Monday, July 13, 2009

San Diego Futile Care

In San Diego, you can visit the zoo, but if you enter a hospital, you're advanced directive may not be followed.  Of course it's all for your benefit. Or is it for a taxpayer benefit? How about a hospital benefit?

The San Diego Medical Association, has adopted a Futile Care policy. These policies are like Topsy, they just grew and are growing more. In San Diego, under the Futile Care policy, a health care provider, or institution, is not obligated to comply with the advanced directive, that requires non-beneficial treatment, or treatment contrary to generally accepted health care standards.  

The first rule of medicine, is "do no harm". Along with doing no harm, is the responsibility of medicine, to always provide ordinary, necessary and available care. The Western ethic has always been, a great emphasis on intrinsic worth and a value of human life, regardless of condition or age. This ethic is fast evolving into situational ethics, or a utilitarian ethic. This ethic says you exist, not because you're human, with intrinsic value and worth, but, you exist for the benefit of others. You might even have a duty to die, when you are no longer a benefit to others. If Futile Care protocols dominate medicine, then the Western ethic will cease to exist, and you will have death selection and death control, by society.

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