Ex-soldiers don't need to be told they're a burden to society.
By JIM TOWEY
If President Obama wants to better understand why America's discomfort with end-of-life discussions threatens to derail his health-care reform, he might begin with his own Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He will quickly discover how government bureaucrats are greasing the slippery slope that can start with cost containment but quickly become a systematic denial of care.
Last year, bureaucrats at the VA's National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, "Your Life, Your Choices." It was first published in 1997 and later promoted as the VA's preferred living will throughout its vast network of hospitals and nursing homes. After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use. Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated "Your Life, Your Choices."
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.
"Your Life, Your Choices" presents end-of-life choices in a way aimed at steering users toward predetermined conclusions, much like a political "push poll." For example, a worksheet on page 21 lists various scenarios and asks users to then decide whether their own life would be "not worth living."
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
7 comments:
OMG! A living will. Heaven forbid.
Our veterans deserve the best treatment for their precious service. The Bush White House was wise to discontinue use, but we certainly could not expect Obama to act honorably in regard to our veterans.
Lest not we forget Obama advocated wounded servicemen PAY for war related injuries.
Anti-Capitalist like Obama ,Pelosi ,Reed ,Kennedy ,Durbin ,Frank and the list goes on hate the military so this is no surprise.It's only fitting these control mongers go after the most honorable of the country first and we lowly subjects after.
Better do your homework...
Bush and his republican friends liked to talk out of both sides of their mouths regarding supporting our troops, while at the same time slashing funding for the VA.
Didn't Rumsfeld call soldiers who were upset about "stop-loss" "whiners". Yeah, support our troops.
Bush wouldn't even put war spending "on-the-books".
Oh, well.
MD_Progressive
MD_Progressive maybe you should do a little fact checking yourself as your either uninformed or a liar.Funding for veterans went up twice as fast under Bush as it did under Clinton. And the number of veterans getting health benefits went up 25% under Bush's budgets. That's hardly a cut.And the Rumsfeld quote is another democrat lie.
Your all going to die, me included, it is better to be educated about your choices. What is wrong with that?
It's better to have a say in your treatment instead of a group of people deciding when you die.Typical liberal Socialist control freaks !
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