Britain’s high court has ruled that doctors can withhold food and water from patients, against the patients’ wishes:
The General Medical Council (GMC) was appealing against a previous ruling that gave Lesley Burke - who suffers from a degenerative brain condition - the right to insist on nutrition during the final stages of his illness.Mr Burke, 45, won the original ruling last year and it was hailed as a landmark by groups representing the terminally ill.
But today a panel of three judges headed by Master of the Rolls Lord Phillips set aside the decision.
The appeal judges were told at a hearing in May that the High Court ruling could put doctors in "an impossibly difficult position".
Philip Havers QC, representing the GMC, said the ruling would force doctors to provide the treatment a patient demanded even if the doctor’s view was the treatment would not provide any benefit.
He said a patient did not have the right to demand any particular form of treatment.
With all due respect to Mr. Havers, Lord Phillips and their stupid wigs, I’ve got a simple question for these gentlemen: WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?
Characterizing a hospital’s obligation to feed its patients as "impossibly difficult" is just absurd. It’s not like the guy is demanding a free kidney transplant when his last twelve transplanted kidneys have failed after a few days, and others on the transplant list are dying. The guy is asking for the very bare essentials: food and water.
By the way, here is the British Medical Association’s stance on the Hippocratic Oath:
Today, the Hippocratic Oath is not generally sworn by medical students upon qualification, since the language of the Oath has become outmoded.
Here’s part of that outmoded language:
I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgement and never do harm to anyone.
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I agree Matt that what happens in the nations of our allies (especailly one as important as GB) is of course of great importance to us. However, it is not of more importance than what happens here at home.
The Texas Futile Care Law was signed into law by Geroge W. Bush in 1999. And in 2003 another Republican governor extended it to include application in the cases of minors. The law is provisioned to allow health care providers (ie, huge insurance and hospital corporations) to decide when to end life support, even when that decision is against the will of the patient or family. The purpose is to enhance the profits of these corporations. It is a bill the industry lobbied hard for, and in the case of GW the governor, were successful in getting it passed.
Even the Chron covered the story of six-month old boy dying after being removed from life support, against the wishes of his mother and a family. And it happened right here in Houston.
Where was GW on this matter? Where was Tom Delay? And where are they now, as the law is still in place - and applies to ourselves and our families as citizens of Texas. Unlike the British ruling.
George W. Bush apporved a measure that is effectively very similar to the British ruling. And he signed into law, in Texas, legislation that would have allowed Terri Schiavo to be disconnected from life support. And the real decison making factor behind that choice would have been money.
Perhaps we should get our own house in order before passing judgement on other’s choices.
Unbelievable. What will all these silly murderers do when they finally understand that God truely exists. Just stand there in front of him and tell him they thought they were doing the most humane thing possible for these people when they withheld something as simple as food and water. The only thing I can say for these murderers is GOOD LUCK and have a nice ride.