Let's post something we all can hopefully agree on

[frequency]

I normally don't post much down here for various reason but I feel this is a case that deserves more attention

Philadelphia woman charged with helping her father die in hospice - Full story: http://bit.ly/13twsKl

Cliffs:

Joe Yourshaw was 93 and in hospice care at his home in Pottsville, Schuylkill County when he asked his visiting daughter for his bottle of morphine in February.

Now Barbara Mancini of Philadelphia is facing a murder charge for allegedly aiding her father's suicide

Yourshaw, who lived with his elderly wife, had end-stage diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and arthritis, among other medical problems

He had a good run. He was in hospice care and one would assume in severe pain.

On Feb. 7, Pottsville Police Capt. Steve Durkin went to the Yourshaws' home in response to a 911 call from the hospice nurse. The nurse "told me that her client had taken an overdose of his morphine with the intent to commit suicide," Durkin wrote in his report. The nurse said Mancini, who also happens to be a nurse, gave her father the morphine "at his request so that he could end his own suffering," Durkin wrote. When an ambulance arrived, Mancini told paramedics that her father was dying and didn't want further treatment, but the police captain overruled her. "I advised defendant that she no longer had any say in the matter and that her father was going to the hospital for treatment," Durkin's report says

He was in hospice care, why did the nurse even call 911 and what right does the police captain have to overrule the wishes of a family and a dying man.

"The Supreme Court has ruled in a pair of cases that I brought in mid-1990s that dying patients have a right to all the pain medication they need, even if it advances the time of death," Tucker said. "It's very hard to see," she added, "what would motivate a prosecutor to charge a daughter at the bedside of her dying father with a crime when she does nothing more than hand him his medication."

[Echelonl]

I'm guessing there is absolutely no crime in Pottsville if the police are concerning themselves with this.

[Crissi]

I fully support euthanasia for terminally ill patients. We say when our animals are continually suffering, that euthanizing them is the most merciful thing for them. The same principal should be applied to humans UNDER STRICT CONDITIONS. We must make sure children aren't tricking their elderly family who are suffering from dementia into dying when they don't want to.

However, the condition I set above should not be used as an excuse to continually ban the practice, because people shouldn't be forced to suffer because of some stupid law.

[Sunseeker]

I really think people are going a little nuts with the whole keeping people alive as long as possible. The point is to live a long and HEALTHY life, not simply to be kept alive in pain and suffering just to rack up some more years.

[Youarefired]

Letting a patient suffer in a hospice bed is more of a crime than helping them to end that suffering.

[The Riddler]

The only thing everyone can agree on is that bacon is awesome.

The morality of whether it is merciful or not is irrelevant to the law.

[Simulacrum]

The only thing everyone can agree on is that bacon is awesome.

The morality of whether it is merciful or not is irrelevant to the law.

I hate bacon.

Love meat, just not bacon.

[Crissi]

The only thing everyone can agree on is that bacon is awesome.

The morality of whether it is merciful or not is irrelevant to the law.

Bacon makes me sick >.>

and it is the law, and it should be abided by while it still is the law, but I believe it should be changed. Nothing like watching your gma die for 2 weeks and wish she was dead to make you want to be able to grant her wish.

[The Riddler]

Bacon makes me sick

Then there is NOTHING we can all agree on.

[Crissi]

Then there is NOTHING we can all agree on.

Which is human nature. ^_^

[Ineluki]

I normally am one to up hold the law, but in this case to hell with the law. IMO, mercy far out ways the law. We arent talking about some young kid who is depressed or something, we are talking about a 93 year old man who is suffering and will die soon, in pain. Where is the mercy in forcing him to stay alive against his will? Its HIS choice, and its HIS life, its not for us or anyone else to decide.

[Garnier Fructis]

Well if you're just looking for something we can all agree on, I think we all agreed that Raccoon Toss was not animal abuse.

As for this, can they prove that she knew her father's intentions when he was asking for the morphine?

[Youarefired]

We can all agree that Tony Stark and James Howlett were perfectly cast, right?

[Aleksej89]

What we all can agree on is that we all can not agree on anything.

[NYC17]

What we all can agree on is that we all can not agree on anything.

I'll give one a shot.

HLN is horrible...

[Rucati]

There was a case like this a while back too, it's actually really stupid that people with terminal illnesses are forced to suffer for months to years before they're allowed to die, they aren't going to get better, that's the definition of a terminal illness.

Can't think of a single reason to force those people to live if they don't want to, sucks for them and it racks up medical bills for the family.

[Payday]

Pottsville, PA home of Yuengling Brewery, America's oldest.

Well, at least 4 states have it right so far.

I'll give one a shot.

HLN is horrible...

No argument here.

[OzoAndIndi]

Who even brought these charges? The nurse? Ridiculous. I hate how we wouldn't want an animal to suffer so we'd put it down, but a human... well, we prefer to drag it out as long as possible with them.

In all honesty, when my grandmother was declining and was on in-home hospice care, when she got to the point that she just needed to go for her own sake but it was a very slow process... the aid(s) offered the option of turning up her morphine drip now and then as a way of aiding her passing. And we really don't even live all that far south of Philly. *We don't live in PA but my grandparents did.

Some people know they are ready, there's no reason someone his age and physical state should not be given the dignity of being able to make that one last choice for himself. As it is many elderly lose most of their freedom of choices to those who are looking after them.

[ComputerNerd]

The problem with Euthanasia is the need to ensure that the decision is that the patient is in sound mind and very capable of understanding the consequences of the decision.
That is why some do not support it, and why when it is supported it should be done in a controlled environment.

[smelltheglove]

wait OP... you thought euthanasia of all things held a universal view?!? really?