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THE EFFECTS OF STARVATION / DEHYDRATION ON THE HUMAN BODY!

THE SERIOUS HARMFUL PAINFUL EFFECTS ON THE BODY AS A RESULT OF STARVATION /DEHYDRATION OF THE PATIENT???as in the new legal Mental Capacity law in Britain? NO TO EUTHANASIA.... NO TO EUTHANASIA.... NO TO EUTHANASIA...???

Helen Valois

March 29, 2006


When one reads stories about Terri Schindler-Schiavo, one often encounters a timeline which places her on a continuum with Karen Ann Quinlan and Nancy Cruzan. It is difficult, however, to understand why these cases are thought to be related. Quinlan's parents removed a respirator, not a feeding tube, from their daughter. "When asked if he also wanted her intravenous feeding ended, her father said, 'Oh, no, this is her nourishment!'" according to Nat Henthoff [1]. In Nancy Cruzan's case, it was her own parents who, unlike the

Schindlers, fought to kill their daughter. Instructively, Joe Cruzan, Nancy's father, also killed himself shortly thereafter. So as we ponder the meaning of Terri's execution-by-court-order this week, why not situate it in the context of precedents that are more pertinent?

Take the case of Paul Brophy, for instance. A firefighter who suffered a ruptured blood vessel at the base of the brain, Brophy was being fed by tube and was diagnosed, amidst medical controversy on this point, as being in a "persistent vegetative state." His wife Patricia went to court to have the tube removed, on the grounds that: "My husband is not the man I married . . . In essence his life is over. . . . There is no quality of life." [2] Sound familiar?

 

If reporters wanted to bring up cases that would truly shed light on the Schindler-Schiavo situation, they might direct our attention to scenes like this one, that occurred during the Brophy trial [3]:

There was another thing the judge wanted to know. If he ruled that all nutrition and hydration should be stopped, what would happen to Paul Brophy? He would die within five days to three weeks. But how would he die?

In his findings of fact, the trial judge, David Kopelman, listed the effects 'Brophy's body would be likely to experience' if he were to be deprived of all nutrition and hydration.

This is what the judge found out:

* His mouth would dry out and become caked or coated with thick material.
* His lips would become parched and cracked or fissured.
* His tongue would become swollen and might crack.
* His eyes would sink back into their orbits.
* His cheeks would become hollow.
* The mucosa (lining) of his nose might crack and cause his nose to bleed.
* His skin would hang loose on his body and become dry and scaly.
* His urine would become highly concentrated, causing burning of the bladder.
* The lining of his stomach would dry out, causing dry heaves and vomiting.
* He would develop hyperthermia, a very high body temperature.
* His brain cells would begin drying out, causing convulsions.
* His respiratory tract would dry out, giving rise to very thick secretions, which could plug his lungs and cause death.
* Eventually his major organs would fail, including his lungs, heart, and brain.
* VERY INHUMANE...VERY INHUMANE...VERY INHUMANE..!

This information disturbed the judge. So did testimony by Dr. Richard Field, the chief of staff at New England Sinai Hospital, where Paul Brophy was a patient. Dr. Field was asked if he had ever seen a person dehydrate and starve to death..............

FOR MORE DETAILS:
Please go to the website:
www.renewamerica.us/columns/valois/060329

From Dr Katme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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