Do you believe that one should be a mandatory waiting period before disconnectin

1. 69

   Joan Kingposted 12 years ago

   Do you believe that one should be a mandatory waiting period before disconnecting life support?
   
   There are stories of people who were in a coma and declared brain dead waking up and going on to live productive lives. We also know that doctors are not always right so in light of this should there be a mandated waiting period, say one year, before one is able to disconnect life support.
   
   

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2. 92

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   Only if a person's living will states it. If the person does not have a living will the next of kin should be able to make that decision no matter what they choose to do. I have a living will and I only want to be left on life support for 6 months prior to disconnecting life support.

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3. 74

   d.williamposted 12 years ago

   This is a decision that should be made between the doctor and the patient's family.  If the patient has a living will, it should be honored first.
   The law tends to stick its nose in where it has no right to intervene.  Like the governmental idiocy of trying to mandate women's reproductive rights/choices.   The decisions made by government are never based on logic or need, they are based on a politicians individual beliefs that have nothing to do with the situations at hand.

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4. 84

   Laura Schneiderposted 11 years ago

   I would get the opinions of 3 unrelated/connected doctors that there is, indeed, not brain activity and if they agree then I think it's humane to the living as well to "pull the plugs". Think of all of the money and resources that it would take to keep someone in a permanent state of brain death for a year when there is no brain activity... All of that money and resources could be put to use helping others who can live. Not to mention the fact that if this person were an organ donor then parts of them could live on in others, saving the lives of several other people. From a selfish perspective, the loved ones of the person in the hospital might hold out false hope that the person would live. That waiting period--a week, a year--would be sheer torture on them, especially for their spouse who would be in a financial disaster zone given the unsettled circumstance of the spouse's life. Yes, I think if there is no brain function, and if 3 different doctors interpret the scans the same way, I would have no hesitation telling the donor doctors to line up the patients who will receive the healthy parts of the person who is only alive due to life support systems. And I would celebrate new lives.

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