The compassionate approach that respects the wishes of the family and does honor to the patient’s religion is to allow the patient to die of kidney failure etc, while on the respirator.

As far as my experience with the above situation,
all I can say, is that as
an observant Jew and medical professional I’ve had to also suffer through such medical situations.

Alison, you make my point and miss my point at the same time. The family of this alleged “futile care” patient HAS NO CHOICE OF CARE. There are no private facilities (by law) to transfer their dad to.

Hence they also have no choice but to sue. And I support them 100%.

And not all Canadians are prepared as you are to mindlessly put up with whatever fate is rationed out to them Canadian Medicare at the end of a long waiting list. I cite the examples of leading politicians bureaucrats who jump the endless queues and head to the US for care. And the dirty little secret is that they are said to be quietly reimbursed 100% by OHIP and other provincial plans for care in the US.

Ed Sodaro MD

Um, certainly not always the case. I’ve seen too many stories of Canadian officials going to the states for their health care to buy this one.
How about this for a summary: “…some are more equal than others.”

Regarding the “We like it.” statement, clearly you’re not speaking for at least one family. You know, the ones who are suing.

And of course, we do pay for it. If a rich person wants unlimited futile care for their family members, then they need to be agreeable to paying enough tax that everyone in the country can also get unlimited futile care. Oh, don’t want it that much? Then I guess it isn’t that important.

Remember, hospitals are all public. If someone in government needs to go to the hospital they go to a public hospital, with the same facilities as everyone else. If nothing else, self-interest ensures that medical treatment meets a reasonable standard.

Hence the family has no choice but to sue. I support them 100% given the nature of their entrapment in the Canadian system.

Ed Sodaro MD

http://tinyurl.com/2ffrlt

I think this is the money quote:
“There’s no justification to be paying more than Medicaid rates,” said Patrick Holland, the authority’s chief financial officer.

Can you hear those train whistles blowin’

In that case, nobody’s denying the family of their right to such treatment, but also does not force the cost on the taxpayer.

?MURDER? – that’s just nuts. what if there’s a power outtage & the respirator stops – is THAT murder? and if so, by whom, the electric company?

99.9% of us would not want an existance like that, yet a great percentage of family will subject their loved ones to it.

I’d leave the patient on the respirator, until he died. To do otherwise would constitute murder, in my opionion.