Re: What does the future hold for Ariel Sharon?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William Highfield" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: [CAT23-Achat] What does the future hold for Ariel Sharon?


> Peter,
>
> (1) Surely you're not comparing the medical treatment you would give a
> dog with what you would administer to a human, would you?

It depends on whether you are comparing the medical treatment on the grounds of cost, or on the grounds of 
cruelty. Sometimes with a dog you might be able to afford to pay a vet to give further treatment, but you decide 
not to because you care for your dog and do not want to be cruel to him.


> (2) Each person and family must make their own decisions on what kind of
> medical care should be given, and to what extent they try to preserve
> life.  If sharon's family wants to fight like hell to preserve his life,
> who are we to say they should not?  Now, if he left a living will IN
> WRITING that says he should not be given surgery to save his life in
> this situation, that's a different story, but whenever in doubt, the
> default treatment MUST be to preserve life.  A society that does not
> value life or fight to defend it isn't one worth having, in my opinion.

How much of the decisions concerning Sharon's treatment are with his family, and how much is to do with the fact 
that he is the prime minister of Israel?


> What alternative are you putting forth?  Should the doctors and family
> have stood by and said "To hell with it, he's old, let him die"???

I am wondering whether that would have been kinder to him.

Regards
Peter