Ian: The question is: What does the MOQ offer as a guide to making the decision as to who lives and who dies? What do you say?
I gather you prefer a government panel rather than a private insurer who is bound by contract. Does the patient's family have any say? Platt On 13 Sep 2010 at 17:13, Ian wrote: > Nice try Platt, to sneak death panel propaganda under the guise of a > serious moral question. > > Every organisation engaging in health and safety risks makes this > decision every minute of every day. Think drilling for oil in the gulf. > > As far as health care goes US & UK are identical in nature - ie mixed. > Basic minimum socialized care limited by tax budgets plus private care > limited by insurance budgets limited by personal choice and ability to > pay. The balance is different, the socialized downside is lower in the > US, but the private upside is identical. Read my lips - identical. > > Neither is imune from the difficult decision. Both have to conserve > budgets as opportunity to spend on alternatives. Only one has to hold > back funds for shareholder profit dividends. > > Now, what was the question ? > Ian > > Sent from my iPhone > > On 13 Sep 2010, at 16:35, [email protected] wrote: > > > All: > > > > In a conversation reported in the Guardian.uk scientists David > > Attenborough and > > Richard Dawkins were asked, "What is the most difficult ethical > > dilemma facing > > science today:? > > > > "DA: How far do you go to preserve individual human life? > > > > RD: That's a good one, yes. > > > > DA: I mean, what are we to do with the NHS? How can you put a value > > in pounds, > > shillings and pence on an individual life? There was a case with a > > bowel cancer > > drug -- if you gave that drug, which costs several thousand pounds, it > > continued life for six weeks on. How can you make that decision?" > > > > How would the MOQ make that decision? There's no direct answer that > > I can find > > in Pirsig's writings. I presume that if the patient was of sound > > mind and, from > > his past history, could potentially offer something of intellectual > > value > > during the remaining six or so weeks of his life, he should receive > > the drug. > > Otherwise, the social value of his life would rule which, as the > > Giant would > > judge, isn't worth a pence. Biologically the poor soul would be best > > recycled. > > > > What's really horrendous about the question is that in the NHS and now > > potentially in the U.S. such questions are all too real with life > > and death > > decisions in the hands of a government committee, i.e., a death > > panel. I don't > > know about you, but the thought of my government determining whether > > I live or > > die makes me sick. It's as if Joe Stalin was resurrected. > > > > When you surrender such personal decisions to the government, not > > only is your > > life threatened, but DQ, the creative force of evolution, dies, too. > > Perhaps, > > the MOQ answer is just that -- take responsibility for your own life > > so DQ can > > flourish. > > > > The interview is at: > > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/sep/11/science-david-attenborough- > > richard-dawkins > > > > Regards, > > Platt > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org/md/archives.html > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
