Another mess in New Orleans

[Instrument 41]

Wondering what the current feelings are on this board regarding the arrest of the doctor and 2 nurses in New Orleans for allegedly "mercy killing" 4 patients during the flooding due to Katrina.

Despite the horrendous conditions that they were faced with, being trapped in a hospital with little to no electricity I'm not sure they did what was the best thing, if in fact they did kill these 4 patients. Again not that it makes any difference but all 4 were more than likely to pass away very soon...

[masraum]

Interesting. I'm not sure what my feeling is since I wasn't there and I don't know the exact circumstances, but I'm definitely against it.

[gaijindabe]

Originally posted by Instrument 41
Again not that it makes any difference but all 4 were more than likely to pass away very soon...

Some interesting reading from the WSJ today:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110008686

"How Faith Saved the Atheist"

[widgeon13]

They were wrong but well intending. No one has the right to end a life except perhaps the state and federal judicial systems and of course a sniper targeting in on the terrorist that needs to be dispensed with.

[sewell94]

i completely disagree. These people were gonna die anyways. yes u can say we are all gonna die blah blah but these people were going to suffer worse than dogs in the last days of their lives. I don't know many of you have actually seen people suffer in there last days, its horrible. My mom owned a nursing home and it was horrible to watch them rot away and we had to keep giving them drugs to keep them barely breathing. I don't see why we have to let them suffer, when they can go out peacefully with no pain.

[widgeon13]

Not the way the game is played!

[sewell94]

The game we play in the US is if you don't caught its ok, or if u do something just make sure u don't piss someone off, or there gonna sure u. I can tellu if it was me, i hope they put my ass out and let me go in peace.

[gaijindabe]

It is all about the long slippery slope. It starts with well intentions then before long you have Social Security cutting off benifits and HMOs pulling plugs..

Beside that - I dont know much about medicine - but in the West is has been based for 2500 years on the simple premise of "do no harm".

[Moses]

I wasn't there. It must have been awful. Was it the ultimate act of kindness or arrogance? I don't know. I won't judge them. The easy thing to do would have been to abandon the patients, not kill them. If I were a juror, I'd have a tough time voting for conviction.

[red-beard]

I wish they had been more selctive in thier targets, like the Gang members who have moved here to Houston.

[sewell94]

well thats its it would have been the easy thing to just leave them. I mean come on u guys do u think that these people wanted to pull the plug on there patients. yes I understand the slippery slope with HMO's pulling the plug etc etc. This was a completely different circumstance, were talkign about being stuck in a natural diseaster with people suffering in some of the worst possible conditions. They stayed to help these people when noone else would, putting there own lives in danger don't u think these people would have rather skipped town, instead they were there try to do the best to take care of these people. The other fact was that they were going to die soon anyways, why let someone go through the torture of being alive for a few last horrible days.

[Jims5543]

Maybe a similar effort is in order to find and bring to justice all the looters and shooters rather than the easy targets.....


No one was there with these people in that hospital no one can offer an opinion on what was done right or wrong.

[Instrument 41]

Hopefully the a jury will feel the same way you do Jim. But Mr Foti, our D.A., who's up for re-election next year doesn't. I have to believe that this type of situation went on in the other hospitals, not just Memorial.

[widgeon13]

It will be an interesting trial. Bush will get blamed for it in the end anyway.