Another Living Will dispute - Alzheimer's patient in Pennsylvania.

[Bunny]

SNIP
The case of John P. King, a 74-year-old Alzheimer's patient in the center of a fight between family members over whether he should be kept alive with a feeding tube, shows that having a living will is not a foolproof way to avoid end-of-life battles.

SNIP
In the Bucks case, King's daughter, Mariann Judith Clunk, filed an injunction in county court in Doylestown asking a judge to stop her mother and doctors from prolonging her dad's life by inserting a feeding tube into his abdomen.

SNIP
Clunk said in the suit that she believes that her mother, Ann King, is trying to convince doctors to feed her father artificially despite the living will. Ann King is listed on the living will as King's surrogate, meaning she is the person designated to make decisions for King if he's incapacitated.

SNIP
Clunk's attorney, Joseph Masiuk, declined to comment Wednesday. Ann King could not be reached for comment and lawyers for the other defendants had not been named as of Wednesday afternoon.
Bucks County President Judge David Heckler has scheduled a hearing in the case for Monday morning and has barred doctors from inserting the tube until the matter is settled in court.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-03242005-467367.html


I just heard on the news that the wife didn't even show up to the hearing yesterday, so it looks as if the daughter's will win the case.

[Dark]

1. Oh, god, not again. . .

:banghead:

[Ganja Ninja]

7. Of course again.

This will be a new constant. Find a grieving family that is deciding what to do with a relative in a near death condition and exploit them for the publicity. Sick, cynical, all politics all the time from compassionate conservatives.

[radfringe]

2. my reason for a living will

it's not to allow myself to die and end a prolonged comatose or vegetative state -- if I'm in this condition I wouldn't know what is going on anyways

it's to spare my family and friends the torment of watching me slowly
deteriorate and die...

[izzie]

3. I do not think a man will fill the bill to bring in the people.

It was a young women that did it and 'white', It does seem odd to me that these 'far right' people are so in love with war and dying for your country and you will be with God and then they do this. But then I also think some one seems to think for them.

[moobu2]

4. Exactly right, it was Terri's looks, her race, she was Catholic (sorta)

and Terri had a family willing to sell her off for the anti-abortionists rightwing cause.

These life support decisions are made every day all over this country and families sometimes disagree. The ONLY reason we even know the name Terri Schiavo is because the Schindler family was willing to sell her off to these political groups to use.

[ima_sinnic]

5. hear that, wingnuts? better get to Pennsylvania, pronto!

... another "merely disabled" person is about to have his feeding tube removed and be left to die! another case for you sanctimonious misinformed handwringers to butt into! it is so against your "culture of life." aren't you upset?

I didn't think so.

hypocrites and charlatans are SOOO predictable.

[salin]

6. relatives of mine

not only wrote a living will, but on advise they asked each immediate family member - and treating physician - to sign a paper saying that they had read and acknowledged the living will wishes.

This was advised more than 12 years ago. Sounds like good advice.

[Bunny]

8. Kick