Dr. Tom Preston, a Compassion & Choices leader in Seattle, chose these poignant words for the title of his new book. They are powerful words, gripping even on paper. Imagine them emerging from the lips of a patient, perhaps one whom the doctor has treated over decades, who is now dying of cancer. They strike [...]
Michael Morgan, founder and Executive Director of the African American Music Foundation, visited my church this week to celebrate Black History Month. During morning service his thrilling bass voice highlighted an inspiring memorial to Paul Robeson. That afternoon he delivered a recital and lecture on spirituals to an overflow crowd. I’ve been humming these spirituals [...]
Last week the government of Quebec announced plans to recognize aid in dying as a legal and protected medical practice in the province. They promise a new law by this summer. A tremendously exciting announcement, it reveals a seismic shift in the thinking of both medical and political leaders. I cannot overstate the magnitude and [...]
This election season is extracting an enormous toll from candidates and citizens alike. Pressure is always intense in a Presidential year, but this year is different. Airwaves and Internet hammer away with news of poll after poll, minute campaign details and endless tit for tat. The presidential race, Senate and House races — even local [...]
Imagine yourself the son or daughter of a grievously ill octogenarian. Your mom or dad suffered a catastrophic event and has been in an ICU, barely conscious, for two weeks. You understand organs are shutting down, but you struggle to understand the medical jargon or the purpose of tubes and machines attached to every orifice. [...]
Expansion in Oregon Tests whether it’s a Distinction without a Difference As I previously blogged, the Catholic hospital brand is no longer desirable in the marketplace for mergers and acquisitions of healthcare entities. This realization led Catholic Healthcare West, the nation’s fifth largest healthcare conglomerate, to give up its status as a ministry of the [...]
It used to be Americans viewed Catholic hospitals and healthcare systems with universal respect and trust. They had no reason to do otherwise. Founded in the nineteenth century by orders of nuns with a mission to care for the poor, Catholic hospitals grew and thrived in modern industrial medicine. Many became conglomerates and dominant sources [...]
Why is it so difficult for doctors to confront the truth when a patient is dying, and almost impossible for most to talk about it openly with the patient and loved ones? Last week I shared a hunch. A journalist asked me the question, “Why do doctors find these conversations so hard?” I said I [...]
Anti-choice forces are taking aim at end-of-life care. They’re after people at the end of a long decline who exercise their right to stop life-prolonging technology or treatment. Their tactic is to tie the hands of doctors attending those patients, when palliative treatment might ease the patient’s chosen death. They seek to undermine the widespread [...]
How do we get doctors to honor our wishes at the end of life? Most recommend preparing an advance directive, and I’m no exception. These documents are not infallible, but they are the best things we’ve got going for us when we can’t speak for ourselves. However, one popular advance directive could actually subvert your [...]
MomsRising.org strongly encourages our visitors to post comments in response to blog postings. We value a diverse range of opinions and perspectives. Our goal is for this space to be educational, thought provoking and respectful. To this end, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that include personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity or profanity.
