Why I Hope to Die at 75

[Gemineye]

Forum members: Recently Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel published a long essay in the The Atlantic on Sept 17 entitled "Why I Hope to Die at 75: An argument that society and families -- and you -- will be better off if nature takes its course swiftly and promptly". I found it a very bold, very interesting and thought provoking article. Dr. Emanuel is director of the Clinical Bioethics Department at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. You can find his article here:

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/


Yesterday, Brant S. Mittler MD, JD printed a reply in MedPageToday entitled "Counterpoint: Too Young to Die". This article was also a good read although a little too political in my opinion. Dr. Mittler has been a cardiologist in private practice in San Antonio for the past 38 years and has an active litigation practice in healthcare law. You can find his article here::

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatr...mineye55@aol.com&mu_id=5535050&utm_term=Daily


Point. Counterpoint. Your thoughts are welcome.

 

[Emily]

Re: Why I Hope to Die at 75

Is it possible Dr. Emanuel is having quotations taken out of context?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Emanuel

Emanuel said the Complete Lives system was not meant to apply to health care in general, but only to a situation where "we don?t have enough organs for everybody who needs a transplant. You have one liver, you have three people who need the liver - who gets it? The solution isn?t ?We get more livers.? You can?t. It?s a tragic choice."[37]

Of the 1996 Hastings Center Report, Emanuel said, "I was examining two different, abstract philosophical positions to see what they might offer in the context of redoing the health-care system and trying to reduce resource consumption in health care. It's as abstractly philosophical as you can get on a practical question. I qualified it in 27 different ways, saying it wasn't my view."[66] He also said, "As far as rationing goes, it's nothing I've ever advocated for the health system as a whole, and I've talked about rationing only in the context of situations where you have limited items, like limited livers or limited vaccine, and not for overall health care."[67]

Personally, I don't feel that the Hippocratic Oath is driving up the cost of healthcare. If anything, doctors need more freedom to practice their healing art.