[Peace-discuss] End of life decisions

[C. G. Estabrook]

There are of course difficult questions surrounding end-of-life decisions.  
But the Schiavo case was not an end-of-life decision.  She wasn't dying.
But then the court ordered that she should be denied food and water, and,
not surprisingly, she died.

Sticking to the topic would mean putting aside questions about end-of-life
decisions, which have nothing to do with the discussion of politics, law
and the Schiavo case (except insofar as it was misrepresented as such).

But to answer your question on next-of-kin's wishes, I'd distinguish
between do-not-resuscitate orders and assisted suicide.  They seem to me
quite different.

An American soldier has just been freed by a court-martial after murdering
an Iraqi civilian, because he called it a "mercy killing." --CGE


On Mon, 4 Apr 2005 jencart at mailstation.com wrote:

> I'll stick my 2c in.... What you want for yrself, Carl, should be made
> clear to yr next of kin or person who has yr power of attny.  Y're
> entitled to yr opinion, but what you want for others -- unless you are
> the next of kin or have power of attny -- is besides the point re
> others' end-of-life decisions.  (No smoke, pls, re collateral damage
> in war, etc., etc. Pls stick to this topic!)
> 
> BTW, are you saying that you could NOT carry out yr next of kin's
> wishes if they ran contrary to yr own re end-of-life decisions?
> 
> Jenifer C.
>