@lind9650 wrote:And yet, it is happening and has happened for many years.
30 years ago my mother-in-law was a the end stage of terminal cancer. She was in agony and often delirious The Doctors decided to increase the dosage of Morphine gradually. Few hours later, she passed away peacefully.
25 Years ago my dear father had a massive brain heamorage. He was at my home at that time. When the Doctor arrived (who was a friend of my father and knew him well.) he told me that he could call the Ambulance to take my father to Hospital, but that there was nothing Doctors could do. If they savd his life, he would be a vegetable, depending on life support.
I knew that my highly intelligent father never wanted to be kept in such state and asked the Doctor to go by my fathers wishes.
After giving my father an injection, while I held him in my arms, the Doctor waited a little time, then told me that I could let go of my father, he had peacefully gone.
Most Doctors are strictly following the rules, especially today where many try to sue Doctors and Hospitals.
Some Doctors are compassionate enough to know what torture it can be to keep a terminally ill person alive.
Erica
Erica, that happened to my mother and my father amost identically. My mother, in 1968 after a massive brain heamorage and my father 21 years ago with cancer. I was nursing my father at home in 1984 as was his wish and after he lost all his senses and was calling out for his mother and struggling to breathe I called the family doctor. To this day I don't know why but I called all the relevant family members to gather as well. The doctor asked us to leave the room and then after a few minutes asked us to come back in. Within 10 minutes my dad passed away and we were all with him. The doctor didn't ask us what we wanted and took it upon himself to administer the dose. However, it was the right thing to do as the only other alternative was to hospitalise him and delay the inevitable for a few more days.
With my mother, and I acknowledge it was a different time back then, she was 36, she was rushed to hospital and they asked my father what he wanted done as she would have been permanently comatose and had very little hope of survival. My father made the decision to let her go and after an injection she only lasted a few hours. I was only a child then and wasn't privy to the conversation, only what my father told me in later years, but still remember my father's face when talking to the doctors. As she was so young it would have been very unfair to allow her to continue in the state she was in.
It has been going on for years and while these days I would ask a lot of questions, I still think everyone has the right to choose their own end and it has nothing to do with doctors, government policy or religion.
Very wise move She ele. I'm currently putting together all the info my kids will need such as pre paid funeral contact info etc. Even though I've told them over and over that i have it I doubt they would know what to do once the time comes. Having had a couple of ticker attacks I reckon I should get it sorted sooner rather than later.
You've prompted me to look at the enduring power issue too as even though we've discussed it there is nothing in writing so thanks for that. Ultimately though it's something difficult to discuss now it will make things easier for them down the track won't it. 
It's interesting isn't it Polks. I remember a documentary of this a while ago where they were looking at the expense of keeping people on life support when there was no hope of recovery. Even though the person on life support had given specific instructions, doctors and family were going against their wishes as well as families going against doctors wishes. It's a hard one all right.
Does that apply in all states or only Queensland?
