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Updated: Wed Jul 28 | 11:50 PM UTC
End-of-Life Issues
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Letting Go
Jul 28, 2010 (The New Yorker) What should medicine do when it can’t save your life? Family's Wish, Doctors' Dilemma
Jul 19, 2010 (Boston Globe) Question of whether eggs should be harvested from woman on life support plunges specialists into tough terrain. Korean doctors can remove life support
Jul 16, 2010 (Ninemsn) Doctors in Korea can remove life support if a terminally-ill patient wishes to die. The Ethics of Discontinuing Dialysis
Jul 13, 2010 (Renal & Urology News) One practitioner's perceived good deed for a dying patient could be another's definition of homicide. Legal Assisted Suicide Creates 'Slippery Slope' to Doctors Killing Without Consent, Expert Claims
Jul 06, 2010 (Telegraph) If society agrees that it is in some people’s interests for them to end their own lives, it is difficult to resist the logical conclusion that others should be helped to die even if they have not made such a request. Debating Death
Jul 02, 2010 (The Economist) The fight for clearer rules conceals a drive for legalization. Court Has Chance to Influence End-of-Life Care
Jun 21, 2010 (The New Jersey Times) In a New Jersey appellate court, judges are being asked to determine whether physicians should be compelled to artificially sustain a dying person's life. What Broke My Father's Heart
Jun 21, 2010 (The New York Times) How putting in a pacemaker wrecked a family’s life. Who Will Make Your Life-or-Death Decision?
Jun 16, 2010 (CNN) The idea of a "living will" may sound like you have control over what happens to you if you temporarily or permanently can't make medical decisions for yourself, but in practice it's not so clear cut. Kevorkian: "I Have No Regrets"
Jun 14, 2010 (CNN) There haven't been many times when I have been at a loss for words when conducting an interview as a medical reporter. This was one of those moments. Heart devices can be turned off near end of life
Jun 01, 2010 (American Medical News) Physicians can deactivate implanted defibrillators and pacemakers when terminally ill patients request it, according to new guidelines from the Heart Rhythm Society. Lifesaving devices can cause havoc at life's end
May 17, 2010 (The New York Times) Should heart defibrillators be turned off when a person is at the end of his/her life? Group to censure physicians who play role in lethal injections
May 03, 2010 (The Washington Post) Anesthesiologists: want to lose your certification? Participate in lethal injection. Death at 25: Blogging the end of a life
Apr 28, 2010 (CNN) "Hello to the world at large," she said in the video. "To my blog, to my friends, to everyone. I have some news today. It's kinda tough to hear, but I can say it with a smile." Propped in a hospital bed, Markvoort sat surrounded by her family. "My life is ending." Former US nurse charged with aiding suicides via web
Apr 26, 2010 (BBC) A former nurse who allegedly helped people die online is considered a criminal. Making Your Wishes Known at the End of Life
Apr 18, 2010 (The New York Times) Tomorrow is Health Care Decisions Day, part of a national campaign to encourage Americans to complete their advance directives or living wills and document their desires regarding medical treatment at the end of life. For This Doctor, 'DNR' Means Do Not Resign
Apr 14, 2010 (NPR) The emergency department is always noisy, but today the triage nurse is yelling "not breathing," as she runs toward us pushing a wheelchair.
A pale, thin woman is slumped over and looking gray.
"Anyone know of a DNR on her?" I ask. If there's a "Do Not Resuscitate" order, we won't prevent her impending death. Advance Directives Again Shown Useful for End-of-Life Care
Apr 01, 2010 (Medpage Today) Many older adults completed advance directives by the time they were needed, and they did their job -- ensuring that patients got the care they wanted, researchers found.
1 in 4 Will Need Health Decisions Made For Them
Apr 01, 2010 (MSNBC) NEW YORK - A significant number of the elderly — more than one in four — will eventually need someone to make end-of-life decisions about their medical care, a new study suggests. 5 years after Schiavo, few make end-of-life plans
Mar 30, 2010 (MSNBC) MIAMI - Five years after the court fight over allowing Terri Schiavo to die, most Americans still don't draft the legal documents that spell out how far caregivers should go to keep them alive artificially. Palliative Care Education: Focusing on Care and Not Just Disease
Mar 24, 2010 (National Cancer Institute) At the Institute for Palliative Medicine (IPM) in San Diego, medical residents are re-tooling for one of the most essential aspects of medicine: caring for seriously ill patients. “The goal is to teach them the core competencies in palliative care,” explained Dr. Charles von Gunten, the institute’s provost. Euthanasia's Slippery Slope
Mar 17, 2010 (The Mark) For millennia, euthanasia has been considered morally and legally unjustifiable. People who oppose euthanasia still believe it's inherently wrong – it can't be morally justified and even compassionate motives don't make it ethically acceptable. But what are the attitudes of pro-euthanasia advocates regarding whether its use needs to be justified, were it to be legalized? And, if justifications are required, what are they? Catholic directive may hamstring living wills
Mar 15, 2010 (Tulsa World) An elderly woman taken last year to St. John Medical Center had suffered a massive stroke and could no longer speak, eat or drink. Although she had an advance directive specifying no artificial hydration or nutrition if she weren't going to recover, local health officials said, her nephew insisted the local bishop's directive on use of feeding tubes required the Catholic hospital to install one. Baby Isaiah dies in parents’ arms
Mar 12, 2010 (Toronto Sun) A brain-injured Alberta baby at the centre of a controversial end-of-life decision that landed in court has died. Baby Isaiah May was pronounced dead at 12:11 p.m. Thursday. He died in the arms of his parents Rebecka and Isaac May, and surrounded by his aunts, uncles and grandparents New tool lets patients call the shots at end of their lives
Mar 11, 2010 (Star Tribune) Doug State entered hospice care two years ago knowing exactly how he wanted to die: at home in Cambridge, Minn., with his wife, Carol, and his dog, Teddy. Defibrillator Implants Often Overlooked in Hospice, End-of-Life Care
Mar 08, 2010 (McKnights Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living) A large percentage of hospices do not account for patients with
defibrillator implants, which can lead to unnecessary - and
uncomfortable - shocks to patients, new research shows. State's Assisted-Suicide Law Faces Major Test Monday
Mar 08, 2010 (New Haven Register) Two Connecticut physicians, Gary Blick and Ronald M. Levine, sued the
state last year hoping to ensure that doctors who prescribe medication
to enable a patient to end his own life will not be charged with
second-degree manslaughter under the law. The heart of the case is how suicide will be defined under Connecticut law. Washington: First Year Under Legalized Assisted Suicide
Mar 08, 2010 (National Catholic Register) Today is the first anniversary of the law in which Washington legalized the practice through a public referendum, Initiative 1000. Dominican Sister Sharon Park, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, states that the law places vulnerable people at risk of abuse. The legislation, she said, was written to prevent adequate safeguards for persons most in need of care and support.ť End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Worth It
Mar 04, 2010 (Bloomberg Business Week) The bills totaled $618,616, almost two thirds of it
for the final 24 months, much of it for treatments that no one can say
for sure helped extend his life. In just the last four days of trying to keep him
alive -- two in intensive care, two in a cancer ward -- our insurance
was charged $43,711 for doctors, medicines, monitors, X-rays and scans.
Two years later, the only thing I know for certain that money bought
was confirmation that he was dying. Caution Urged After Study on Brain Activity by 'Vegetative' Patients
Mar 04, 2010 (The Catholic Spirit) New evidence of brain activity in patients judged to be in a persistent
vegetative state should make physicians and neurologists more cautious
in arriving at such judgments in the future, according to a Catholic
ethicist. Living Wills Often Ignored
Mar 01, 2010 (MSNBC) Living wills and advance directives were the hope for end-of-life decision-making decades ago. Brazil Baby Dies 'As Doctors Fight'
Feb 26, 2010 (BBC) A baby girl died following an alleged fight between doctors in a Brazilian hospital delivery room, reports say, prompting an investigation. Brazil Baby Dies 'As Doctors Fight'
Feb 26, 2010 (BBC) A baby girl died following an alleged fight between doctors in a Brazilian hospital delivery room, reports say, prompting an investigation. Murky Path in Deciding on Care at the End
Feb 23, 2010 (New York Times) ggressive treatment at the end of life — frantic CPR for a brain-dead accident victim, inserting a feeding tube in a dying Alzheimer’s patient — has become a staple of the health care debate. Critics argue that vast resources are squandered on care that is obviously futile. Paralyzed Belgian Patient Can't Talk After All
Feb 21, 2010 (Seattle Times) It was heralded as a medical miracle. After spending more than two decades in a vegetative state, Rom Houben, a Belgian man in his mid-40s, was suddenly able to communicate, news reports trumpeted last November. Ethics Concerns At Local Hospital
Feb 09, 2010 (Philadelphia Bulletin) Even though she lived for less than two hours, Baby Miracle Gianna lived long enough to shine a stark light on practices inside a local Catholic hospital that have pro-life citizens up in arms. Putting a Caregiver in the Equation
Feb 08, 2010 (Modern Healthcare) What should a primary-care physician do when a patient turns up with a friend or family member in tow: someone who's clearly taking some kind of responsibility for that patient's care? Couple Decide to Let Disabled Child Die in Hospice
Feb 08, 2010 (China Daily) A Tianjin couple's decision to stop medical treatment for their newborn baby, who suffers life-threatening birth defects, has triggered a huge controversy. Douglas Todd: A Moral Question of How to Die
Feb 02, 2010 (Vancouver Sun) On the big day, Kathleen (Kay) Carter chose to wear the blue floral scarf that was given to her by her sister. On Thursday, Jan. 14, Kay dictated a note to family and friends telling them: "I have chosen to die with dignity, tomorrow." The Two Faces of a Life-or-death Dilemma
Jan 27, 2010 (Globe and Mail) The Globe's Lisa Priest examines how two families' stories are shaping a legal and moral battleground over who has the right to make life-or-death decisions. IN EDMONTON: Parents who want their brain-injured baby to live fight with a hospital who says they should let him go IN QUEBEC: A hospital ethics board clashes with a family that took their child off a feeding tube Parents Fight to Keep Infant on Life Support
Jan 21, 2010 (Parent Central) Three-month-old Isaiah May, who suffered brain damage at birth, breathes on a ventilator in an Edmonton neonatal intensive care unit. For the time being. End-of-Life Medical Spending Not So Wasteful
Jan 20, 2010 (US News and World Report) Imagine two deer trying to escape a searing forest fire. One deer is old and hobbled; the other young and fit. Which one tries harder? Of course, they both try as hard as they can. Would anyone expect the older deer to give up the fight for life because of his age? Looking at Final Options
Jan 12, 2010 (Boston Globe) Dr. Angelo Volandes has always been fascinated by visual storytelling, dating back to his godfather’s amateur filmmaking and his family’s theater-going when he was a child in New York. While in medical school at Yale, he took a year off to make a documentary about a 40-year relationship between a doctor and a patient who had neurofibromatosis - better known as elephant man’s disease - that is still used today to teach medical students and doctors in training. Now at Massachusetts General Hospital, Volandes has researched the use of video to help patients make decisions at the end of life, comparing visual versus verbal-only explanations of care choices among advanced brain cancer patients in one study and people facing advanced dementia in another. Patients Being Tube-fed 'To Save Time'
Jan 08, 2010 (Telegraph) Patients are having their health put at risk by staff who feed them through tubes unnecessarily because they are too busy to help them eat normally, a report has warned. Montana Ruling Bolsters Doctor-Assisted Suicide
Jan 04, 2010 (New York Times) The Montana Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that state law protects doctors in Montana from prosecution for helping terminally ill patients die. But the court, ruling with a narrow majority, sidestepped the larger landmark question of whether physician-assisted suicide is a right guaranteed under the state’s Constitution. End-of-life Decisions are Heartwrenching
Nov 19, 2009 (The Birmingham News) Gregory Pence writes: At the end of December 2000 on a cold night, my brother Bob called.
"Dad's not doing very well," he said. "If you want to see him before he dies, you'd better fly up here."
I didn't believe him. At age 88, my dad had weathered crises before, and he had told me many times that he didn't want to die and wasn't ready to die. For a decade, my saintly mother had nursed him as he progressively declined. But always before, during his crises, he had rallied.
On the Avoidance of Death in Life
Nov 06, 2009 (Washington Post) Kass even opposes living wills because "it's preposterous to think that we can have the kind of foreknowledge to cover the myriad circumstances in which we may find ourselves. Nor can you accurately pass judgment on how you're going to feel about your life in a different circumstance...No kind of legal approach and no kind of medical approach are going to take the place of a loving, prudent caregiver on the spot." What if you don't have a loving, prudent caregiver on the spot? Do you want your fate to be determined by peope who may not share your values? I certainly trust my imperfect judgment, based on more than 60 years of living and on what I have learned from the deaths of those I loved, more than I do anyone else's judgment. Australia's Dr. Death comes to San Francisco
Nov 02, 2009 (San Francisco Chronicle) The international assisted-suicide movement has many faces. America's "Dr. Death," Jack Kevorkian, probably comes most readily to mind. The activist groups, Compassion & Choices and Final Exit Network, are also well known. Then there is Australia's "Dr. Death," Philip Nitschke, who travels the world teaching people how to commit suicide with helium or animal-euthanasia drugs obtained from Mexico. Australia's Dr. Death comes to San Francisco
Nov 02, 2009 (San Francisco Chronicle) The international assisted-suicide movement has many faces. America's "Dr. Death," Jack Kevorkian, probably comes most readily to mind. The activist groups, Compassion & Choices and Final Exit Network, are also well known. Then there is Australia's "Dr. Death," Philip Nitschke, who travels the world teaching people how to commit suicide with helium or animal-euthanasia drugs obtained from Mexico. In the End, Care Tops Cost
Oct 21, 2009 (Crain's New York) When Deidre Araimo heard all the talk about “death panels” this summer, she immediately thought of what they might mean for her. Talk of Dying
Oct 13, 2009 (Indianapolis Star) The national debate over health care has brought the issue of end-of-life planning to the fore in recent months.
Much of the discussion has been impassioned. And, Dr. Paul Helft, director of the Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, argues that much of it has been misguided. Stopping Dialysis at the End of Life
Sep 21, 2009 (New York Times) Dr. Leslie Spry of the National Kidney Foundation recently joined the Consults blogs to answer readers’ questions about kidney disease. Here, Dr. Spry addresses one reader’s question about dialysis and end-of-life care.
The Cost of Dying: How Much is Worth It?
Sep 13, 2009 (Indianapolis Star) Jerry L. Madden started smoking at the age of 13, and six decades later, he is paying a steep price. So are taxpayers. Doctors' end-of-life care conversations can be uncomfortable, but comforting
Sep 13, 2009 (Cleveland Plain-Dealer) By the time Dr. Michael Preodor brought up the do-not-resuscitate question, he could have predicted how Gloria Hayes would answer. End-of-life Consultations: Adults Only
Sep 09, 2009 (Huffington Post) Our nation approaches a fateful Autumn. Many analysts believe Congressional action on healthcare will dramatically affect the future of America, this Administration and the major political parties. We are engaged in a struggle over whether our nation will approach issues of end-of-life care as adults, or remain captive in childishness. Compassion & Choices has launched a petition drive calling for adult decisions instead of childish reactions. Medicare and 'End-of-Life' Planning
Sep 06, 2009 (Washington Post) A pioneer in end-of-life planning, Gundersen Lutheran Hospital urged Congress to have Medicare compensate physicians for consulting with patients on end-of-life planning. The provision, inserted into the health-care reform bill, sparked a firestorm of worries about "death panels" and "rationing" care for the elderly. Medical Debate Rages Over When Premature Babies Should Be Saved
Sep 06, 2009 (Telegraph) The Nuffield Council on Bioethics had stepped gingerly into an area which was already the topic of fierce debate. During a two-year inquiry, its working party took evidence not just from doctors and nurses in neonatal medicine, but from professors of philosophy, and religious leaders. End-of-life Talks Have Value
Sep 06, 2009 (Detroit Free Press) "I'd like to talk to you about something I try to talk with all my patients about. Many people have strong feelings about what treatment they would want if they were too sick to make decisions for themselves. Have you thought about that?" High Court Wades Into Life, Death Arguments
Aug 30, 2009 (Billings Gazette) Robert Baxter, a 76-year-old former truck driver from Billings, spent his last months fighting for the right to hasten his own death. The state appealed, and the final chapter of the story begins Wed-nesday, when the Montana Supreme Court will hear from lawyers from both sides in oral arguments. Health Care Reform and a Dispute About Dying
Aug 27, 2009 (The Tidings) Congress' effort to enact health care reform legislation has sparked a vigorous debate. From a Catholic viewpoint the underlying issue is clear: Tens of millions of Americans lack basic health coverage; many more risk losing what they have as costs rise. End-of-Life Advice Not Always Welcome
Aug 26, 2009 (US News and World Report) When deciding whether to turn off life support for a loved one, family members aren't always interested in their doctor's advice, new research shows. At the End, Offering Not a Cure but Comfort
Aug 20, 2009 (New York Times) Deborah Migliore was pushed into a small conference room in a wheelchair, looking kittenish in red and white pajamas and big gold hoop earrings. Her weight was down to about 90 pounds, from 116, her face gaunt, her sad eyes droopier than ever. Doctor's Opinions Not Always Welcome in Life Support Decisions
Aug 18, 2009 (Science Daily) Some caregivers of critical care patients prefer doctors to keep their opinions on life support decisions to themselves, according to new research that challenges long-held beliefs in the critical care community. 'Death Panels' in Oregon?
Aug 11, 2009 (American Thinker Blog) Perhaps former Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) was referring to the tragic predicament of Barbara Wagner of Oregon when she wrote how she feared for the fate of her Down Syndrome son under "Obama's 'Death Panels.' " Britain to Clarify Its Assisted-Suicide Law
Aug 03, 2009 (Time) The House of Lords, Britain's highest court, delivered a landmark ruling on July 30 when it said that the nation's assisted-suicide law must be clarified to spell out the circumstances under which authorities will prosecute someone who helps another person end their life. President Obama's health reform helping to raise awareness around end-of-life care issues
Aug 03, 2009 (Examiner.com) Last Tuesday, AARP hosted a town hall meeting with President Obama to focus on the issue of health care reform. If you would like to listen to it in its entirety, here is the link.
“Nobody’s trying to change what does work in the system,” Obama told the estimated 180,000 listeners. “We are trying to change what doesn’t work in the system.” Japan’s Parliament Eases Rules on Organ Transplants, Death Law
Jul 28, 2009 (Bloomberg) July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s parliament approved legislation to ease restrictions on organ transplants in a move that backers say will save thousands of lives.
The upper house today approved a bill passed in the lower chamber last month that eliminates the need for a written will for organ donations. The new rules also accept a lack of brain function as a legal definition of death. Romantic' Death May Idealize Suicide: Critics
Jul 20, 2009 (Canada.com) Some see the story of Edward and Joan Downes, a British couple who chose to die hand-in-hand at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic last Friday before terminal cancer could end Joan's life, as a love story -- or the ultimate in freedom of choice. With Help, Conductor and Wife Ended Lives
Jul 20, 2009 (New York Times) The controversy over the ethical and legal issues surrounding assisted suicide for the terminally ill was thrown into stark relief on Tuesday with the announcement that one of Britain’s most distinguished orchestra conductors, Sir Edward Downes, had flown to Switzerland last week with his wife and joined her in drinking a lethal cocktail of barbiturates provided by an assisted-suicide clinic. Quebec Keeps "Open Mind" on Euthanasia
Jul 17, 2009 (Globe and Mail) The Quebec government says it is open to debating the legalization of euthanasia, reigniting a polarizing national debate that the Conservative federal government says it has no interest in revisiting. Quebec Health and Social Services Minister Yves Bolduc, a physician before he entered politics, told reporters Thursday that when he practised medicine, he supported legalizing euthanasia under certain circumstances. He was responding to a draft report from the Quebec College of Physicians that recommended euthanasia be considered appropriate care in some cases. Google Health to Safeguard "End-of-Life" Wishes
Jul 17, 2009 (Associated Free Press) Google has invited people to store "end-of-life" wishes at its free online health records management service. Google Health made available "advance directive" forms on which people can specify what they want doctors to do or not do in the event they are too ill or injured to express their wishes. Forms created with collaboration from an organization specializing in elder care are available free for download online and can be customized to the laws in US states, according to Roni Zeiger and Julie Wilner of the Google Health team. Suicide couple reignite debate
Jul 16, 2009 (BBC) The deaths of British conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife, Joan, have reopened the assisted suicide debate.
Sir Edward, 85, who was losing his sight and hearing, died on Friday alongside his terminally ill wife, 74, at Swiss right-to-die centre, Dignitas. They're Doing a Feel-Good Thing
Jul 14, 2009 (Los Angeles Times) Etta Cummings stood in the back of a small room filled with sympathetic faces. Her failing eyes were obscured by big, dark glasses. She leaned on her cane, clutched her bright caftan and prepared to take one very big step. "My name is Etta Cummings. I'm a diabetic. My diabetes is totally out of control. I didn't take it seriously for many, many years," she said by way of introduction. "By this time, my health started deteriorating, so I'm on the run to correct it." Heads nodded in support. Other women's stories poured forth. Of diabetes and struggles with weight. The difficulty of caregiving and the effort of exercise. The temptation of unhealthy food and the jettisoning of "toxic relationships." The fear of doctors and the burden of stress -- code, to many of those present, for depression. Assisted Dying Plea is Turned Down by Lords
Jul 13, 2009 (Daily Mail) The Lords last night rejected a bid to allow relatives to help terminally ill people travel abroad to die, following an impassioned plea by a severely disabled peer. Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, who was born with the wasting disease spinal muscular atrophy, told how doctors had persuaded her her life was at an end. She said many would come under similar pressure from loved ones if the law was relaxed. In an emotional speech, the former chairman of the Disability Rights Commission said the change proposed by former Cabinet member Lord Falconer would have given the 'green light' to 'state sanctioned assisted dying'. Months to Live Sisters Face Death with Dignity and Reverence
Jul 13, 2009 (New York Times) Gravely ill with heart disease, tethered to an oxygen tank, her feet swollen and her appetite gone, Sister Dorothy Quinn, 87, readied herself to die in the nursing wing of the Sisters of St. Joseph convent where she has been a member since she was a teenager. She was surrounded by friends and colleagues of nearly seven decades. Some had been with her in college, others fellow teachers in Alabama at the time of the Selma march, more from her years as a home health aide and spiritual counselor to elderly shut-ins. Suicide Clinic Challenged over Patients Who Could Have Lived 'for Decades'
Jun 22, 2009 (Guardian.co.uk) Senior doctors will tomorow express concern over the number of Britons suffering from non fatal illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis and kidney disease who have used the Swiss suicide service, Dignitas. Their fears were raised after the Guardian obtained a list drawn up by Dignitas which reveals the medical conditions which have driven 114 Britons to end their lives at the clinic. The document shows that while many had terminal illnesses such as cancer and motor neurone disease, others had non-fatal conditions which doctors say some people can live with for decades. Why Assisted Suicide has No Place in the U.K.
Jun 22, 2009 (Guardian.co.uk) If all patients had access to high quality palliative care there would be no case for assisted suicide, says Steve Field. I do not believe that assisted suicide has a place in the UK. My argument is not based on a religious belief in the sanctity of life but on a strong belief in the ethical basis of medicine, which is my vocation. Hippocrates stated in his oath, "I will not administer poison to anyone where asked," and, "Be of benefit, or at least do no harm." I believe that those words are as true today as in ancient times. If we doctors take on the additional role of taking life, while at the same time treating the patient and protecting their life, it would undermine our credibility, undermine the trust between the patient and doctor and adversely affect the doctor-patient relationship. Religious Cancer Patients Want More Aggressive End-of-Life Care
Jun 11, 2009 (Oncology Nursing News) Patients in the advanced stages of cancer who used prayer, meditation, religious study, or other faith-based coping techniques were more likely to receive intensive life-prolonging medical care, says a team of researchers. Andrea C. Phelps, MD, of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and colleagues sought to examine the relationship between religious coping and the use of intensive medical care during a person's last week of life. They began their study by interviewing and administering questionnaires to 345 patients with advanced cancer. The questions addressed psychosocial and religious/ spiritual measures, advance-care planning, and end-of-life treatment preferences. Patients lived a median of 122 days after this assessment. Tragic Metamorphosis: Ethical Debates Turn Personal for U. Prof
Jun 01, 2009 (The Salt Lake Tribune) The moment Brooke Hopkins' heart stopped beating, Peggy Battin found herself in a scene whose ending she had written time and again. Doctors, nurses and aides swarmed Hopkins' hospital bed, urgently working to save his life. Battin watched in horror as his eyes rolled back and his face grew ashen. A burly aide screamed at her to get out, but she didn't budge. She couldn't leave her husband of more than 20 years. Not now. Not ever. "Oh, my God," she thought. "This could be it." It was a time of decision and pain that Battin had described often through decades of studying the issue of death. Beginning in the 1970s, she was a pioneer in the field of medical ethics, specializing in end-of-life questions. Video Can Help Seniors Make End-of-Life Decisions
May 29, 2009 (CTV.ca) A new study suggests that elderly patients are able to make more informed decisions about their "end-of-life" care after viewing a video showing a patient with advanced dementia. The researchers believe that providing seniors with actual visual images of what life with dementia is like helps them to understand complex health information and to think about how they would want to be cared for in their final days. Terminally Ill Patients Delay Talk of Hospice
May 26, 2009 (Boston Globe) Americans tend to procrastinate when it comes to matters involving death and dying, but a Harvard Medical School study published yesterday finds that even many terminally ill patients and their doctors put off conversations about end-of-life choices. The study, one of the largest to date on the issue, found that only about half of the 1,517 patients with metastasized lung cancer who were surveyed had discussed hospice care with their physician or healthcare provider within four to seven months of their diagnosis. Registry to Aid Paramedics in Deciding Care for Frail Patients
May 17, 2009 (Corvallis Gazette-Times) Oregon is setting up a registry that will allow emergency medical workers to make a phone call to determine what life-saving steps older or medically fragile patients want. Frail older Oregon residents or anyone with a life-threatening condition already can fill out a form describing how much care they wish to receive if they are stricken and unable to express their wishes. Critics Try to Undo Futile Care Law
May 11, 2009 (Houston Chronicle) Those who want to extend the time some hospital patients may live
before their life support is cut off are worried their proposal is
running into a wall — and the clock — at the Capitol. Hope Turns to Heartbreak as Baby's Transplant Put on Hold
Apr 09, 2009 (Globe and Mail) The enduring life of Kaylee Wallace unleashed a torrent of emotion yesterday as her father vowed to continue his fight to donate the dying two-month-old's heart. A transplant attempt meant to save the life of a second girl failed last night after Kaylee, who has a rare condition that causes her organs to shut down in sleep, stayed awake when taken off life support. Baby in Right-to-life Battle Dies
Mar 22, 2009 (BBC News) The nine-month-old, known as "Baby OT", had a rare metabolic disorder and had brain damage and respiratory failure. His parents had appealed against a ruling at London's High Court
that it was in the boy's best interests to withdraw "life-sustaining
treatment".
Study: Hospice Patients Feel Abandoned by Doctors
Mar 11, 2009 (USA Today) Doctors spend years learning how to heal, but most are fairly ignorant
about how to act toward patients when they run out of treatments,
suggests a study today. Blacks, Hispanics have Steeper End-of-life Costs
Mar 10, 2009 (Washington Post) Striking new research shows dying blacks and Hispanics have much
steeper treatment costs than whites, sobering evidence that racial
health-care differences continue right up until death.
Doctor Approved Suicide Requests
Mar 09, 2009 (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Of the 200 applications for death, Dr. Lawrence Egbert approved them all. As medical director and co-founder of the Georgia-based Final Exit
Network, Egbert in the past four years approved the applications of
people who wanted to die because they were diagnosed with terminal
cancer. Sixty Oregonians Ended Their Lives Under Death With Dignity Act in 2008
Mar 04, 2009 (The Oregonian) Sixty Oregonians ended their lives last year by taking a lethal drug
dose prescribed under the Death With Dignity Act, state officials
reported Tuesday. Most County Hospitals Will Bar Assisted Suicide
Mar 02, 2009 (Everett Herald (Washington)) When Washington state's Death with Dignity law
is enacted this week, experts say people who think they may want to
take advantage of it should decide now who their health care provider
will be. Assisted Suicide Case Revives Right-to-die Debate
Feb 27, 2009 (Associated Press) The case against an alleged assisted suicide ring known as the Final
Exit Network has revived a long-simmering debate about the right to die. Italy Seeks Clarity on Euthanasia
Feb 10, 2009 (BBC News) Italy's politicians have said they will create new right-to-die
laws, as the country absorbs the death of a woman whose case became a
cause celebre. Researchers Note Decisions Made by Surrogates are Vital for Advancements in Treatment of Dementia
Jan 15, 2009 (Media Newswire) By the time they have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, many
patients’ decision-making ability is so impaired that they cannot give
informed consent to participate in research studies. Close
family members are left with the decision, but there is no clear policy
for this so-called “surrogate” consent. Because of that, research about
the increasingly common disease is often stalled. Defective Directives? Struggling with End-of-Life Care
Jan 05, 2009 (American Medical News) Making health care decisions for patients who cannot is emotionally
wrenching for families and poses an ethical dilemma for physicians. In
a medical system that puts a premium on individual autonomy, what is to
be done when patients lose the capacity to decide on care? Family Needs to Know When Patient Survival Is Uncertain
Dec 29, 2008 (Washington Post) The vast majority of families of critically ill patients want doctors
to frankly discuss the patient's prognosis even if it is uncertain, a
new study finds.
TV Broadcast of an Assisted Suicide Intensifies a Contentious Debate in Britain
Dec 11, 2008 (New York Times) Almost completely incapacitated by motor neuron disease, 59-year-old
Craig Ewert looked at an interviewer and laid out his options, as he
saw them. “If I go through with it, I have death,” Mr. Ewert said. “If I don’t go
through with it, my choice is essentially to suffer and to inflict
suffering on my family, and then die.” Woman Gets 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattooed on Chest
Dec 11, 2008 (3 News (New Zealand))
A 79-year-old Dunedin woman is making sure medical staff get the message by getting a bold tattoo on her chest. In the event of a stroke or heart attack those trying to help will be met with the words "do not resuscitate."
Seniors Tend to Stick With End-of-Life Care Preferences
Oct 28, 2008 (Washington Post) Regardless of declines in either mental or physical health, most senior
citizens do not change their outlook on how they want their end-of-life
care to be when the time comes, new research suggests.
Legal Basis Urged for End-of-life Treatment
Oct 15, 2008 (Irish Times) End-of-life treatment involves ethical dilemmas and different
healthcare professionals may take different approaches, according to
Prof David Smith of the Irish Council for Bioethics. National Scorecard Ranks Palliative Care Across Country
Oct 02, 2008 (Washington Post) There's a new medical specialty called palliative care, and it's become
widespread enough to warrant a new state-by-state report card on its
availability and quality. Nursing Home Report Finds 90% Cited for Violations
Sep 29, 2008 (Bloomberg) More than 90 percent of U.S. nursing
homes in each of the past three years were cited for violating
federal standards, according to a government report. Study Finds Few Pain Doctors Face Criminal Prosecutions
Sep 20, 2008 (New York Times) A new study has found that doctors are rarely criminally prosecuted or
sanctioned in connection with the prescribing of narcotic painkillers. Ethicists look to M.D.s on "death"
Sep 02, 2008 (Denver Post) The end of life is getting complicated for terminal patients, their families and doctors.
Is There Ever a Good Time to Lie?
Aug 24, 2008 (Chicago Tribune) You learn that your aunt, your mother's sister, has just been diagnosed
with an advanced cancer. Your aunt, who lives far from you and from
your mother, is sedated in a hospital. Should you tell your ailing
mother right away? A Bill for Patients
Aug 21, 2008 (Los Angeles Times) In the course of treating a patient, there may come a point when the
physician says, "I've done all I can. It's out of my hands." The
patient may then ask about end-of-life options -- not life-ending
options, but end-of-life options, such as palliative care focused on
making the patient as comfortable as possible during the final illness.
Rivera cousin granted temporary conservatorship
Jul 30, 2008 (Fresno Bee) The cousin of Janet Rivera, a comatose Sanger woman, was granted
temporary conservatorship of Rivera this morning, which means she will
be kept on life support for now. Family of comatose woman revives Schiavo debate
Jul 28, 2008 (Chicago Tribune) Three years after the fight over Terri Schiavo pulled the nation into
the end-of-life debate, the case of a comatose Fresno County woman is
reopening old wounds — and could prove even more inflammatory. Affordable cremations are gaining popularity
Jul 20, 2008 (Arizona Daily Star) Burial or cremation — Tucsonan Benjamin Laguna never expressed a preference to his family. When he died recently, his children sat down and discussed what
should be done. As in many families, the decision was based on what
would bring them the most solace and what was most financially feasible. Study: doctors often don't tell patients the end is near
Jun 15, 2008 (AP) A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference reports that only about a third of terminally ill cancer patients had discussions with their doctors about end-of-life care. Everyone dies, but not necessarily the same way
Jun 01, 2008 (New York Times) An analysis of hospital rankings reveals that end-of-life care in New York City varies greatly between patients in elite private hospitals and those in municipal hospitals. Slow medicine
May 06, 2008 (New York Times) The "slow medicine" movement aims to take a less aggressive approach to medical care at the end of life. It emphasizes comfort over care. And it might also be cheaper. Study: use of euthanasia falling in the Netherlands
Mar 21, 2008 (Reuters) The study, published in BMJ, reports that the use of deep sedation until death is increasing there.
Could antibiotics be considered futile care in some cases?
Feb 26, 2008 (AP) The authors of a study of antibiotic use in nursing homes report that the drugs are being overused and should possibly be withheld from patients with advanced dementia. They say the use of antibiotics in these kinds of situations is a danger to public health because of the potential for the germs developing resistance.
Georgia case tests physicians' power to stop life support
Feb 10, 2008 (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) According to current Georgia law, the power to stop care for a patient considered to be brain-dead sits not with the family, but with doctors.
Lawsuit prompts "existential" questions about death and bodies
Jan 28, 2008 (Washington Post) A class action suit in Ohio argues that a deceased person's next of kin should make all decisions regarding the disposition of that person's body parts. The suit stems from a case in which a coroner disposed of a deceased man's brain without the knowledge of the family.
NJ to look at end-of-life care
Jan 15, 2008 (NJ Star Ledger) Medical officials from around the state will meet next month to discuss ways of improving pain management and reducing futile treatment.
Longer lives equal lost money
Nov 27, 2007 (NYT) Patients who are living longer than expected are leading to financial losses for some hospice providers as they exceed federal reimbursement limits. The feds say the problem might be one of mismanagement, but the hospice industry contends that it stems in part from more non-cancer patients being referred to hospice care.
Patients Prefer Simpler To Complex Forns
Nov 02, 2007 (UCSF Today) Inspired by her time on an ethics committee, a UCSF researcher designed a simplified advanced directive form, and now new research shows patients prefer the redesigned form, written at a fifth grade reading level and illustrated with basic drawings.
Death Special: The Plan for Eternal Life
Oct 15, 2007 (New Scientist (Premium)) Transhumanists aim to get rid of death altogether. Find out what sort of future they have in mind. Vital Signs
Oct 11, 2007 (New Scientist (Premium)) Advances in diagnostics and medicine are yet again changing our
definition of death - and may eventually break down the concept
altogether. Poorer Nations Seek Help on Pain Relief
Oct 07, 2007 (BBC)
Nearly 400 concerts are to be held around the world to raise awareness of the need for affordable pain relief. Care of Dying is Outlined by WHO
Oct 06, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Saying that "everyone has the right to be treated, and die, with dignity," the World Health Organization yesterday issued its first guide to planning end-of-life care. Fewer Blacks Receive End-of-Life Hospice Care
Oct 05, 2007 (Reuters) African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive end-of-life
care from a hospice program, particularly for diseases other than
cancer, a new study suggests. Scrutiny for Insurers of the Aged
Oct 03, 2007 (N.Y. Times) The top-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee has asked 11
long-term care insurance companies to explain "troubling data"
regarding how policyholders' claims are handled and paid. Assisted Suicide Fears Unfounded
Sep 27, 2007 (BBC)
Concerns that legalized assisted death would be used to kill vulnerable people have not played out, a new study shows. More Profit and Less Nursing at Many Homes
Sep 23, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Insulated from lawsuits by their corporate structures, private
investors in nursing homes have cut expenses and staff, sometimes below
minimum requirements. A Grass-Roots Effort to Grow Old at Home
Aug 15, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Groups want to make neighborhoods comfortable places for elderly people not interested in assisted living. Zen and the Art of Coping With Alzheimer's
Aug 14, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Sometimes, when there’s no cure, it’s best to just go with the flow as a loved one becomes more confused. Alzheimer's Care Classes Help, But Few Have Time
Aug 13, 2007 (Associated Press) Offering simple training to people struggling to care for loved ones
with Alzheimer’s disease not only eases their burden — it even can keep
patients out of nursing homes for an extra 1.5 years. Doctor Won't Be Tried in Katrina Patient Deaths
Jul 24, 2007 (Associated Press) A grand jury Tuesday declined to indict Dr. Anna Pou, the surgeon accused of killing four seriously ill patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Few Minorities Use Hospice Care Services
Jul 16, 2007 (Associated Press) Blacks seek hospice care in disproportionately smaller numbers than
whites partly because of cost, health insurance and cultural factors,
including a sense of being denied medical care on the basis of race. GMC Clears Doctor Who Hastened Babies' Deaths
Jul 12, 2007 (Guardian) A British physician who helped to hasten the deaths of two dying premature babies was cleared of misconduct by the General Medical Council. A New Focus on Easing the Pain
Jul 03, 2007 (Washington Post) One-third of U.S. hospitals now offer palliative care, which adapts aspects of the hospice philosophy without requiring patients to forgo curative care or to have a life expectancy of six months or less.
So They Don't Die Alone
Jun 04, 2007 (L.A. Times) Some dying patients have neither friends nor family. Increasingly, volunteers are filling in. New York Prison Creates Dementia Unit
Jun 03, 2007 (Associated Press) Prisons have been dealing with the special needs of older prisoners for years, but the New York state prison in Fishkill is considered unique because it specializes in dementia-related conditions. Released Activist Says He Will Obey Law but Try to Change
Jun 02, 2007 (Washington Post) Jack Kevorkian, who left prison Friday after serving an eight-year sentence for injecting lethal drugs into Thomas Youk, still believes people have the right to die has promised never to help in another suicide. Americans Still Split on Doctor-Assisted Suicide
May 29, 2007 (Associated Press) More than two-thirds of Americans believe there are circumstances in which a patient should be allowed to die, but they are closely divided on whether it should be legal for a doctor to help. Kevorkian's Release Could Renew Debate
May 27, 2007 (Seattle Times) For nearly a decade, Dr. Jack Kevorkian waged a defiant campaign to help other people kill themselves. His release from prison could spur another round of efforts, if only to prevent anyone else from following his example. Physician-Aided Death Decreases after It's Legalized in Holland
May 10, 2007 (MedPageToday) Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide decreased here after these practices were legalized in 2002, researchers report. The Right to Choose Death
May 08, 2007 (Independent) In protest at what they see as Britain's outdated euthanasia laws,
patients from the UK are flocking in record numbersto the Dignitas clinic in Zurich
where they are promised a dignified death. States Lag in Hospice Oversight
Apr 25, 2007 (Associated Press) A significant number of Medicare hospice programs were not checked by
state inspectors for nine years and were long overdue for
certification, according to a newly-released federal report. The Sematics of Suicide Aid in Dying
Apr 20, 2007 (L.A. Weekly) The right-to-die movement refuses to die. In California, another initiative - AB 374 - is currently working its way through the state Assembly, the third such bill in as many years and the fifth since 1992. Bed Sores Aren't Always a Sign of Negligent Care
Apr 09, 2007 (Boston Globe) Until recently, most experts believed that bed sores were an unambiguous indicator of bad care. The sentiment was so strong that numerous nursing homes paid large
legal settlements to families of patients who developed the sores. Living With Alzheimer’s Before a Window Closes
Mar 29, 2007 (N.Y. Times) The early stages of Alzheimer’s disease offer a short period of time to reason, communicate and go about regular life. Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers
Mar 26, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Many long-term-care policyholders say that years of premiums have resulted in only excuses about why insurers will not pay. Coping with Aging Parents' Decisions — Even When They Seem Wrong
Mar 19, 2007 (Seattle Times) Watching an older parent disintegrate — living in unsafe conditions, giving money away, becoming isolated and depressed — is among the most difficult stresses experienced by adult children today. Euthanasia Doctor Avoids Prison
Mar 16, 2007 (BBC) A French doctor gets a one-year suspended jail term for poisoning a terminally ill cancer patient. Euthanasia Debate Reignites in French Court
Mar 14, 2007 (New Scientist) A doctor and nurse have gone on trial for poisoning a terminally ill cancer patient in southern France, reigniting the euthanasia debate. A Place to Turn When a Newborn Is Fated to Die
Mar 13, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Families whose babies suffer from fatal conditions are turning to specialized hospice programs for help. Tough Question to Answer, Tough Answer to Hear
Mar 06, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Predicting how long a patient has to live is one of the most challenging tasks a doctor faces. New Options (and Risks) in Home Care for Elderly
Mar 01, 2007 (N.Y. Times) The growing need for long-term care is remaking the home care industry, driving more of it underground. An End's Beginning
Feb 12, 2007 (Boston Globe) More than half of all elderly hospitalized patients suffer severe
confusion. Many ultimately decline into dementia. Are there common
triggers to both? Terminally Ill British Woman Seeks Right to Die
Feb 12, 2007 (Guardian) A terminally ill woman is arguing in a UK court that the decision by her healthcare providers to deny her
medication that could lead to her death is a breach of her human rights.
A Chance to Pick Hospice, and Still Hope to Live
Feb 10, 2007 (N.Y. Times) New hospice programs give patients medical comfort while allowing for sophisticated medical treatments. There Is Life After Hospice, and Even Golf in Florida for Some
Feb 10, 2007 (N.Y. Times) Some people find that supportive hospice care may actually lengthen
their lives, and that the doctors’ predictions of imminent demise may
simply be wrong. Mentally Ill in Switzerland Could Win Right to Die
Feb 03, 2007 (Associated Press) A ruling by Switzerland’s highest court released Friday has opened up
the possibility that people with serious mental illnesses could be
helped by doctors to take their own lives. A Mother's Gentle Honesty in the Face of Death
Jan 29, 2007 (Associated Press) One family prepares its young children to cope with a future without Mom.
Four Out of Five Brits Favor Euthanasia
Jan 24, 2007 (Guardian) Four out of five people in Britain believe the law should allow a
doctor to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is in pain if
they wish to die. Study: Elderly Shouldn't Receive HGH Treatment
Jan 16, 2007 (Chicago Tribune)
Human growth hormone injections do not increase life span or fitness,
and they have many potential adverse effects, including joint swelling
and pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and a tendency toward diabetes, a new study reports.
Catholics' ID Aims to Avert Euthanasia
Jan 14, 2007 (Guardian) British Catholics, fearing an increasing acceptance of euthanasia in Europe, are
starting to carry religious 'ID cards' that tell doctors not to withhold liquid
from them. Heroic Measures Extend Life of Surgical Pioneer and Stir Debate
Jan 07, 2007 (MedPageToday) Running counter to the 97-year old patient's expressed wishes, surgeons
here repaired a dissecting aortic aneurysm in Michael DeBakey, M.D.,
the legendary heart surgeon. The case stimulated questions about
patients' rights, end-of-life care, and costs. Dementia Program Cares for Caregivers
Dec 29, 2006 (Seattle Times) A pilot project is studying ways to help caregivers avoid burnout and,
in so doing, keep relatives with dementia out of costly care facilities
as long as possible. Italian Poet Dies With Help From a Doctor
Dec 22, 2006 (N.Y. Times) Piergiorgio Welby, who had eloquently begged Italy's
leaders to let him end his life legally, died late Wednesday after a
doctor sedated him and removed the respirator that had kept him alive
for nine years. Devices Can Interfere With Peaceful Death
Dec 17, 2006 (Washington Post) The same heart implants used to save lives can cause pain and prolong suffering for the terminally ill.
Kevorkian to Be Paroled, Vows No More Suicides
Dec 14, 2006 (CNN) After more than eight years in prison, a frail Dr. Jack Kevorkian will
be paroled in June with a promise that he won't assist in any more
suicides, a prison spokesman said Wednesday. Judge Allows Death With Dignity For Woman As 'Miracle' Drug Fails
Dec 07, 2006 (Guardian) A 53-year-old woman in a permanenet vegetative state can be allowed to die with dignity, a British high court judge ruled. Earlier, the woman was given a "miracle" drug that might have restored consciousness against the fervent wishes of her family. After Buddhist Dies, Legal Battle Continues
Dec 03, 2006 (Boston Globe) When Cho Fook Cheng was declared brain-dead, the family refused to let doctors him off life-support
system. Their belief as
Buddhists was that his beating heart meant his spirit and
consciousness was not ready to move on. Taking him off life support,
they said, would be the same as killing him Medical Due Diligence: A Living Will Should Spell Out the Specifics
Nov 29, 2006 (N.Y. Times) If you have a living will, it probably needs to be more specific: chances are you are unaware of the serious limitations inherent in
such a document and how it is likely to be interpreted by medical
personnel should a life-threatening crisis arise. Judge Rejects Right-to-Die Plea by Family
Nov 20, 2006 (Guardian) A British woman in a vegetative state is to be given a "miracle" sleeping pill
said to have caused others in her condition to "wake up" after
England's senior family court judge overruled the objections of her
family in the first case of its kind. PSA Screening Rates for Elderly Men Found Too High
Nov 15, 2006 (MedPageToday) Older men with limited life expectancies are getting screened much too
often for prostate cancer, given the potential harm that may follow a
positive test versus the likelihood of benefit. U.S. Has Too Many Flu Shots This Year
Nov 14, 2006 (Chicago SunTimes) U.S. health officials said Monday they are worried that an abundance of
unused flu vaccine this year may lead to millions of doses being thrown
out, discouraging manufacturers from making as much in the future. How to Talk to the Dying
Nov 05, 2006 (Seattle Times) Medical experts say talking about the end of our own lives — and the
lives of loved ones — could very well be our last societal taboo. Vermont Experiment Keeps Seniors at Home, Out of Nursing Homes
Nov 02, 2006 (Seattle Times) Under Vermont's Choices for Care program, Medicaid-eligible senior
citizens who need someone to tend to their needs have the choice of
being cared for at home by a family member, friend or neighbor, who
gets paid by the state. World Enough and Time for 'a Good Death'
Oct 31, 2006 (N.Y. Times) What is a “good” death? Is it really the same for everyone and what are
the consequences of different approaches to death for those left behind? Geriatrics Lags in Age of High-Tech Medicine
Oct 18, 2006 (N.Y. Times) The population is aging, but geriatrics, a relatively low-paid specialty, is of little interest to medical students. Most Doctors Help End Lives of Terminally Ill Patients, Says Study
Oct 14, 2006 (Guardian) Doctors help about two-thirds of terminally ill patients to die by
withholding treatment or giving them painkillers they know will shorten
life - but do it only when they believe death is a few days away and
after consulting patients, relatives or other doctors, according to
research. The Last Word on the Last Breath
Oct 10, 2006 (N.Y. Times) Who decides whether to resuscitate a dying patient? The doctor? The family? The law is often unclear. Kissing Hospice Goodbye
Oct 03, 2006 (Washington Post) Entering a hospice doesn't invariably mean leaving in a hearse. Every year an estimated 13 percent of Americans who enter outpatient and inpatient hospice programs around the country are discharged alive.
Dispute in India as Woman Fasts to Death
Sep 29, 2006 (BBC) A terminally ill woman in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan has died after fasting for 14 days in keeping with a religious custom. Her fast, however, led to a petition in the state's high court by critics who say the practice is akin to suicide. Depressed 'Could Get Help to Die'
Sep 20, 2006 (BBC) Assisted suicide could be offered to people who are chronically depressed rather than terminally ill, say the head of a controversial Swiss group. Britons Go to Zurich Clinic to Die
Sep 17, 2006 (Guardian) The Dignitas clinic in Zurich has seen a sharp increase in non-Swiss patients who
want to die with medical assistance. For example, 12 Britons have sought the
clinic's help since the high-profile case of Dr. Anne Turner in January. Relatives Often Wrong About Patients' Wishes
Sep 12, 2006 (Chicago Tribune) Don't assume you know what a loved one might want if he or she became incapacitated. There's a good chance you could be wrong. Race, Income, Location Play Huge Roles in American Longevity
Sep 11, 2006 (Seattle Times/AP) Where you live, combined with race and income, plays a huge role in the
nation's health disparities, differences so stark that a report issued
Monday contends it's as if there are eight separate Americas instead of
one. Life Begins at 100? Age Frontiers Change
Sep 09, 2006 (Reuters) Medical breakthroughs hold out the prospect of living longer and
healthier lives, with current life span norms set to be turned on their
head, an expert on anti-aging said on Friday. Parents Speak Out on End-of-Life Decisions for a Child
Sep 09, 2006 (MedPageToday) There is no easy way for parents to make a termination-of- care decision
for a dying child, but a recent study parents who have been there offers some
advice to physicians and nurses in the pediatric ICU. Choosing a 'God Squad,' When the Mind Has Faded
Aug 29, 2006 (N.Y. Times) New research shows that many patients on dialysis have severe mental
impairment. Is it appropriate, or even possible, to refuse to give
patients this treatment? Facilities Add Services for Memory-Loss Residents
Aug 14, 2006 (Chicago Tribune) Memory loss can lead to a change in an
elderly person's living arrangements. Forgetting to turn off the stove
or not remembering to take medication may necessitate a move for
safety's sake, but a growing number of facilities cater to those with memory loss. The Fuzzy Gray Place in the Killing Zone
Aug 13, 2006 (N.Y. Times) No one with a heart would deny painkillers
to a suffering patient whose death was near. But what if the drugs,
besides easing pain, could also hasten death — could make "near" closer
to "now"? Across the Pond, a Patient Loses Final Appeal Over Treatment
Aug 09, 2006 (Guardian) A terminally ill patient has lost his final legal appeal, to the
European court of human rights, to try to ensure that he will receive
nutrition and drink when he is close to death. Not-for-Profit Nursing Homes Better
Aug 07, 2006 (Chicago SunTimes) Not-for-profit nursing
homes generally provide better care than those operated for profit, an
analysis of state inspections for some 16,000 homes nationwide found. Some Don't Want Spouse Making Medical Decision in Health Crisis
Jul 31, 2006 (Chicago SunTimes) In their marriage vows, husbands and wives promise to stay together "in sickness and in health." But that doesn't mean they necessarily want each other to make medical decisions for them if their health fails. 3 Arrested in Hospital Deaths After Katrina
Jul 18, 2006 (N.Y. Times) A doctor and two nurses have been arrested on suspicion of
second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of patients at a
medical center in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a
spokeswoman for the Louisiana attorney general’s office said today. Hospice 'Angels of Death' Become Partners in Survival
Jul 16, 2006 (Boston Globe) Hospice care, in South Africa as around the world, has long meant helping the
desperately ill manage their pain and find a good death. But,
increasingly, hospice workers in places like Mamelodi, where access to antiretroviral drugs is giving patients a second chance, have become
escorts back into life. Kevorkian Says He Wouldn't Choose Suicide
Jul 13, 2006 (Associated Press) Jack Kevorkian, whose failing health may deny him a chance to be
paroled, said he still believes in assisted suicide but would not
choose it for himself. Facility Getting Baby on Life Support
Jul 02, 2006 (Associated Press) After a hospital's ethics board ruled that it would be futile to keep
an 11-month-old on life support, another facility is now expected to
take the boy. BMA Votes to Reverse Policy on Euthanasia
Jun 30, 2006 (Independent) The British Medical Association has voted to reinstate its policy of
outright opposition to euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide, just a
year after adopting a neutral stance on the issue. U.S. Muslims Confront Taboo on Nursing Homes
Jun 13, 2006 (N.Y. Times) Many Muslim families are trying to reconcile Islamic teachings on caring for elders with the modern realities. 'Legalise Euthanasia' Says Expert
Jun 08, 2006 (BBC) A former professor of medical ethics has called for all forms of euthanasia to be legalized in the United Kingdom. Keeping Nursing Home Residents with Pneumonia out of the Hospital
Jun 07, 2006 (MedPageToday) A more intensive program of treating pneumonia in nursing home residents can keep many of them out of the hospital. Sleeping Pill Wakes Men in Vegetative State?
May 23, 2006 (Guardian) A drug commonly used as a sleeping pill appears to have had a
miraculous effect on brain-damaged patients who have been in a
permanent vegetative state for years, arousing them to the point where
some are able to speak to their families, scientists report today. Grief.com
May 21, 2006 (Independent) Helen Spedding is grieving. But she has found a new way to keep alive
the memory of her son Tim: she is
among a growing number of people who are mourning on internet memorial
sites. For the Families of the Dying, Coaching as the Hours Wane
May 20, 2006 (N.Y. Times) Inspired by research on the end of life, hospices are broadening their range of therapeutic services. 'A Good Death'
May 16, 2006 (Boston Globe) After a 40-year virtual ban on research involving psychedelic drugs, scientists look anew at their potential for treating pain and anxiety in terminally-ill patients.
Less Health Care Can Be Better for Elderly
May 16, 2006 (Associated Press) There is no indication that patients in the states with the highest
Medicare spending are better off than those in states with the lowest spending.
In fact, the reverse seems to be true, according to researchers at
Dartmouth Medical School. British House of Lords Blocks Assisted Suicide Bill
May 13, 2006 (London Times) A controversial Bill which would have given terminally
ill patients the right to end their lives was dispatched by the British House of Lords, They voted 148 to 100 to delay
the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill’s second reading for six
months.
British Parliament to Debate Assisted Suicide
May 12, 2006 (Guardian) Supporters of legislation to legalize assisted suicide for terminally
ill patients are set to clash with senior doctors and religious leaders
in the British House of Lords today. Washington EMTs Are Listening to Patients' Dying Wishes
May 10, 2006 (Seattle Times) For the first time, EMTs in King County, Washington are being given the latitude to forgo resuscitation when they judge it to be "futile, inappropriate and inhumane" — even when there is no official paperwork. The protocol, dubbed "Compelling Reasons," is the first of its kind in the country. Family-Style Mealtimes Ease Nursing Home Life
May 07, 2006 (MedPageToday) Nursing home residents who gathered for family-style meals rather than
lonely pre-plated ones benefited emotionally and physically, Dutch
researchers reported. Court Backs Experimental Drugs for Dying Patients
May 03, 2006 (Washington Post) Terminally ill patients have a constitutional right to obtain
experimental drugs before the Food and Drug Administration has decided
whether to approve them, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday. End-of-Life Treatment Decisions Evolve Over Time
Apr 24, 2006 (MedPageToday) Chronically ill older adults may be increasingly willing to live with treatment-induced physical disabilities, but not cognitive disability or pain, researchers reported. Keeping Track of Dad
Apr 10, 2006 (Chicago Tribune) In an assisted living home on the
outskirts of Portland, a retired engineer who suffers
from Alzheimer's disease gets out of bed.
His daughter, a night owl in San Diego who monitors her dad's location,
vital signs and activities via a Web connection, sees in real
time that he has left his room and gone to the nearby kitchen. For End of Life Care, Less May Be More
Mar 28, 2006 (MedPageToday) Physicians who care for elderly patients have proposed new risk-vs-benefit guidelines for
deciding when it's appropriate to withhold or withdraw medication at
the end of life. Premature Babies are Blocking Beds, Says U.K. Medical College
Mar 27, 2006 (Telegraph) Premature babies who need months of expensive care have been accused of
"bed blocking" by one of Britain's royal medical colleges. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said that very
premature babies were taking up intensive care space that could be used
for healthier babies. As Parents Age, Baby Boomers and Business Struggle to Cope
Mar 25, 2006 (N.Y. Times) Companies are
scrambling, with varied success, to help the soaring number of baby
boomers who are caring for frail, elderly parents. Grieving Parents at Increased Suicide Risk
Mar 17, 2006 (EurekaAlert) Parents who have cared for a dying child at home may be at higher risk
of suicide after the child dies, by overdosing on the powerful
painkillers used to ease the child's condition, say two papers in this
week's British Medical Journal. British High Court Asked to Decide Fate of Baby on Ventilator
Mar 07, 2006 (Guardian) Doctors yesterday asked the British high court for permission to turn off the
ventilator keeping a 17-month-old boy alive, even though there is
evidence that he has some awareness of his surroundings. Wash. Approves Online Access to Living Wills
Mar 04, 2006 (Seattle Times) Doctors and emergency-care providers would be able to access patients'
living wills on a statewide database, under a measure approved by the
Washington State Legislature on Friday. Doctors Can Let Girl, 2, Die, Says Judge
Feb 25, 2006 (Guardian) Doctors treating a severely disabled two-year-old British girl should be
allowed to act against her parents' wishes and let her die if they feel
it is best for her, a high court judge has ruled. Turmoil in Life's Final Chapter
Feb 14, 2006 (L.A. Times) Perhaps the cruelest paradox of dementia - both for sufferers and their
caregivers - is that memory loss is the least horrible of its symptoms. Assisted-Suicide Ruling May Affect Painkiller Cases
Jan 22, 2006 (Washington Post) Doctors who specialize in pain management and their advocates are
hoping that last week's Supreme Court decision upholding Oregon's
assisted-suicide law will boost their efforts to defend colleagues
accused by the government of illegally prescribing narcotic painkillers
to their patients. Will Congress Take Action On Assisted Suicide?
Jan 18, 2006 (MSNBC) Will Congress react to the court’s ruling by passing a law to give the Bush administration the power to stop assisted suicide? No member of Congress has yet announced legislation to counter the ruling,
but lawyers and advocates who oppose doctor-assisted suicide anticipate
legislative action soon. Text of the Supreme Court Ruling, Gonzales v. Oregon
Jan 18, 2006 (FindLaw)
End-of-Life Care Takes Forefront
Jan 18, 2006 (Chicago Tribune) Physician-assisted suicide was a hot issue in bioethics in the
mid-1990s. Today it doesn't command the same attention. Though opinions on the
topic remain deeply divided, the debate has gradually shifted to a
larger concern — the way America cares for people who are dying. Court: State Can Take Girl, 11, Off Life Support
Jan 17, 2006 (Associated Press) Massachusett’s highest court ruled Tuesday that the state can remove an
11-year-old girl from life support after she was badly beaten,
allegedly by her adoptive mother and stepfather. High Court Upholds Oregon Assisted-Suicide Law
Jan 17, 2006 (Associated Press) The Supreme Court, with Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting, upheld
Oregon’s one-of-a-kind physician-assisted suicide law Tuesday,
rejecting a Bush administration attempt to punish doctors who help
terminally ill patients die. Do the Poor Deserve Life Support?
Jan 04, 2006 (Slate) A woman who couldn't pay her bills is unplugged from her ventilator and dies. Is this wrong? Katrina Euthanasia Allegations 'Credible'
Dec 22, 2005 (CNN) More than one medical professional is under scrutiny as a possible
person of interest in an investigation into allegations that hospital
workers resorted to euthanasia in the chaotic days after Hurricane
Katrina shattered New Orleans. Swiss Hospital to Allow Assisted Suicide
Dec 19, 2005 (Associated Press) A Swiss hospital has agreed to let an assisted-suicide organization
help terminally ill patients take their own lives on its premises. Retaliation in Right-to-Die Case
Dec 09, 2005 (N.Y. Times) Michael Schiavo, whose brain-damaged wife, Terri, was at the center of
a right-to-die case, is hoping to retaliate against Representative Tom
DeLay, Republican of Texas, and other politicians who tried to keep her alive. Custody and Abuse Cases Swirl Around a Troubled Girl on Life Support
Dec 06, 2005 (N.Y. Times) An end-of-life dispute is swirling around an 11-year-old girl who has been in a coma since September as a result of injuries police say were inflicted by her aunt. Illness as More Than Metaphor
Dec 04, 2005 (N.Y. Times Magazine) Susan Sontag's son recounts his mother's cancer and the doctors who
tried to cure her - a trip through the outer reaches of experimental
oncology. Cancer survivors need better follow-up care
Nov 08, 2005 (Associated Press) The nation’s 10 million cancer survivors require customized follow-up for years that too few now receive, says a major study that calls for oncologists to create a “survivorship plan” to guide every patient’s future health care. New Orleans hospital staff discussed mercy killings
Oct 13, 2005 (CNN.com) Three days after Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, clinicians at
the city's Memorial Medical Center repeatedly discussed
euthanizing patients they thought might not survive the ordeal. The
Louisiana attorney general's office is investigating these allegations
and has requested that autopsies be
performed on all 45 bodies taken from the hospital after the storm. U.S. Supreme Court Seems Closely Divided on Suicide Law
Oct 12, 2005 (Reuters) The U.S. Supreme Court seemed closely split on Wednesday on whether the Bush administration can stop Oregon doctors from helping terminally ill patients take their own lives under the nation's only physician-assisted suicide law. Top court returns to physician-assisted suicide
Oct 05, 2005 (Associated Press) In the first significant case before the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Bush administration on Wednesday pressed to block doctors from helping terminally ill patients end their lives, arguing that Oregon’s law allowing physician-assisted suicide violates federal drug laws. As America ages, a caregiver shortage could become a crisis
Oct 03, 2005 (San Jose Mercury News) The blessings of greater longevity are
bringing profound new social challenges, several of them highlighted in
"Taking Care: Ethical Caregiving in Our Aging Society,'' a report
issued Thursday by the President's Council on Bioethics. Dutch to set guidelines for euthanasia of babies
Sep 29, 2005 (Associated Press) The Dutch government intends to expand its current euthanasia policy,
setting guidelines for when doctors may end the lives of terminally ill
newborns with the parents’ consent. Patients Put Down
Sep 12, 2005 (Daily Telegraph) Doctors working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leave them to die in agony as they evacuated. Doctors May Be Helping Sick Kids Die
Sep 05, 2005 (Associated Press) Researchers in the Netherlands, the first country to legalize
euthanasia for terminally ill people, have found that doctors are
helping hasten the deaths of sick children in a variety of ways,
sometimes at the edges of what the law allows. Euthanasia regularly practiced in Colombia
Jul 31, 2005 (AP) Dr. Gustavo Alfonso Quintana felt helpless as cancer spread through his
patient, leaving him disfigured, virtually blind and in excruciating
pain. Doctors to debate euthanasia law
Jun 28, 2005 (BBC News) Doctors will debate whether the law should be relaxed to allow terminally ill patients the right to die. Many Still Seek One Final Say on Ending Life
Jun 20, 2005 (New York Times) Interest in living wills - the documents that let people specify what medical measures they want or do not want at the end of life - has surged in the aftermath of the fierce nationwide battle over the fate of Terri Schiavo, lawyers and other experts on all sides of the issue say. Marijuana ruling may echo in assisted suicide
Jun 08, 2005 (Statesman Journal) Oregon state lawyers could find a U.S. Supreme Court less friendly to states and more deferential to the federal government when they argue that the Justice Department exceeded its authority in trying to override the state's physician-assisted-suicide law. British man adds new wrinkle in end-of-life debate
May 31, 2005 (Los Angeles Times) Leslie Burke does not want to spend the rest of his life imagining a
slow, painful end. He can picture it: lying still, unable to
communicate but conscious every second as his doctors let him die. British Medical Council Appeals Right-to-Life Ruling
May 17, 2005 (Bloomberg) Britain's General Medical Council appealed a court ruling blocking the withdrawal of food and drink from a man with a degenerative brain disease, arguing the judgment may force doctors to use harmful or unnecessary treatments on other patients. Doctors warn over right-to-life
May 17, 2005 (BBC News) A judge's ruling on the rights of terminally-ill patients could put doctors in an "impossibly difficult" position, the GMC has told a court. Many Dutch Doctors Support Euthanasia for Terminally Ill Kids
May 13, 2005 (Forbes) A child is suffering terribly from incurable cancer, and both he and his parents request a lethal injection of drugs to put an end to his pain. Experts Dispute Remark That Living Wills Save Money
May 06, 2005 (Washington Post) Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said this week that encouraging senior citizens to write living wills could dramatically reduce Medicare's skyrocketing health care costs. Nurses urge rethink on euthanasia
May 02, 2005 (BBC News) The Royal College of Nursing heard arguments in favour of terminally-ill patients having the right to decide when and how to end their lives. Dutch Euthanasia Doctor Admits to Killing 4 Newborns With Lethal Injections
Apr 28, 2005 (LifeSite) The UK news magazine, the Evening Standard, reports an extraordinary confession today by a Dutch doctor who admits to having euthanized disabled newborns. Rise in reports of euthanasia
Apr 25, 2005 (Expatica) The number of reported cases of euthanasia has risen for the first time since special review boards were established five years ago. France Lets Terminally Ill Refuse Care, but Still Bans Euthanasia
Apr 14, 2005 (New York Times) In a quiet coda to the dramatic mercy killing of a severely disabled man in 2003, French legislators approved a law on Wednesday that would permit terminally ill patients to refuse treatment in favor of death, but stopped short of legalizing euthanasia. France Approves Euthanasia Law Allowing Refusal of
Apr 13, 2005 (Lifenew) A new law in France comes just short of allowing euthanasia. The French Parliament approved a new law allowing patients to refuse lifesaving medical treatment, though it doesn't allow doctors to engage in so-called "mercy killing." Death with dignity debate started with Karen Quinlan
Apr 06, 2005 (SF Chronicle) The image shows brunet hair cascading around her eyes. The eyes. That's what made her seem alive -- so very alive. In reality, she was near death in a hospital bed, but that didn't matter in the furious public discourse over whether to end her medical treatment. Schiavo's Case May Reshape American Law
Apr 01, 2005 (New York Times) The life and death of Terri Schiavo - intensely public, highly polarizing and played out around the clock on the Internet and television- has become a touchstone in American culture. Rarely have the forces of politics, religion and medicine collided so spectacularly, and with such potential for lasting effect. Terri Schiavo, 41, Dies in Fla. Hospice
Mar 31, 2005 (Washington Post) Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose condition ignited a protracted legal struggle, died today at a Florida hospice, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed under a court order. Pope's words his own "living will"?
Mar 30, 2005 (Seattle Times) A year ago, Pope John Paul II turned Catholic teaching on its head when he declared that it was a moral obligation to provide food and water indefinitely, even to patients in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery. In Vermont, a Bid to Legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide
Mar 30, 2005 (New York Times) The next showdown over physician-assisted suicide could be in Vermont, where a group of citizens has begun an effort to pass a bill patterned on Oregon's seven-year-old law allowing doctors to prescribe suicide drugs for terminally ill patients who request them. World divided on ethics of Terri Schiavo case
Mar 28, 2005 (CS Monitor) Every country in the world with the technology - and willingness - to keep such patients alive has had its Terri Schiavo. Almost every one has dealt differently with the dilemmas the drama raised. Oregon sees fewer numbers of physician-assisted suicides
Mar 28, 2005 (AMN) Fewer lethal prescriptions were written in Oregon last year than in 2003, and fewer people took them under the auspices of the state's Death With Dignity Act, which allows physician-assisted suicide. But what has opponents of the law most concerned is the lower number of people receiving psychiatric treatment before receiving their prescriptions. Vatican focuses debate over the end of life
Mar 25, 2005 (Boston Globe) As Christians today commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross, theologians here say the confluence of the legal drama surrounding Terri Schiavo and the deteriorating health of Pope John Paul II shows how the suffering of Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago can also inform the modern debate on the end of life. Supreme Court Rejects Request to Reinsert Feeding Tube
Mar 24, 2005 (New York Times) The Supreme Court today turned down a request by Terri Schiavo's parents for an emergency order to restore the Florida woman's feeding tube. Appeals Court Refuses to Order Schiavo's Feeding Reinstated
Mar 23, 2005 (New York Times) A federal appeals court panel in Atlanta refused early today to order that the feeding tube of the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo be reinserted, saying her parents had "failed to demonstrate a substantial case on the merits of any of their claims." Schiavo's Parents' Appeal Rejected
Mar 23, 2005 (Washignton Post) A federal appeals court early Wednesday morning denied a request to resume feeding a brain-damaged Florida woman, but her parents vowed to quickly seek relief from the Supreme Court in their efforts to keep their daughter alive. Medical, Ethical Questions Largely Decided, Experts Say
Mar 23, 2005 (Washington Post) For all the political controversy over whether Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state and should be allowed to die, neurologists and ethicists said yesterday that the case presents few scientific and legal ambiguities.
Judge Refuses to Intervene on Schiavo Case
Mar 22, 2005 (Washington Post) A federal judge in Tampa early this morning denied a request from the parents of Terri Schiavo to reinsert a feeding tube into the brain damaged woman. Federal Judge Denies Request to Reinsert Schiavo's Feeding Tube
Mar 22, 2005 (New York Times) A federal judge here today refused to order the reinsertion of a feeding tube for the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, denying an emergency request from the woman's parents and despite the intervention of Congress and President Bush in the case, The Associated Press reported. Federal Court Hears Schiavo Case
Mar 21, 2005 (Washington Post) A dispute over the fate of a brain-damaged Florida woman moved into federal court today after President Bush signed into law a bill, approved after midnight, that transfers jurisdiction in the case away from state courts. Congress Passes and Bush Signs Legislation on Schiavo Case
Mar 21, 2005 (New York Times) The House gave final Congressional approval early today to legislation that would allow a federal court to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, and the measure was signed quickly at the White House by President Bush, who flew back to Washington from his Texas ranch on Sunday. The Medical Becomes Political for Congress
Mar 18, 2005 (New York Times) The fevered Congressional intervention in a single individual's health crisis is being driven in significant part by powerful political forces that have converged at the bedside of Terri Schiavo. How to solve end-of-life treatment rows
Mar 17, 2005 (Washington Times) Pennsylvania and Washington doctors have proposed a five-step method for resolving family conflicts over end-of-life treatment issues. In Schiavo Feeding-Tube Case, Notoriety Finds Unlikely Judge
Mar 17, 2005 (New York Times) For most of his career, Judge George W. Greer presided over mundane local disputes that drew little notice outside Pinellas County or even his courtroom. People who know him say he considers himself a "compassionate conservative," a man whose religious faith is as dear to him as his reputation as a legal scholar. End-of-life bills reveal divide over how far law should go
Mar 16, 2005 (St. Petersberg Times) After Baxley fended off attempts in the House Tuesday to alter his bill that could block the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, he watched silently as a key Senate panel made major changes to the legislation. Assisted suicide declines in Oregon in 2004, report says
Mar 15, 2005 (AP) The number of terminally ill patients who killed themselves under Oregon's unique assisted suicide law decreased in 2004, health officials said Thursday. Study: End-Of-Life Care Often Begun Too Late
Mar 03, 2005 (Reuters) End-of-life care intended to make the terminally ill more comfortable often begins too late to be of much benefit to patients and their families, a survey of Japanese families suggests. Right to stay alive: Who decides?
Feb 28, 2005 (Christian Science Monitor) Terri Schiavo passed her 15th year last Friday in what doctors call an awake but unthinking state, unaware of the latest melodrama swirling around her hospital bed in Pinellas Park, Fla. Judge Orders Florida Woman's Feeding Tube Removed
Feb 25, 2005 (Reuters) A Florida judge on Friday cleared the way for the husband of a severely brain-damaged woman to remove her feeding tube next month over the objections of her parents. Doctors fight mom to end son's life
Feb 24, 2005 (Detroit Free Press) For nearly six months, Sun Hudson has been hooked up to machines. A ventilator pumps air into his lungs, and he gets nourishment through feeding tubes. Unconscious and sedated for comfort, he does not wiggle or open his eyes. Judge orders feeding for Florida woman
Feb 24, 2005 (CNN) A judge extended a stay keeping a brain-damaged Florida woman attached to a feeding tube by 48 hours Wednesday, just an hour before the order was set to expire. Judge Delays Feeding Tube Removal
Feb 23, 2005 (New York Times) A circuit court judge on Tuesday delayed removal of a brain-damaged woman's feeding tube for at least another day, allowing her parents to file more legal motions in their fight to keep her alive against her husband's wishes. Supreme Court to Consider Oregon Law on Assisted Suicides
Feb 22, 2005 (New York Times) The United States Supreme Court announced today that it would hear arguments on Oregon's law authorizing doctors to help their terminally ill patients commit suicide, the only such state law in the country. Assisted suicide in state?
Feb 22, 2005 (L.A. Daily News) After the horrifying suicide of his terminally ill mother, Oakland advertising executive Kevin Smith welcomed -- with great relief -- his cancer-stricken father's plan for doctor-assisted death. Parents Lose Bid To Keep Tube
Feb 22, 2005 (The Ledger) The parents of a severely brain-damaged Florida woman failed in an 11thhour effort Monday to halt a court order that will allow the removal of a feeding tube that has kept her alive for 15 years. Hospital tries to end patient's life support
Feb 18, 2005 (Boston Globe) Massachusetts General Hospital renewed its effort to withdraw life support from an elderly woman who has been hospitalized with Lou Gehrig's disease for more than five years, despite objections from her daughter. Justices Asked to End Oregon Death Act
Feb 16, 2005 (Legal Times) When 76-year-old Dick Farris of Portland, Ore., was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2002, he knew what was coming. Both Farris' father and two brothers had succumbed to the illness. Signs of Awareness Seen in Brain-Injured Pt.
Feb 08, 2005 (New York Times) Thousands of brain-damaged people who are treated as if they are almost completely unaware may in fact hear and register what is going on around them but be unable to respond, a new brain-imaging study suggests. The backlash over 'Million Dollar Baby'
Feb 07, 2005 (CNN) Not everyone is in Clint Eastwood's corner as his acclaimed boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" heads into the Academy Awards. Gov. Bush Loses Appeal in Fla.
Jan 28, 2005 (New York Times) The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a setback on Monday to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's efforts to keep a severely brain-damaged woman on life support despite the wishes of her husband. Dutch told of child euthanasia
Jan 24, 2005 (BBC News) Dutch doctors have reported 22 mercy killings of terminally ill babies since 1997, according to a new study. Ky. medical panel tosses ethics complaint
Jan 20, 2005 (AP) A state medical panel on Thursday threw out a grievance questioning whether Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a physician, violated professional ethics by ordering an execution. Church of England head opposes euthanasia
Jan 20, 2005 (Washington Times) The British head of the 70-million plus member worldwide Anglican Communion says his church will not soften its opposition to euthanasia. Church ends taboo on mercy killings
Jan 18, 2005 (The Guardian) The Church of England took a radical step towards backing 'mercy killing' of terminally ill patients last night after one of its leading authorities said that there was a 'strong compassionate case' for voluntary euthanasia. When the question is life or death
Jan 10, 2005 (Chicago Sun-Times) Her husband was hooked up to feeding tubes and a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Swedish Covenant Hospital. Momcilo "Mike" Kozomara had suffered extensive brain damage from a cardiac arrest. Death trumps choice
Jan 07, 2005 (SF Chronicle) WHAT IF you knew that legalizing assisted suicide meant that sick and disabled people, who don't ask to die, nonetheless would be killed? That's the central question that Sacramento lawmakers will have to address as they consider a bill to legalize assisted suicide. 'Euthanasia' rebellion defeated
Dec 14, 2004 (BBC News) The Mental Capacity Bill formalises "living wills" allowing people to say they want treatment stopped if they fall seriously ill. Hospital performs euthanasia on infants
Dec 03, 2004 (AP) A hospital in the Netherlands — the first nation to permit euthanasia — has proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns and then made a startling revelation: It already has begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives. Lawmakers approve passive euthanasia
Dec 01, 2004 (Washington Times) In a no-surprises vote, France's National Assembly overwhelmingly Tuesday endorsed legislation legalizing passive euthanasia. Death penalty, medical ethics collide in KY
Nov 22, 2004 (Boston Globe) When Governor Ernie Fletcher signed a death warrant for a convicted killer this month, he may have done more than start the clock ticking on an execution. Some say Fletcher, a doctor, may have put his medical license at risk. Euthanasia Distorts Medical Ethics, Pope Say
Nov 16, 2004 (Reuters) Pope John Paul branded euthanasia a distortion of medical ethics on Friday, saying doctors could not decide "who can live and who must die." UK doctors neutral over euthanasia
Oct 15, 2004 (BBC News) The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and Royal College of Physicians (RCP) have adopted neutral stances to the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. Denying treatment - a medical dilemma
Sep 30, 2004 (BBC News) When parents and doctors cannot agree over the treatment children should receive, it is left to the courts to decide what route to take. 'Terri's Law' struck down
Sep 24, 2004 (CNN) The unanimous court said the law that kept Terri Schiavo alive violated the separation of powers between the judicial branch and the legislative and executive branches. Inadequate End-Of-Life Care for Patient
Sep 23, 2004 (Reuters Health) While supportive care to relieve symptoms is now the standard of care at the end of life, a new study shows that a "sizeable proportion" of breast cancer patients nearing death do not have access to such treatment, also referred to as palliative care. UK euthanasia deaths 20,000 a year
Sep 20, 2004 (Scotsman) Dr Hazel Biggs, director of medical law at the University of Kent and author of Euthanasia: Death with Dignity and the Law, calculates that at least 18,000 terminally ill people a year die this way. Slippery Slope of Euthanasia for Children
Sep 07, 2004 (Zenit.org) The Netherlands' decision to allow the euthanasia of children could lead to the practice of arbitrarily deciding which youngsters will live or die, warns a leading bioethicist. In a Wife's Request at Her Husband's Deathbed
Sep 06, 2004 (New York Times) In the midst of tragedy, with her husband dying, 30-year-old Leisha Nebel-Taylor made a surprising phone call. She asked a urologist, would it be possible to retrieve and store some of her husband's sperm after his death? A Doctor's Duty, When Death Is Inevitable
Aug 10, 2004 (New York Times) A letter to a physician may not seem like a "personal health" matter unless the problem it addresses - whether doctors abandon patients who are dying - concerns you or someone you love.
Experts: Living wills often flawed
Jun 21, 2004 (Newsday) The living will, long touted as a way to prevent technology from complicating death and artificially prolonging life, has outlived its usefulness, a growing number of medical and legal experts say.
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