Good Medicine -- Bad Medicine.

Cutting edge medicine, digital technology and great advancements in surgical procedures have given our wounded warriors and terminally ill patients the gift of extended life. For this we are truly grateful.

Medicine has changed – I thought the death panels were a bad joke until I came up against them. During the battle against pneumonia my husband’s assigned doctors decided that because he had turned 88, had difficulty breathing from pneumonia and also suffered from neurological problems, he was a candidate for “pulling the plug”.

The four – pulmonologist, hematologist, assigned case doctor and a “family/hospital coordinator” were intimidating and constantly sent in to remind me about “making a decision”. When I realized what they were talking about, they already had him on a ventilator to breathe. I finally announced to one and all, “I’m a Catholic. We don’t kill people. I expect you to treat my husband aggressively, to make him well again so I can take him home!”

Years ago, I can remember doctors who were so dedicated to helping patients fight illness. They would struggle with difficult cases and try until the bitter end to save lives. I don’t know what happened. We don’t need to agree that assisted suicide and euthanasia are acceptable. It’s not all right to go along with the general consensus that pulling the plug is okay. Too many people fall into the habit of letting others make decisions for them. A friend of mine moved to Oregon to take advantage of assisted suicide. He was in terrible pain. A close friend chose the date for her doctors to administer a lethal dose of sedatives to “let her go”. Palliative care and hospice offer end-of-life types of care. But, I’m not going to pull the plug when my husband is not in pain and looks so forward to coming home. That would be murder. There are moral, ethical and legal principles involved in euthanasia and assisted suicide. Those in the medical profession may think they’re okay and acceptable but healthcare needs to be careful about pre-determining end-of-life decisions. We still have our rights and object to having them violated.

This is the bitter pill seniors must swallow -- on Medicare others are paying for your healthcare.