Category Archives: futile care

Patients’ Rights Bill Stalled in Texas – Bill Backed by Disability Advocates, Right to Life and ACLU

futile care, futility, legislation, life-ending decisions, Our News & Commentary Blog, texas

This blog has visited the topic of futile care policies more than once. These policies allow hospitals to overrule advanced directives and/or the wishes of family members in removing/refusing life-sustaining treatment to someone unable to express his or her wishes. Of all the states, Texas has given hospitals the most power in these situations. And … Continue reading Patients’ Rights Bill Stalled in Texas – Bill Backed by Disability Advocates, Right to Life and ACLU →

Texas: David Coronado Breathing on His Own, Off Ventilator

abuse, crime and punishment, david coronado, futile care, Our News & Commentary Blog, Surrogate Decisions & Guardianship, texas

About 3 weeks ago, this blog reported on the case of young David Coronado, a 6-month-old infant allegedly beaten severely by at least one of his parents. Initially, a court-appointed guardian planned to petition for removal of life-support. The scheduled hearing to hear the petition was cancelled due to unspecified “new information.” (We received detailed … Continue reading Texas: David Coronado Breathing on His Own, Off Ventilator →

Request to remove life-support from 6-Month-Old in Texas Withdrawn for Now – Texas NDY

abuse, crime and punishment, david coronado, futile care, haleigh poutre, Our News & Commentary Blog, Surrogate Decisions & Guardianship, texas

On Monday this week, NDY was contacted by Texas attorney Jerri Ward, who has worked extensively on behalf of families and patients in fighting the aggressive implementation of “futility” policies in Texas. The subject of the call was an impending court hearing in Dallas County juvenile court to decide on a petition by a court-appointed … Continue reading Request to remove life-support from 6-Month-Old in Texas Withdrawn for Now – Texas NDY →

U.K. Article on Consciousness Research Contains Bombshell “Accusation”

bioethics, blog recommendations, futile care, life-ending decisions, media coverage, Our News & Commentary Blog, research, vegetative state

Last week, my email and blog alerts let me know about a “new” article on research into consciousness. Wesley Smith posted his entry on an article describing the activity of researchers in the UK seeking to reduce the 40% error rate in diagnosis of persistent vegetative state. Alex Schandenberg also featured the article and commented … Continue reading U.K. Article on Consciousness Research Contains Bombshell “Accusation” →

New “futile care” promotion includes attack on ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act, bioethics, futile care, lifeboat ethics, medical decisionmaking, Our News & Commentary Blog

I found an “interesting” article from the Kalamazoo Gazette, thanks to Bobby Schindler, who is doing some guest blogging for Wesley Smith while Wesley is on vacation. Bobby has his own valuable insights on the article, but I wanted to write about a couple of things that jumped right out at me. The article is … Continue reading New “futile care” promotion includes attack on ADA →