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Futile Care
Made popular 378 days ago in Health
Futile Care Theory goes something like this: When a patient reaches a certain stage of illness, age or injury, any further treatment other than comfort care is branded “futile” or “inappropriate,” and withheld or withdrawn, either because doctors deem it burdensome on the patient or too expensive. That the patient may want the treatment because of deeply held values, a desire to live longer or on the unlikely hope of medical improvement is not decisive. Doctors and hospitals have the right to refuse service. So much for patient autonomy.

Worse, these interventions are withdrawn precisely because they work and extend the patient’s life when the doctors disagree with that outcome. Thus, it is really the patient who is being declared futile rather than the treatment.

At this point, several important points need to be made about futile care:

1. Futility is not a medical determination; it is a value judgment. Treatment is refused based on “quality of life” judgmentalism and/or “cost-benefit” analysis.

2. Futility makes patient autonomy a one-way street. For years, we have been told that patients should state in writing what they want or don’t want in the event they become incapacitated. Futile Care Theory makes refusing treatment binding for patients who want to die, but allows doctors/bioethicists the final say over the care of patients who expressed a desire to live.

3. Futility strips from patients and families the power to make medicine’s most important health care decisions and give it to strangers: That’s precisely what is happening in the Rasouli case.

4. Futile Care Theory is only the first step toward a coming duty to die. Think of Futile Care Theory as ad hoc health care rationing. Once Obamacare is up and running, centralized boards will create cost-benefit bureaucratic boards that could systemize Futile Care Theory into mandatory refusals or outright health care rationing based on patients’ quality of life. Indeed, rationing has repeatedly been endorsed by notable publications such as The New England Journal of Medicine and The New York Times.

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Posted by james2044
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Do you favor the "Duty to Die" idea?
Yes
9.1%
Lean to yes
3.6%
Not sure
5.5%
Lean to no
5.5%
No
76%
This is not a scientific survey, click here to learn more. Results may not total 100% due to rounding and voting descrepencies.
User Comments
james2044
Posted 378 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
No one supports ObamaNationCare?
AUpolls
Posted 378 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
@james2044 Do you mean: No one supports nationalized RomneyCare?
james2044
Posted 378 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
@AUpolls

Mass voted for it while Romney was in office. He signed it becuse the DEMOCRATS controled things and would have overrode his veto. DEMOCRATS "nationalized RomneyCare", no Republicans voted for it and the majority did not want it. Some day, DEMOCRATS are going to have to stop saying the Republicans make them do stupid things and admit they are the problem!
ffox
Posted 377 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
@James2044

What are you talking about, Romney was the Architect of Romney Care. Proof is in the pudding.

Etch a sketch over and over
AUpolls
Posted 376 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
@James2044, so its better for Romney to sign a bill into law that he "didn't believe in" rather than veto it because the opposition were going to override his veto? I can't even believe you actually believe that. Are you OK? Do you need a doctor?
lastbaldeagle
Posted 376 days ago
0 up votes, 0 down votes
Who really gives a crap? Romney is almost as left wing as Obozo. Only difference is that Romney is not a commie loving liberal.
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