feeding tubes
URGH I am so irrate with all of this feeding tube talk. T. Schivo (maybe misspelling) had a living will that stated that she did not want any major medical procedures conducted on her to save her live. A FEEDING TUBE IS a medical procedure. With a pet a feeding tube is inserted in the neck and fed threw the esophagus and down into the stomach. It is normally a temporary situation until the patient is able to eat and live on their own. She was brain dead for over 15 years. The question of quality of life is huge and intensly complicated. This all goes back and intertwines with abortion and the question of when life begins or ends. They are talking about state of consciousness and being brain dead. With animals it is extremely difficult to assess this. EEG's which asses electric activity in the brain and the muscles aroudn the brain. CT scans and MRIS do not, as far as I kwno indicate brain aliveness. They can tell you the blood flow, but that does not necessarily indicate "aliveness" of the cells. AND then when I'm sweating my buttocks off at the gym stupid-ass Bush gives a national address on this poor women that he and his idiotic brother drew out the pain of her life. He starts being all stupid and religous. GRRR! The next segment is on the pope and a nasal feeding tube. Again another fairly invassive procedure. The man is dying. God help me for saying this, I'm damned already so it doesn't really matter, but he needs to die. i am sure he is suffering nad needs to meet "god" in heaven. Can he really be leading the christian world? I don't think so!!!! Today he was hospitalized for a urinary tract infection...this does not happen to healthy folk. Why is it that one religion believes all measures should be taken to save lives and another is so against playing god. If someone suffers a stroke, is and a car accident, or has a disease that impales them to such a degree that modern medicine cannot save them, then perhaps "god" wants them to die. If one truly belives in a god and predestination then who are we to "keep" them alive when there is no hope in improvement. SIGH!!!