It's the moral argument of the age. Is it morally good to keep alive a young child when the best that all of medicine can do at present is to prolong the child's life in a state of pain and suffering. Sometimes I think that parents want to keep a child alive because they want it for themselves, not for the good of the child. I don't know enough about this specific case here to judge on that, but one thing I do know. In these cases we are often kinder to animals.
One doctor wrote in a paper that he has worked with adults who have been helpless since childhood or even birth and he said he was haunted by their eyes. He had to keep prescribing antibiotics which just prolonged their terrible suffering. As you say, sometimes we are kinder to animals. I'm not saying that everyone should be perfect, but life has to be worth living for the person concerned. I do believe in voluntary euthanasia (with safeguards) because I think that life would be better if you knew it was in your own hands. You could enjoy each day...thinking...today's ok, not today....instead of being fearful for months or perhaps years.
The same is true for elderly people. My wife works in a care home and you wouldn't believe the number of otherwise well-meaning people who won't sign DNAR forms for their relatives.
I had power of attorney for a friend...before the POA included the right to make medical decisions...but I thought that we had all agreed to palliative care only. Then I went in and she'd been treated with antibiotics again....all that meant was she'd be bright for a day or two if you were lucky....before drifting off into whimpering half-sleep. The poor lady lived for 9 months of on and off misery moving from hospital to care home to hospital again....with no point at all. I wouldn't want that for me.
It's an appalling state that society has got itself into when the sanctity of life pervades everything to the extent the quality counts for nothing. For me, when the time comes, I want to be left alone with enough whisky and cigars to bump me off when the time is right. Oh, and enough pills too.
Jodie Whittaker (the new Dr Who) is appearing in a new series Trust Me....where she pretends to be a doctor. Well it tickled me.
Going to visit Cardiff....haven't been there since I graduated in 1972 (apart from brief visit for FA Cup Final). It is going to rain all 3 days I am there....so at least it will remind me of old times.
You won't recognise the city if you haven't been there since 1972, it's changed a hell of a lot even since I was in college in Pontypridd in the 80's. Enjoy!
Weather permitting..going to the Castle (where I used to eat my lunchtime sandwiches on the rare sunny days ), look at college buildings and my hall of residence (still a ladies one), St ***an's, and the waterside (which will definitely have changed since Tiger Bay days).
I'd left 3 years before then. Did you live in the halls up the hill? Three of us are going back for a visit in September but I know that it's change immensely since the 80s. Small world!
Lived in halls for the first year, second year in ruddy fell in (Rhydyfelin [emoji16]), then in Treforest. Met Sir Tom Jones in the forest pub [emoji16]
Transgender people unable to serve in the US military in any capacity. Discrimination by the backdoor, from Trump: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40729996
Yeah, I was in halls the first year then a house with 10 of us in Wood Road, right by the Working Men's Club then a flat in Rikard Street. By the way, The Forest pub is no more Just looking at Google and there's nothing recognisable on the campus - not surprising after 30 years!
