Forced to stay on life support -- yes, no, maybe?

[commandrix]

Reason I ask is because of cases like this: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/judge-orders-pregnant-texas-woman-off-life-support/story?id=21659951 It's basically, on one side, there was no chance that the woman was going to recover and all that would have happened was that the family would have had to pay an awful medical bill over the hospital's interpretation of Texas law. On the other, the hospital was claiming that the fetus deserved a chance to survive even though odds are that it would have had severe birth defects at best and would never have survived outside the mother's womb at worst. What do you think? Would there be a case where you might consider "pulling the plug" on a family member, or would you keep her on life support and pray for a miracle?

[devthedev]

Honestly I'd "pull the plug" I rather let them be with Jesus than pray for them to stay here.

[ShibaWow]

I couldn't do it..

I couldn't pull the plug on someone I love, I mean, you're basically killing last hope of seeing them alive again
no..

I would respect the wishes of that family member as well as I possibly could.

Most, if not all, have made it clear that "life" on life support isn't life at all.

have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

you can't move,talk but you hear everyone, you see
for a couple of minutes you're not able to stand up but then you do it, what if this is something like that
there must be a scenario where you wake up..

[beetcoin]

the best decision is to think of what that person would have chosen given if he/she were conscious enough to make a decision. forcing someone to live as a vegetable because "it's the right thing" is kind of messed up.

[Ron~Popeil]

This is a complicated issue. I think in the end we have to respect the wishes of the family and the person on life support if they made their wishes known. The fetus certainly complicates things. I could not imagine having to make such a choice.

[blumangroup]

This is a very good reason to be sure that you have a medical power of attorney appointed.

You should discuss this at length with the person that you appoint to make these types of decisions. This person will need to make these decisions on your behalf.

It is never accurate to say that there is zero chance that you will recover. Miracles do happen and over the last 5 years there have been great advances in medical technology, no one can even imagine what kind of advances in medical technology will happen in the next 5 years.

With that being said it is very difficult to say with any certainty what it is like to live in a "vegetable" state. I would assume that it gets exponentially worse over time. The ultimate question is what value to you put on possibly being able to recover verses the potential torte of being a "vegetable" for years or even possibly decades? This is something that should be discussed with your medical power of attorney prior to something horrible happening to you.

To answer the OP's original question. Yes I could make the decision to take a loved one off of life support, assuming that this is the decision that they would want.

Just my .02 BTC.

[bryant.coleman]

No one should be forced to stay as a vegetable, without any control over his body. An Euthanasia must be performed, and the individual should be allowed to die in all his dignity.