Andrea Clarke and Futile Care Theory in NRO
The latest twist in the Andrea Clarke futile care case is the hospital's pressure. From my article today on NRO:
"Illustrating the level of hardball some hospitals play against patients and families, the Clarke family's lawyer Jerri Ward told me that St. Luke's agreed to pay the $14,806 transportation costs to transfer Clarke to a hospital in Illinois — more than 1,000 miles away — if the decision to transfer is made on Thursday (4/27). If the family doesn't decide until Friday, the hospital will pay only one-half of the cost of transportation. Thereafter, it would pay nothing."
We need to start paying much more attention to the threat of Futile Care Theory, which undermines patient autonomy and the equal moral worth of all human lives.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 2:39 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Houston Chronicle article about the case is here. The good news is that there is movement towards amending this law. I particularly like Dr. William Winslade's comment that the current law puts all the power in the hands of the hospital and this needs to be addressed. My final post on the case is here.
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