I'm up for a little feather ruffling on this fine NYC snow day. I've already baked everything I can think of so what else is there to do when you are snowed in?
I'm curious to hear what everything thinks of the "End-of-Life" plan. For those of you that don't know, you can gather some info here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/us/politics/26death.html?ref=health
In a quick summery, the above New York Times article states: Under the new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.
I personally think educating people of their "end of life" options is a good thing. Why keep this information in the dark? If you have a terminal illness wouldn't you want to know what your rights are? You have the right to be fully educated on how you will spend your last days.
Many (Palin...cough, cough) are scaring the nation into the thought that this is a "death panel" that will convince people to end their lives sooner. I feel that as an intelligent individual in a free country I have the right to make the decision NOT be hooked up to life support and become a burden on my family and the system if I become a vegetable. And since when is being fully educated on a topic a bad thing? That's what the bill is proposing...doctors educating their patients.
I feel it's a huge injustice to tip toe around the subject of death and the comparison to a death panel infuriates me.
What's your take? I want all your juicy, heated comments. Get mad. Take a stand. It means you're a living, breathing individual with free choice and speech.
i concur - when we are talking about "life-sustaining treatment," it is so important to consider quality of life. our culture might be better off if we integrated death into the conversation more. that way we can be more prepared, rather than making one's death into a huge taboo that we avoid facing our whole life.
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