Following up on a common blogging theme these days (Swankette is particulary good on this topic) the latest news reminds me why I have a Living Will. It's a very specific Living Will, with some ammendments that make it a document with which I am very comfortable.
I know that these added bits might make some of my family uncomfortable, but they matter deeply to me. If for any reason someone in my family tries to get the government involved, please show them this entry and tell them that I outlined what I wanted because it is what I wanted.
A BBC commentator claimed today that the husband wants life support turned off because he wants the multi-million dollar settlement won againist the doctors. You know, that's a great argument, except for one thing; the settlement no longer exists. Some of it went to her health care, but most has been spent on legal bills. (We can rant about legal fees later.) Try again.
I'm usually an altruist. I want to believe that the husband and the parents have stuck it out for this long because they are genuine and sincere in their beliefs. After all, the husband got a nursing degree so that he could care for his wife and understand what the doctors said. The parents have poured everything they have into visits and keeping the legal fight alive.
Yet I can't help returning to the feeling that this is an example of a rocky in-law situation carried to a very public conclusion.
Speaking of which, since when are the Republicans interested in undermining States' Rights? in getting the big Federal Government involved in our personal lives and freedoms? Since when do the Democrats defend States' Rights?
This isn't about the life or death of one woman. This is about politics and sound bites and people who cannot bear to be told that they are wrong. Bless the senator (from TN?) who announced that this story shows all Americans that whatever our age or health, we all need a Living Will.
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Lessons Graded: four
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