Life-extending care has us playing God

Ellen Goodman talked around the basic debate that has now surfaced as to how health care costs can be reined in. Death panel spin is intentional to preserve the status quo.

Let's be frank about it. There are billions of dollars in profit at stake for medical institutions and individuals, if end of life decisions commonly involve the concept of hospice (dieing at home) and saying no to machines for extending life. Every senior should have a living will that expresses his or her view on how he or she wants to exit life.

That's all that is being proposed.

That's why they are modestly suggesting a discussion between doctor and patient every 5 years on the matter. It is estimated that one-third of all health care expenditures (now over $800 billion per year) are spent in the last six months of a person's life. Each of us has to be aware that life extension may only be extending the pain and suffering of a terminal illness and not providing any quality of living to the individual.

The basic question that has never been answered is: Does medical science have the right to play God? One hundred years ago we did not have expensive machines that can extend life. That's when God was in charge.

Tom Braun

Mount Prospect