namelessfly wrote:I thought that I would post this just to illustrate what healthcare in many of the "civilized nations" is like.
http://conservatives4palin.com/2014/01/ ... aming.html
Nameless, that may hit an unfortunate nerve with you considering your circumstances, but it's being filtered through a website that conforms to your political ideology.
There are no such things as "death panels" in the NHS. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK - there's a HUGE debate about it. Do a search. You'll find that both sides are thoroughly entrenched in their views, but the government is not in favour of it.
EDIT: This is the official NHS in England position:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/euthanasiaandassistedsuicide/Pages/Introduction.aspx
The Health Services in the other parts of the UK will have similar positions.
You can get a rough idea of the UK debate from some of the comments displayed at the bottom of the page. Do not assume, however, that the comments apply to the entire population. 11 comments is too small a selection.
When something like what's in the cited article happens, it's purely based on what the patient themselves wish, or if they are so far gone, the relatives make the decision, yay or nay. I've had friends and work colleagues who have lost loved-ones from cancer and it's an utterly horrific disease if can't be beaten into remission permanently. It just comes back until it kills you. That's not a reflection on the medical help available, sometimes cancer cannot be beaten, especially if it's aggressive and spreads.
You may not agree with this, our societal experience is much too different for that, but there's a general feeling in the UK that there comes a time when you just want to slip "quietly into that good night", rather than being kept alive in some Frankenstein like manner in hospital. It's something I dread happening to myself or my parents. Technology has it's limits, after all. (shrug)
Mike.
