Petition -- Hospital Ignores Family Wishes
Many of you subscribe to The Autism Acceptance Project's monthly newsletter. In my blog AND in our last issue, Barb Farlow, a mother with a child with Trisomy 13, wrote a piece on how a Toronto hospital issued a DNR without her consent. She has been an active advocate ever since for the rights of disabled individuals everywhere.
Barb directed me to this petition, where Grace Hospital in Winnipeg ignored a family's wishes and issued a DNR without their consent.
Why is this important to discuss and what relevance does it have for autistic people? It has to do with human value and worth and how others ascribe or take away that value. Do hospitals truly understand the great lives we lead with disability in the family? What happens when hospitals get to decide human worth when our non verbal children become ill? Will they think that our kids are "tragedies" and make consequent decisions based on that false assumption? Please consider what it means to sign that petition for our children.
Barb directed me to this petition, where Grace Hospital in Winnipeg ignored a family's wishes and issued a DNR without their consent.
Why is this important to discuss and what relevance does it have for autistic people? It has to do with human value and worth and how others ascribe or take away that value. Do hospitals truly understand the great lives we lead with disability in the family? What happens when hospitals get to decide human worth when our non verbal children become ill? Will they think that our kids are "tragedies" and make consequent decisions based on that false assumption? Please consider what it means to sign that petition for our children.
4 Comments:
I find that sad that there has to be a petition.
When my 6yr was just in for dental surgery (Tues), I got parent of NT child comments on "how well he did", but never a feeling of "we didn't expect him to do that well" by any of the professionals. Just simple... don't worry.. your child handled the OR and recovery without you there without fear. The NT child before him freaked - and we watched her - she was hard to miss. Mine, went with the nurses, put the mask on, counted to 20, fell asleep, took his tylenol afterwards without a fuss, even "talked" to the nurses in his one word sentences.
He was the pet.. he did amazing... he never got a "I can't believe he has autism" comment... he was just another child in the day surgery ward.
Had some excellent conversations with the nurses and other professionals in his sphere that day - I educate wherever I can - and I hope others learn "not to judge the Autism by it's cover". Which is my new phrase... probably only makes sense to me :)
S.
Many Americans long for a state controlled health care system like Canada has.
What they don't realize is that once the state controls the whole system, it can make whatever (cost saving) rules it wants, even those that eliminate those perceived to not be economically feasible.
Joe
This is outrageous! The disabled are born persons just like anyone else!
I agree with Joe. One reason why I worry about womb to the tomb healthcare is that the costcutters will believe they have the right to dictate who is "worth" saving and who is not!
Tammy
I know this is not actually a comment but as I was unable to ascertain an alternative method with which to communicate with the author of this site I decided that posting in the comment section while incorrect would have to function. I am a second year medical student and and Aspie/HFA, I am sending an email to spectrum blogggers asking for their definitions of three words in an effort to impress on the medical community that the way they view the spectrum community may not be how it views itself. If you would like to participate in this endeavour please email me at sedwards2010@meds.uwo.ca and I will send you the formal request survey- literally three blanks following three words. thank you for your time and please excuse the incorrect usage of the comments box.
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