aemeijers wrote:

Guess what? IMHO, most grandmas (and grandpas) would prefer to NOT get
plugged up in the first place, once they are past a certain point on
the decay curve. It should be their decision, of course, not the
family's and for damn sure not the doctor's. But of the older
relatives and friends I have discussed this with (now that I am
going gray), pretty much all of them said that once they are not
aware of their surroundings, they would just as soon not hang around.
They all routinely insist on DNR orders when they go into the
hospital. Said orders apply if their gatekeeper physician decides that
recovery
to a functional self-sufficient state is unlikely. Keep them clean,
keep them out of pain, but otherwise let nature take its course.

You're probably right, but, like the president's promise that "if you like
your current policy, you can keep it," it is the height of officious
arrogance for the government to assert either claim.

The government should NOT even mention that many would prefer DNR. The
government should NOT even mention I can keep my plan. For the government to
even contemplate either is to admit they can take action to nullify my
choices.

I feel the same way about physician-assisted suicide - I'm against it. The
suicide's okay, but not the physician part. Physicians should be BARRED from
such action. Maybe a suicide nurse is the answer. Or a dentist. Or a
veterinarian.

You see, I want to be assured that my physician is always on my side, that
he will never, ever, contemplate taking my life. It is his job to INTERFERE
with the death process. He will always lose, but he should never, never,
never quit trying.