Opposing the Texas Futile Care Law
On December 02, 2006, The Associated Press carried an article by Kelley Shannon entitled, "Critics oppose stop-treatment law."
Texas law permits hospital committees to give 48-hour notices of a meeting to decide whether or not the hospital will continue to provide treatment, if the committee feels such treatment is futile. Care is not stopped and treatement is continued for 10 days, during which time the family needs to find another doctor and hospital who will agree to continue life-sustaining treatment.
Because of protests, law makers will consider a longer period of time than 10 days, in next year's session. A judge can always extend the time period.
John Morris, one of the leaders to abolish the law completely said, "Why do they get to play God?" He was given days to live, more than ten years ago.
Yet the Texas law similarly provides for transfer of the patient to another physician and hospital if the family wants it stopped but the doctor and hospital want to continue life-sustaining treatment. In that sense, it is a balanced law.
Texas law permits hospital committees to give 48-hour notices of a meeting to decide whether or not the hospital will continue to provide treatment, if the committee feels such treatment is futile. Care is not stopped and treatement is continued for 10 days, during which time the family needs to find another doctor and hospital who will agree to continue life-sustaining treatment.
Because of protests, law makers will consider a longer period of time than 10 days, in next year's session. A judge can always extend the time period.
John Morris, one of the leaders to abolish the law completely said, "Why do they get to play God?" He was given days to live, more than ten years ago.
Yet the Texas law similarly provides for transfer of the patient to another physician and hospital if the family wants it stopped but the doctor and hospital want to continue life-sustaining treatment. In that sense, it is a balanced law.
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