Wow. that’s. . . wow.
Can’t even really describe it as an assisted suicide.
Seems like it would have been a hell of a lot less legally risky if she’d been the one to pull the trigger
I’ve read of many cases like this, but the always involved elderly people. Sometimes cancer, sometimes vegetative states, sometimes Alzheimers. At least one shooting took place in a hospital.
For cripes sake, why not hospice, mister? I have three or four relatives who went that route and it made things so much easier. I’ve got an uncle (actually a much older cousin) in his last weeks (#FuckCancer, #FuckTobacco) who thanks to hospice care is able to go pain-free while his kids get in their last visits.
Addendum: Mr. Chumbly is three years younger than me but looks ten years older. He’s had a hard life and/or been through hell during his wife’s illness.
It’s so strange to me that we don’t even allow our pets to suffer in their final days, but we’re still having a debate on whether people should.
Pets don’t typically leave inheritances and euthanizing them has much less moral hazard.
But I agree with you.
“I’ll be as callous and uncaring as you can imagine. I have no
interest in paying for your health care. I’d hate to see you get
cancer, but that’s your problem, not mine. I’m going to pay for my
health care, I’m going to take care of my children’s health care and
tend to my wife. And when I stand for charity care (inaudible), you
[and] no one else has the authority to infringe on my right
(inaudible) dig into my pocket and my ability to pay for your health
care or anybody else’s.”
- Steve Lonegan, NJ senate candidate, Republican
My uncle did this for his wife some 50 years ago, she was in such pain and there was no treatments. Plus he had no help with her care other then his son, hospice wasn’t a thing then. I think he was sleep deprived, terribly burdened by her care and her pain, and in great sorrow. We don’t know everything that goes on and I don’t think we can judge really, it was a tragedy no matter what.
Then he shot himself which made it worse. I think if she asked for it to end that there should be an end available but I am not so sure guns are the way to go, they aren’t always painless or exact.
If the story is truly as the husband portrays it, his pain must be unimaginable. In the past 3 years, I have, separately, held my 14 year son as he died just after electrocution, and then two years later, held my father as he breathed his last breath after 4 days in a coma. The depth of his grief must be so deep…
I sat with someone who was closer to me than you can imagine while she took her last breath a couple weeks ago. There is no fucking way I would have shot her. Morphine works really well for pain and hospice isn’t about prolonging suffering.
Everyone stating that they should have used hospice care is assuming that this couple had zero barriers to access. It’s a sad fact that not everyone has the means or opportunity to the kind of end of life care that your relatives have had, so until we know the facts I would suggest withholding your condemnation.
Also, to everyone saying she should have shot herself, you’re assuming she was capable of doing so. Not everyone who is dying has the strength and dexterity to hold a gun in their mouth and pull the trigger, so again, I suggest waiting for concrete knowledge before sharing your opinion.
The whole situation is tragic regardless.
Maybe she left a note?
Disgusting. Nobody has a right to leave this earth without running up a few hundred thousand of dollars of health care debt for a few thousand dollars worth of health care services! Outrageous!
Tremendously sad.
Morphine also makes some people incredibly ill on top of the terrible terminal illness. I am a staunch supporter of hospice, but we don’t know the entire story here. As someone else mentioned, we don’t know whether these people could afford hospice or even had access to it.
Sounds like a real nice guy.
I hope he’s just as firm when it comes to army funding.
If I ever need to ask a loved one to end my suffering in such a way I hope that I’ll have the ability and presence of mind to leave a signed statement or video message explaining that it was my idea. How awful for everyone involved.
Why not write that letter now and leave it at a notary?
Al Yankovics parents died from carbon monoxide because they did not open the flue of their fireplace. it’s not that complicated.
Well I’d rather not give open-ended permission to kill me just YET…
<> guess I have to change my holiday plans
