Friday night, I got a phone call from a woman who said that a Minnesota hospital had stated its plan for Monday at 1:00 pm to discontinue providing oxygen to her friend, Catie, a woman with lung cancer who stated that she wants to live and keep getting oxygen.
NDY sometimes gets calls like this from people describing similar situations, most of whom are shocked by their experiences. Sometimes I can ask questions that help clarify a few issues, but the main thing we try to do is help identify potential advocates, lawyers and resources located where they are, advocates who will hopefully get directly involved. The woman who called also recorded a video of Catie expressing her wishes.
Of the resources that we and the caller were able to reach, Life Legal Defense Fund was first to step in. They issued a press release which includes the video link and states:
Hospital to euthanize woman who says “I want to LIVE”
Catie is a patient at a hospital in Minnesota. She has lung cancer and needs oxygen to remain comfortable. The hospital plans to remove Catie’s oxygen tomorrow morning, which will result in her death by suffocation.
Catie is on video saying she does not want the hospital to “pull the plug.” She relayed this to the hospital’s chaplain, who was sent to Catie’s room by the hospital to prepare her to be euthanized. Even though the hospital has been sedating Catie, she understands what the hospital is planning to do and says she is still fighting and is “not ready” to die.
We are appalled that a hospital would even consider withdrawing oxygen from a patient who has clearly communicated that she wants to live. When asked if she wants her oxygen removed, Catie’s response was “NO! I want to live!”
Withdrawing Catie’s oxygen to cause her death is active euthanasia, which is illegal in Minnesota and every other state.
Life Legal is evaluating legal options at this time.
Link to video: https://youtu.be/42rVk-wz1Hg
As of Tuesday, April 30, Catie is still alive.
Excellent
Not surprising. It is fact that only the wealthy and the pro-active patient will be allowed to live as long as the patient wants to live and as long as is medically possible. Under government and private insurance plans, the elderly, the disabled, the poor, with insurance and without insurance are targeted for savings in end of life care. Health care is a profit oriented industry. The Medical Industrial Complex is over 20% of the GNP
The elderly, the disabled, the poor, the terminally ill, with a prognosis of six months or less to live are sacrificed to sustain the Medical Industrial Complex and their profits.
The Insurance Companies won’t pay for patients to live as long as medically possible. However, even Medicare-for-all would have to ration services and patients with a prognosis of six months or less to live would not be allowed to live as long as is “medically possible.”
If Cassie were rich, she could pay for care and oxygen, if not in the USA, someplace else and die on her own terms.
It is an ugly reality that is particularly ugly for the disabled younger patients whose life spans shouldn’t be shortened because of the perception of the care givers that the lives of these patients are not worth living and that society can’t cover the bill.
It is particularly dangerous for the chronically disabled who beat the odds every day and find life precious and joyful.
No easy answers.
My wife (who was disabled) was murdered in a hospital. In her case it was active murder, comfort care, (no food, water and them large doses of morphine). That is why I started Stop Hospital Euthanasia. To educate people on how to best protect themselves in hospital. We worked very closely with Life Legal. But Life Legal has limited resources with so much of this happening. In my opinion a lawyer is needed to take this case to a judge to get this woman moved to a facility that will continue her needed oxygen. I hope she has an advanced directive that will help in convincing the judge of her desire to live.