Euthanasia is not palliatve care
Addenbrooke's hospital must respect the right to life for everyone.
Addenbrooke's hospital must respect the right to life for everyone.
A judge has ruled that a grandmother in her ‘50s who is on life support must die, against the wishes of her family.
The woman, who cannot be named, has been left paralysed and with brain damage as a result of contracting COVID-19.
Far from being classified as ‘brain dead', the woman’s family say that she is able to feel and show degrees of emotion and enjoys watching episodes of Mr Bean, Eastenders and other popular TV shows on her iPad.
According to testimony given to the court by the family’s barrister, the woman can communicate and respond to questions. She moves her head, pulls a face when she finds something funny, squints when she is in pain and can remember things to an extent. The woman also enjoys being tickled.
The hospital trust claims that there is nothing more that can be done for this woman and therefore her life support should be removed because it is ‘adding to her burden and causing her pain’.
The woman’s family claims that when she had full mental capacity she consented to the full escalation of her treatment and that the judge failed to consider the importance of her religious and cultural beliefs.
The decision to end this woman’s life is an attempt at forced euthanasia. It is chilling that a court can consider ending the life of a person against theirs and their family's wishes, especially when they are conscious.
This is another case of a hospital trust and the courts acting as though they have the power of life and death over a patient and riding roughshod over the family’s wishes. These court cases cost the NHS several thousands of pounds in legal fees, money which could be better spent elsewhere.
Sign the petition demanding that Addenbrookes hospital withdraw this unnecessary legal action and continue to give this grandmother the medical care she needs.
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Drop the court case forcing a woman to die
To Roland Sinker CEO, and Dr Mike Moore the Chair of Cambridge University Hospitals Board
Dear Sirs
I wish to express my concern that you are applying through the courts for permission to end the life of a grandmother in her ‘50s who has suffered severe complications due to contracting Covid-19.
It is always wrong to take steps to end the life of a patient deliberately. Still, this case is particularly horrific in that you are acting not only against the wishes of her family but also against the wishes of the patient herself and failing to take into account her religious beliefs and cultural background.
Ending this patient’s life support is nothing more than forced euthanasia.
It is clear from the testimony given in court that despite her condition, the patient is still able to derive some enjoyment from life which makes the decision to terminate her life appear to be particularly callous in nature.
Switching off someone’s life support against their wishes while they are still conscious is not palliative care.
Palliative care entails accompanying and supporting a patient as their life draws to a natural close while keeping them as comfortable as possible.
The decision to spend scores of hundreds of pounds on legal fees to ensure that this woman’s life is brought to a premature end will undermine public trust in medical professionals, Addenbrooke’s hospital and the National Health Service.
Please respect this woman’s right to life, the most fundamental human right of all, withdraw your court case and give the patient the medical care she needs.
Yours sincerely,
Drop the court case forcing a woman to die
To Roland Sinker CEO, and Dr Mike Moore the Chair of Cambridge University Hospitals Board
Dear Sirs
I wish to express my concern that you are applying through the courts for permission to end the life of a grandmother in her ‘50s who has suffered severe complications due to contracting Covid-19.
It is always wrong to take steps to end the life of a patient deliberately. Still, this case is particularly horrific in that you are acting not only against the wishes of her family but also against the wishes of the patient herself and failing to take into account her religious beliefs and cultural background.
Ending this patient’s life support is nothing more than forced euthanasia.
It is clear from the testimony given in court that despite her condition, the patient is still able to derive some enjoyment from life which makes the decision to terminate her life appear to be particularly callous in nature.
Switching off someone’s life support against their wishes while they are still conscious is not palliative care.
Palliative care entails accompanying and supporting a patient as their life draws to a natural close while keeping them as comfortable as possible.
The decision to spend scores of hundreds of pounds on legal fees to ensure that this woman’s life is brought to a premature end will undermine public trust in medical professionals, Addenbrooke’s hospital and the National Health Service.
Please respect this woman’s right to life, the most fundamental human right of all, withdraw your court case and give the patient the medical care she needs.
Yours sincerely,
