When to Pull the Plug

Three doctors have removed themselves from the care of an 84 year old Jewish man who is hooked up to all kinds of life preserving machines in the Health Science Centre of Winnipeg. They all claim he is dying and keeping him hooked up to machines is a disservice they can no longer participate in. That is not the role of a doctor. The man's family insists that they keep him on life support in accordance with the Jewish religious dictates.

The people with disabilities are watching this controversy carefully because they are, more than prone that others to face this dilemma and then on the other hand there are those who feel that people ought to die with dignity and not prolong life unnecessarily. Then there are the bean counters who feel that this is a simple waste of taxpayers money and that if people had to pay for these services that they demand (because health care is free in Manitoba), they will think twice about prolonging the life of a man who is 84 years old through mechanical means.

I have to tell you that I am appalled that someone would keep on life support systems for seven months now, a man who even if he is rehabilitated would not enjoy the quality of life he deserves because his organs have failed and without life support he is a dead man. Why would a family want to keep a dead man alive through artificial means? Is that dignity of life? I do not claim to know what the Jewish faith dictate but surely it did not mean this. The action of this family is extreme and I truly believe that the plug should be pulled and if his time is not now, he will continue to live.

I strongly feel that when people need these kinds of services that are outside of the medical opinion - of more than one doctor - then families should pay the bill. Why taxpayers should be saddled with these unnecessary bills to keep an old man alive in the face of doctor shortages and high medical expenses.

I think the decision to end life should not rest with the doctor but the decision to remove life support systems should be influenced by the medical professions. I remember Karen Quinlan's story very well. It is instructive. Karen was a young woman in her early 20's when she fell into a coma. She was on life support system for many years because she was young and if she had awaken could have lead a productive life. I remember when the family decided to remove the life support system which it was believed kept her alive Karen did not die. Karen continued to live for many years on her own until she died in 1985 at the age of 31 from pneumonia. I think what happened to Karen was the right thing to do. No one killed her she died on her own and that is the natural way.

I think sometimes we the taxpayers expect too much from each other. Living and dying are part of life. We have to learn when to let go and let nature takes its course. I think the family is being unreasonable in this case and they should be made to pay for the services they are demanding. Keeping someone on life support and having nurses and doctors round the clock adds up to thousands of dollars a day and takes up valuable space for other patients who have a chance at life.