this is often done? Basically, the person is doped up to a point where they don't even ask for water (even if that much medication is not necessary to control pain) and the patient essentially dies of thirst. Not a pleasant thing to put a loved one through.
As one who has had to make that extremely difficult decision myself in the last 18 months, I think a decision like that needs to remain with the family, if at all possible. BTW: writing it out does NOT generally address this type of scenario of life-sustaining nutrition- only mechanical support. The body often hangs on by itself, long after most of the mind is gone, or there is more pain and suffering than could possibly be worthwhile. Only by depriving fluids and nutrition, can it end; this is not 'allowed' but what IS allowed to only give what is requested; so 'hospice' people make sure they are too doped up to make the request. This is the somewhat brutal reality of how this happens.
And, Marc, you may not see it merely as a splinter issue, when it is YOUR turn to make such a decision.
Frances Stone via Texas Tribune on Facebook
i for one am out there to have this discussion of Advanced Care Planning Options with families so as to prevent this from becoming a political issue, early and head-on.
Sheri Alexander via Texas Tribune on Facebook
funny how the republicans want to keep fetuses (feti?) and the unresponsive alive but then make budget cuts to these same vulnerable people who need the money the most to stay alive !!!!! FUNNIER they're so quick to defend the unborn and unconcious but what about the living, breathing, tax paying! gays and criminals?!?! let the hate crimes continue and possibly innocent go exectued.... 100% HYPOCRITES
Rudy Gonzales
Careful - Palin called them "Death Panels"! Everyone in America should have DNR's non their body or do not DNR to their wants and financial capability. It's not the doctors right - It's not the hospital right - it's the right of the family and the family only! Under any other circumstances it up to GOD and God only!
Annette Bryant
Republicans want the babies born but do not want to help the baby after it is born.
Beverly Nuckols
First, wouldn't it be okay in this case to call the groups "pro-life?"
Further, the distinction is whether or not others are to act to end life or act to prolong life. These are not cases of active euthanasia or even passive, terminal sedation, they are intensive care cases in which the highest hi-tech artificial means are being used to prolong life when the body functions and multiple systems are failing one after another, irreversibly and so rapidly that medicine is prolonging the death. It is very, very rare that the patient is able to ask for anything - usually, the family members are the ones demanding intervention after intervention.
The cases which have come under the TADA involve ventilators, surgery, dialysis, and massive amounts of blood products.
The law forbids invocation of the Texas Advance Directive Act in cases where food and water are the only interventions, even simple IV fluids. There is no need for a doctor for oral feedings or to use a feeding tube that's in place.
However, at this time, the law cannot force any doctor to perform surgery to implant a tracheostomy, a feeding tube, a pic line or a fistula or to repeatedly calculate total parenteral nutrition or ventilator settings against his conscience-guided medical judgement.
Annette Bryant
Micheal Openshaw is correct. That is exactly what happened to my loved one. He was put in Hospice and they would not give him water or food and it took 5 days for him to pass away. They would not even let me give him water and told me he would choke to death! Yet they were already killing him. The first time I asked if he was being fed or giving water and the nurse told me "no"; I thought she did not know. The next day there was a different nurse on duty so I asked her and I received the same answer! I was so niave and I will never get over this. His last words to me every time I would leave were always "Help me, Help me". When I asked him how to help him, he never replied since I don't think he had the energy or breath and "I thought" hospice was doing everything to help him. I cannot get those words and his face out of mind and I feel so stupid since I did not even know hospice is where they send a person to die. I did not know the person had to ask for water! I will never forget this and next time I will be there night and day with lots of questions too! I hope everyone will read this and know what happens when one of their loved ones go to hospice! It is where they send your loved one to die! He was not ready to die! The last time I saw him (he passed early the next morning) he was so weak that only air came out of his mouth but I could read his lips and he was saying "HELP ME". If only I had known what I knew now.
Beverly Nuckols
I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bryant. I teach patients' families how to give spoonsful or drops of liquids. I can't imaging hospice worrying about choking enough to refuse oral fluids - at least without a trial or two - those last few days. Hospice also takes care of the family members, with grief counseling and groups, before and after death, one of the reasons I refer.