Pro-life blog buzz 2-17-15
by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN, and Kelli
- ProLife NZ says just as the word “abortion” is used less and less in favor of other terminology, the culture of death is now searching for a term to replace “suicide”:
[A] survey asks readers what they think of the following terms: self-deliverance, dying with dignity, rational suicide, humane self-chosen death and a freshly-minted euphemism, dignicide.”… However, after mulling over the proposed words, I must say that “dignicide” has some merit. This coinage means not death with dignity, but the death of dignity – which is exactly what assisted suicide is.
- Reflections of a Paralytic applauds the showcasing of American Horror Story actress Jamie Brewer (pictured left), who has Down syndrome, as a runway model in New York Fashion Week.
- At ProLife365, Kevin Kukla shares his most memorable experiences with sidewalk counseling, and encourages pro-lifers to get involved.
- Pro-Life Action League reports on a fundraising email from Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards in which she accuses pro-lifers blocking a New Orleans mega abortion facility of “hate”:
Cecile Richards and her team of expensive consultants at Planned Parenthood know full well that talking about abortion is a loser for her side, and it doesn’t take much grey matter to understand why. The latest proof comes just this week with the release of a new Gallup poll showing increasing discontent with current U.S. abortion policies among the general public.And so, consequently, the nation’s largest abortion chain talks about abortion as little as possible, and spends twice as much time saying that those of us who oppose it are guilty of that most contemptible of sins, hatred. This sounds an awful lot like the “war on women” rhetoric that was — and, to a much smaller extent, still is — so popular among committed abortion supporters, although it’s pretty clear that this strategy has been a failure.
So too, from a P.R. standpoint, playing the hate card isn’t going to work. But it will surely make Planned Parenthood a lot of money.
- Wesley J. Smith reports that not one, not two, but three physicians have signed declarations that Jahi McMath is not brain dead and a request is forthcoming asking the state of California to rescind her death certificate:
The family attorney Chris Dolan says he will petition the California Secretary of State to rescind the death certificate….Attorney Dolan says that if the Secretary doesn’t give relief, he will sue.
But why should that be necessary? Given the declarations by three reputable brain specialist doctors and others, at the very least the Secretary should conduct a thorough investigation, including a full medical reassessment.
Jahi is owed that.
The integrity of the system demands it.
And if the unprecedented has happened–that a declared brain dead person ceased being brain dead–finding out what happened and why is absolutely in the interests of science.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
“she accuses pro-lifers blocking a New Orleans mega abortion facility of “hate””
Well, we do hat killing, so there is that.
Concerning Jahi, this child can “live” for years with her “life” being artificially maintained, which I understand it still is.
I’m sorry to say this but I seriously doubt that rescinding her death certificate is going to make any difference.
I have given instructions in writing that my family is never to do anything like this to me.
Do not worry Mary. The new ‘Medical Standards’ as set forth by the Independent Payment Advisory Board better known as the death panel of ObamaCare will make sure that will not be available for most anyone.
Remember the commercial line, “I’ve fell down and can’t get up”? How about Monty Python and “Bring out your dead”? Some government agency will come along and roll you into a furnace. Not enough room and/or money on the planet for beds or grave sites you know. With the falling birth rate and the 3rd generation of only children many do not have a relation that would care.
Patty,
This is a child who should have died and would have if not for machines. Her life is not being prolonged, only her dying. Situations like this only postpone the inevitable, and force families to make heartrending decisions.
I’ve seen it too many times Patty.
The new ‘Medical Standards’ as set forth by the Independent Payment Advisory Board better known as the death panel of ObamaCare will make sure that will not be available for most anyone.
Patty, could you please quote the relevant language of that text? Thanks!
*hate
Read a few articles about rationing like
ObamaCare ‘death panel’ faces growing opposition from Democrats
““The IPAB will be able to stop certain treatments its members do not favor by simply setting rates to levels where no doctor or hospital will perform them,” (Howard) Dean wrote in The Wall Street Journal.”
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/316045-obamacare-cost-cutting-board-faces-growing-opposition-from-democrats
or read this opinion on recent Court decisions:
9th Circ. Closes More Doors On ACA Challenges
“Novack asserted that, as an orthopedic surgeon who received
payments from Medicare patients, he could reasonably anticipate financial harm from the IPAB’s actions and market displacements anticipating those actions. The circuit court found his claim unripe because the IPAB is prohibited from recommending reductions in payment until Jan. 1, 2019.” http://www.crowell.com/files/9th-Circ.-Closes-More-Doors-On-ACA-Challenges.pdf
In other words, hold your breath for 4 years and see what your practice is worth or sell out now.
Remember the lung transplant that was first denied to the 10 year old girl?
Judge Orders Sebelius To Put Girl Who Needs Lung On Transplant List
“A federal judge intervened in the case of a 10-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis who needs a lung transplant, ordering HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to provide an exception and place the girl on the adult lung transplant list. …”
http://kaiserhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/transplant-list/
Notice these are NOT Pro-Life sites. If care will NOT be paid for or NOT enough to cover costs that alone will change Medical Standards. Are the numbers of Doctors that are retiring being replaced by the number of those graduating and finding residencies in hospitals? Will it be cost effective to become a doctor?
Notice, also, that the Little Sisters of the Poor were recently sued. Just shows were hearts and minds are.
“searching for a term to replace ‘suicide’”
I heard that the term “pro-choice” was now available.
Patty,
The situation with organ transplants has long been and is now such that certain people will be selected and others denied. There are a number of factors involved in determining who will receive a transplant.
The situation with that little girl might well have been that since cystic fibrosis affects more than the lungs, a lung transplant might be of limited value and the lung might better serve someone else.
Sorry to say that until organs become more plentiful or can be produced in a laboratory, this situation will persist.
I agree Mary. Many of ‘let them die’ headline articles are about young to middle-age persons who had an accident. If equal treatment means all or nothing at all there would be no organ transplant or any heroic treatment or even research. When you are dead, you are dead. For the really sick and going to die there is comfort care until they die. Those deciding government spending are making up their minds.
Jahi McMath is unusual in that she has enough family that cares and has the knowledge, etc. to go to bat for her. Read an article the other day about a different family where only one member did not want to pull the plug while the rest said to go for it.
Being so-called brain dead, just how far has Jahi’s body deteriorated?
I received one of Cecile’s fundraising emails regarding the abortion facility they are trying to open in New Orleans. In it she points to Louisiana’s unintended and teenage pregnancy statistics, yet offers letting them perform abortions as the only solution.
Hi Patty,
Do you have any medical background? It isn’t about “let them die” its about people who are being kept alive and families forced to make agonizing decisions. I am as PL as anyone, but I am also realistic about the fact that lives cannot always be saved, and that medical technology, while a blessing, has also created problems and ethical issues. This includes organ transplants and life sustaining machinery.
How is Jahi benefiting from her family’s “knowledge” and going “to bat” for her? As I said, even if it is determined she has some brain activity, her condition will remain unchanged. More ethical issues and questions have been created while a child’s dying is prolonged.
The state of Jahi’s body proves little, except that she is receiving excellent nursing care. So long as she is hydrated, well nourished, moved, maintained at a normal temperature, and ventilated her skin integrity should remain intact. Remember she is very young and that works in her “favor” as well, if you can call it that.
Hey heather,
If you’re out there and following this thread, please weigh in on this discussion. You have had a lot of experience in the care of these patients.
Do I have a medical degree? No. Did take care of my mother until she died of cancer. Also my mother-in-law for many years as she had Alzheimer’s disease. Have seen people who died as no one checked on them while others, who fell, were looked in on as they were missed and thereby rescued.
Was in a leadership role in a medical group, and as a Pro-Lifer on a local level, was asked to do so on a Diocesan and a separate regional level. As such have come to the conclusion that one’s opinion has a lot to do with the other being a blood relative and, therefore, one may have the same problem plus family resentments. Separate from that it is difficult if the person is mean, nasty, a screamer, etc. A sweetheart is easier to take care of. A lot has to do with one’s own feelings … in a good mood … no aches and pains yourself … in a good place spiritually … no pressing worries … others around to give you a break so one does not get overwhelmed, etc.
If this is just a job and one does not like it, go do anything else. This person may be a ticket to Heaven. Just remember that we dp not get to punch that ticket.
Hi Patty,
I am sorry to hear of your mother, she was blessed to have you, as was your mother in law.
You are talking about people though who had brain function, limited as it may have been for your mother in law, and were not kept “alive”. When their time came, they were allowed to pass.
IMO, this should have been done for Jahi, heartbreaking and premature as her death was.
Patty, the articles you posted on the IPAB do nothing but fearmonger that the board (if it is ever convened) will do exactly the same thing that private insurance companies and the Medicare/Medicaid oversight committees already do.
The story of the 10-year-old and the lung transplant had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with cost. There are separate waitlists for pediatric and adult lung transplant candidates (and candidates for other organs), because most adult lungs do not fit in most children’s chests. As you can read yourself, the court decision in this case was to put the girl on the adult wait list as well as the pediatric one. It had nothing to do with money. Unfortunately, her body rejected the first set of adult lungs that were cut down for her, so in all likelihood an adult who could have used the lungs died, but there’s no way of knowing if the transplant to an adult would have worked either.
Again, the case had nothing to do with money, and Kathleen Sebulius played no role except to refuse to override existing policy until ordered to do so by a judge. The story received heavy play in the pro-life media, although it pertains to pro-life issues only insofar as it affirms pro-lifers’ general belief that medicine should be practiced by judges, not physicians.
Patty and LisaC,
When I worked ER it wasn’t uncommon to see tyelenol(acetominophen) overdoses. People had some absurd idea it was a “safe” drug to OD on when you’re mad at someone and want to give them a scare. It is in fact highly toxic to the liver in higher doses.
One young woman was told she had just cut her life expectency by 20 years, as tests indicated liver damage. A transplant would be her only hope later in life.
Within the last few years I talked to some people familiar with the transplant service and mentioned the young woman’s situation. I always hoped she could get a transplant. They told me “no way”. Self inflicted organ damage like this makes it next to impossible, if not completely out of any consideration, for her to get a transplant. Too many people “legitimately” in need and too few organs. It sounds cold hearted, but it is what it is. These very difficult decisions have to be made. It has nothing to do with money….or arbitrarily denying people needed care.
I’m going by what these people told me. I wouldn’t know if the policy has changed.
To think this young woman may have sought a transplant some years later when her life was in a better place, deeply regretting her very foolish and impulsive decision, only to be given this information.
Self inflicted organ damage like this makes it next to impossible, if not completely out of any consideration, for her to get a transplant. Too many people “legitimately” in need and too few organs.
It’s a shame that transplant guidelines recognize that addicts can turn their lives around, but not people who have attempted suicide. One hopes that there will be more people participating in the donor program by the time she needs a transplant.
LisaC,
I hope so as well. I was honestly surprised to hear this, and I hope the policy can change, as you say, with more people willing to be donors.
“Death of Dignity.” I will use this.
“It’s a shame that transplant guidelines recognize that addicts can turn their lives around, but not people who have attempted suicide.”
I agree. I would think that often the people who have attempted suicide are the same people who have struggled with addictions.