Posted on Nov 3, 2014
SSG Engagement Control Team Leader
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What do you think of the recent push to pass death with dignity laws that allow terminally ill people to end their life? Do these laws undermine suicide prevention by telling people that suicide is sometimes okay? How would you approach the situation if one of your soldiers wanted to make this choice? What about a member of your family?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/02/brittany-maynard-as-promised-ends-her-life-at-29/
Posted in these groups: B4caadf8 Suicide
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
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I don't see how this is even a controversial topic. For God's sake, if there's ANYTHING you're going to let be up to each individual person, it's this.
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
MAJ (Join to see)
10 y
COL Jean (John) F. B. Palin was NOT talking about "end of life consultation" when she was talking about death panels. She was talking about insurance companies (or I'm sure she said government) deciding NOT to pay for treatment of the terminally ill if they considered it too expensive. These are HUGELY different things.
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COL Jean (John) F. B.
COL Jean (John) F. B.
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MAJ (Join to see)

There has been much written about this subject and, as in most things, there is some truth on both sides of the issue.

I don't think there is any question that the counseling will persuade some who otherwise would not agree to ending treatment and that, eventually, there will be "rationing" of health care, based on many factors.

Read the article... Form your own opinion. Not arguing that you are wrong; just that your position is certainly not an absolute truth or that Palin's comment is not an absolute falsehood.
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SP5 Michael Rathbun
SP5 Michael Rathbun
10 y
Actually, one of the goals is (or should be) to get rid of the Death Panels we currently have. We attended a fund raiser a while back for a person in N. TX whose physician said "she needs this procedure to remain alive". The Death Panel (i.e. some claims person thousands of miles away) agreed that she might need it, and hoped she could find the money to pay for it.

Unfortunately there wasn't enough money raised, she didn't have the procedure, and she died.

Having lived in three countries where universal health care is a given, I still am having trouble wrapping my head around some folks' attitudes toward the subject.
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COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM
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Death with dignity laws:
- If it was black/white and/or easy then there would not be a debate about it.
- Lots of people with opinions but very few people with direct experience.
- Potentially ties to abortion debate. Critical question in abortion debate is "when does life begin: conception or birth". Critical question is death with dignity debate is: does an individual have the right to make life/death decisions concerning their own life?
- The common thread between the abortion debates and the death with dignity debates is a potential for a societal devaluation of individual life and dignity. This devaluation can lead to significant negative second and third order effects.
- I think the proper governmental policy lies somewhere between the extremes (suicide never allowed vs suicide easily obtained and aided by government/society). The trick is how to allow it without encouraging or facilitating it.
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SFC Mark Merino
SFC Mark Merino
10 y
COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM , I was going to comment on my own thread but you couldn't have said it any better.
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PV2 Senior Web Designer, Web Team Lead
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Pardon my long person story here...Having watched my dad fight Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for 5 years and held his hand as he took his last breath, I truly believe that it varies from person to person. I think everyone should have the right to choose what they feel is best for them. My dad stopped treatment 2 years before he died. He was tired. I remember sitting with him at the Oncologist and they telling him it could be 6 weeks or up to 2 years. He wanted to take his gun and end it then, and my step-mom took his guns away from him. When he passed, he went with his eyes wide open facing it all. Which is how my dad faced life as well..

I would have let my dad end his life. He suffered horribly with the chemo and radiation treatments that wrecked his body horribly and I would give anything to have had him not go through that. My dad didn't deserve to have to suffer like that.
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PV2 Senior Web Designer, Web Team Lead
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You hit the nail on the head J.D. I think the same of my dad. I sure as hell don't want to suffer like that.
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