Court Upholds "Right to Die" Rule

Post by **semperfiguy** » June 19, 2015, 3:39 pm

"The regulation, which came into effect during the term of the Yingluck Shinawatra-led government, recognizes patients' Living Wills in which they can spell out their preferences for medical care at a time when they are unable to make decisions for themselves. In the Living Will they can state what kind of treatments they would or would not want to receive when they reach a terminal stage. Doctors are legally required to comply with these Wills."

This is good news for us expats but bad news for the private hospitals that are intent on milking every baht they can out of a dying patient and their families!

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 62647.html

Post by **merchant seaman** » June 19, 2015, 6:48 pm

another reASON TO GO BACK usa

Post by **jackspratt** » June 19, 2015, 7:32 pm

I am not sure what the seaman is on about

, but on a different level, how does this ruling sit with your self-professed, strong christian beliefs, sfg?

Post by **semperfiguy** » June 19, 2015, 8:08 pm

jackspratt wrote:I am not sure what the seaman is on about , but on a different level, how does this ruling sit with your self-professed, strong christian beliefs, sfg?

Sounds like you're laying in wait to ambush me for hypocrisy again Jackspratt! Don't know why you're so keen on doing that. I don't see how the ruling conflicts with Scripture and my Christian beliefs at all. I am quite comfortable with insisting that my Living Will be honored. I have one for the US and three different formats for Thailand just in case the doctors don't like the language in either one of them. I am only 67 and in excellent health, but I have lived a full life and am prepared to go when it is my time. I have no fear of death because I know where I am going. What's more important to me is that my wife not be robbed of her inheritance by some hypocritical doctor or hospital group that refuses to pull the plug on me on the grounds that is offends their sensitivities as a Buddhist and uses that as an excuse to keep the meter ticking on hospital expenses until my wife is dead broke and has to live the rest of her life as a pauper. This should be a grave concern for any expat who lives in Thailand and wants to do right by his wife and family.

Post by **jackspratt** » June 19, 2015, 8:19 pm

semperfiguy wrote:
Sounds like you're laying in wait to ambush me for hypocrisy again Jackspratt!

Nope .... not at all sfg.

This has been a long running debate in Oz, with the churches leading the fight against living wills, and the right to end your life under certain defined circumstances.

I am a strong believer (as a non-believer) in such wills, and assisted suicide - I was therefore genuinely interested in where you come from as a believer.

Thanks for your response.

Post by **can123** » June 19, 2015, 8:39 pm

semperfiguy wrote: I have no fear of death because I know where I am going. What's more important to me is that my wife not be robbed of her inheritance by some hypocritical doctor or hospital group that refuses to pull the plug on me on the grounds that is offends their sensitivities as a Buddhist and uses that as an excuse to keep the meter ticking on hospital expenses until my wife is dead broke and has to live the rest of her life as a pauper. This should be a grave concern for any expat who lives in Thailand and wants to do right by his wife and family.

How are so sure of your final destination ? Has your life been so wicked that you are bound to spend eternity in Hell ? If, on the other hand, you feel that you are bound for Heaven, is there no chance of you seeing Buddhists there ?

Post by **semperfiguy** » June 19, 2015, 8:41 pm

jackspratt wrote:
semperfiguy wrote:
Sounds like you're laying in wait to ambush me for hypocrisy again Jackspratt!
Nope .... not at all sfg.

This has been a long running debate in Oz, with the churches leading the fight against living wills, and the right to end your life under certain defined circumstances.

I am a strong believer (as a non-believer) in such wills, and assisted suicide - I was therefore genuinely interested in where you come from as a believer.

Thanks for your response.

I appreciate your response Jackspratt! That really surprises me that the churches in Oz are leading a fight against Living Wills. For the last 13 years of my working career back in the US I managed funeral homes and cemeteries and personally met with over 3000 families to make final arrangements for their loved ones. I visited with many of those people in the hospital before they passed away and as a result of all that I observed, I have no problem siding with those who agree with assisted suicide as well as their right to have the plug pulled under certain circumstances as has been expressed in a Living Will. Today I visited a dying neighbor in what appeared to be an ICU ward at the Udon General Hospital. Those poor folks in that ward are absolutely miserable and there's no doubt in my mind that they'd prefer a quick and painless ending to their lives. Unfortunately, they are caught up in a culture warp and their ending is not going to be pretty for any of them or their families. Sad really!

Post by **semperfiguy** » June 19, 2015, 8:54 pm

can123 wrote:
semperfiguy wrote: I have no fear of death because I know where I am going. What's more important to me is that my wife not be robbed of her inheritance by some hypocritical doctor or hospital group that refuses to pull the plug on me on the grounds that is offends their sensitivities as a Buddhist and uses that as an excuse to keep the meter ticking on hospital expenses until my wife is dead broke and has to live the rest of her life as a pauper. This should be a grave concern for any expat who lives in Thailand and wants to do right by his wife and family.
How are so sure of your final destination ? Has your life been so wicked that you are bound to spend eternity in Hell ? If, on the other hand, you feel that you are bound for Heaven, is there no chance of you seeing Buddhists there ?

That's a real conundrum can123. If one adheres to a faith in the Buddhist doctrines then they wouldn't expect to wind up in the Heaven of the Bible, so surely they wouldn't be disappointed in they didn't make it there. Perhaps the greater question should be "where is can123 going"? If you don't have that nailed down, then you can start by knowing this:

1 John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life,

Post by **can123** » June 19, 2015, 9:12 pm

Can123 has always believed that it is his behaviour through the whole of his life which will determine where he will end up. Nearly all the professed Christians I have met have fallen well below the standard that I would set as being the qualifying level for entry to Heaven. An entire family living near me have never performed a Christian act between them but they stride to chapel every Sunday clutching their bibles and generally look down on mankind.

I think there might well be a few disappointments. Is there a right of appeal for those who fail to gain admission ?

Post by **semperfiguy** » June 19, 2015, 9:52 pm

can123 wrote:Can123 has always believed that it is his behaviour through the whole of his life which will determine where he will end up. Nearly all the professed Christians I have met have fallen well below the standard that I would set as being the qualifying level for entry to Heaven. An entire family living near me have never performed a Christian act between them but they stride to chapel every Sunday clutching their bibles and generally look down on mankind.

I think there might well be a few disappointments. Is there a right of appeal for those who fail to gain admission ?

Sorry, the answer is nope! Every man must give an account, not of what he has done in his vain attempts to earn his way into Heaven, but what he has done with Christ. The great challenge in life is not to keep count of all the hypocrites in the church because there would be no end to your counting. The greatest challenge to you is "what will you do with this Jesus"?

John 14:6 says: Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says: Because of His kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.

There will be no "weighing of the scales of justice" at the pearly gates. Sounds good, but it ain't gonna' happen! If that's the way it works, how do you know when you've made it "upstairs"? Might as well flip a coin mate. I'm trusting in what Christ says so that I can know that I know that I know that I'm going to Heaven. I sleep better at nights that way! You can know too if you will only respond to the "challenge". Besides, wouldn't it be great to know that once you get to Heaven the hypocrites that you so despise won't be there! Man, that's something to look forward to all by itself, let alone all the other perks!

Post by **GT93** » June 20, 2015, 11:13 am

Heaven might be a bit boring SFG without colourful folks such as OT and 747man.

The same as jack, I'm not having a go at you. Religions are complicated and I think it's easy to misunderstand them. This is evident in for example the different opinions amongst Christians. I could have mentioned any religion.

It seems to me that individual Christians rarely seem to acknowledge this and seem to think they have God and Christianity pretty much worked out. Are there some significant uncertainties in your views on religious issues? If not, why not?