By Julie Grimstad
“The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.”
— Florence Nightingale, Founder of Modern Nursing
Profound respect for the sanctity (i.e., inviolability) of human life has traditionally been the core ethical principle of medicine, but that is no longer the case. Due to policies driven by a godless worldview, vulnerable patients are increasingly in danger of deadly harm.
If someone carries out an act or omission that causes a person’s death, that is murder. I use the term “murder” the way most people understand it, not as a legal term. Believe it or not, murder is routinely committed in our healthcare system. Consequently, we must be alert to dangerous situations and ready to protect ourselves and our loved ones from immoral medical actions and omissions that impose death on patients.
How death is imposed in healthcare settings
The following are three examples of ways medical murder is perpetrated—ways that, when personally encountered by patients and their families, shock and traumatize them.
Many hospitals have futile care policies. The word “futile” means useless. Nonetheless, such policies allow doctors and hospital-appointed ethics committees to interpret what “futile” means and to stop life-sustaining treatment against the wishes of patients and their families. A futile care decision is often based on biased “quality-of-life” opinions. In other words, the treatment is useful, but the patient’s life is deemed not worth living or not worth the cost of care.
Hospice is another area of grave concern. While drafting this article, I received a call on the Healthcare Advocacy and Leadership Organization Helpline from Paul (name changed for privacy), whose mother had just died in hospice. She was admitted to hospice because she had cancer and was suffering from the effects of treatment. Within a few days, she went from fully aware and full of life to semiconscious. Prior to admission she had been receiving a powerful pain medication, but the hospice changed to a stronger drug and added antianxiety medication. In addition, she was deprived of food and fluids. Paul strongly objected. However, another family member was her legal medical decision-maker, so Paul felt powerless. After eight days under hospice “care,” his mother died. This is typical of the reports HALO receives regarding hospice. Granted, people who have had good experiences with hospice are unlikely to call HALO, but we do get a lot of calls like the one from Paul.
To read the remainder of this article, visit the Celebrate Life Magazine site at clmagazine.org/topic/end-of-life/awareness-preparedness-and-prayer-keys-to-protecting-vulnerable-patients.
To read additional pro-life stories that will educate and inspire, visit clmagazine.org.