> Dana wrote: > Nor, in my opinion, is she being kept artificially alive at this > point. My 87-year-old great-aunt just had the very same procedure > (gastrostomy) and will be sent home to live independently, though due > to her advanced age we're planning on getting her a housekeeper and > some visiting nurses. >
:: attempts to resists bait ... :: :: takes bait :: I think we're confusing 2 issues: 1.) When a married spouse cannot speak for themselves, who should speak for them and under what circumstances? 2.) For people in a PVS in need of extreme care, who should pay? In the first case I think everyone would agree that the clear answer is the spouse. If the counter argument is, "but many are ignorant of the law" that shouldn't be acceptable, i.e., too bad. One thing that could be done to shore this up is to require that each marriage applicant sign that they'd read and understood the legal implications of marriage. Without it though, ignorance of the law is no excuse. The next question is, if the spouse is deemed the guardian, should the state be able to override those rights and, if so, when? My opinion is no since I believe in freedom and liberty which is to say that I like a weak federal government. For the second point, this is more tricky. If the spouse is unable to pay for the care should the patient become a ward of the state? If so, what rights does the spouse retain? This is a similar issue to elderly married couples that have to divorce in order to qualify for help from the state. A bit more tricky here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:150987 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
