Doctor admits euthanizing patients during Katrina

Doctor admits euthanizing patients during Katrina

By ProPublica

Published: August 29, 2009


A doctor who was working the rounds at New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina has admitted euthanizing patients during a crucial shortage of energy and supplies at the hospital.
Despite the revelations, the state prosecution service in Louisiana says it will not re-open an investigation into the matter, the Associated Press reports.
The doctor’s admission comes on the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast, an event that would lead to the death of more than 1,000 people and the di

(visit the link for the full news article)

Why pray tell is this man not in jail for MURDERING people? Is it becouse this new BLANKET IMMUNITY? do they think that they can just give all medical staff and big pham companys immunities so they can roll out anything they want. As long as the government gets their cut who cares? Is this what we are going to be seeing more of when this Swine-flu deal gets rolled out in september or october? Just becouse it was a disaster site makes it to were they dont have to follow the laws of being a HUMAN? Your comments are always welcome and please help me understand why this is being allowed.


(visit the link for the full news article)

Sorry it was cut off and it would not post link also. Here it is.

By ProPublica

Published: August 29, 2009


A doctor who was working the rounds at New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina has admitted euthanizing patients during a crucial shortage of energy and supplies at the hospital.
Despite the revelations, the state prosecution service in Louisiana says it will not re-open an investigation into the matter, the Associated Press reports.
The doctor’s admission comes on the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast, an event that would lead to the death of more than 1,000 people and the displacement of a city of one million.
It also comes at a time when the US is busy debating fundamental reforms to the country’s health system. The specter of “rationed health care” has been raised during the debate.
But in the panic and chaos of Katrina, the notion of “rationed care” was taken to a brutal new level.
Dr. Ewing Cook told ProPublica’s Sheri Fink that he gave the order to give an elderly patient a dose of morphine he knew would kill her.
‘‘Do you mind just increasing the morphine and giving her enough until she goes?’’ Cook says he asked the patient’s nurse.
In a sign of his certainty the patient would die under the morphine overdose, Cook penciled in “Pronounced dead at” on the patient’s chart and left it blank to be filled in later.
‘‘To me, it was a no-brainer, and to this day I don’t feel bad about what I did,’’ Cook told ProPublica. ‘‘I gave her medicine so I could get rid of her faster, get the nurses off the floor.’’
He added, ‘‘There’s no question I hastened her demise.’’

WOW! BUMP AND FLAG!

This is insane.

I don't understand why this is insane? If someone is going to die, they are too sick to be moved, and staying put would require endangering the lives of many healthy people, then what do you suggest?

Should the doctor and nurse have sacrificed their own lives to buy this woman a few extra hours of pain?

Should they have done nothing and let her drown or be crushed by debris?

Should they have tried to move her and have her die in a chaotic mess of machines, wires, scrambling, and panic?

Doctors make life and death decisions everyday, and they are the best people to make these decisions! Sometimes they refuse heart surgeries that are deemed too dangerous, and patients subsequently die. Other times they attempt surgeries and patients may live or die as a result!

I believe this doctor made a Judgement call that only he was qualified to do, and that the nurse obviously agreed with his call and had no problem carrying it out! Therefore to both of these professionals!!

[edit on 3-9-2009 by getreadyalready]

Katrina was a horrible disaster.

You cannot fault the doctor for what he did.

The gov't failed these people. How long were they supposed to wait for help and relief?

NOLA is hot and humid on the best of days. Imagine being surrounded by fetid water and no electricity, with the lives of hundreds of patients in your hands.

The doctor made a humane decision.

Originally posted by jsobecky
Katrina was a horrible disaster.

You cannot fault the doctor for what he did.

The gov't failed these people.

So if the government creates "A horrible disaster" then its ok to kill the ones you dont "THINK" will make it? Gee im glad your not my doctor!

Originally posted by Red Dawn 09
So if the government creates "A horrible disaster" then its ok to kill the ones you dont "THINK" will make it? Gee im glad your not my doctor!

What makes you "assume" he killed them ?

Euthanasia by consent:

Euthanasia may be conducted with consent (voluntary euthanasia) or without consent (involuntary euthanasia). Involuntary euthanasia is conducted where an individual makes a decision for another person incapable of doing so.


Euthanasia by means:

Euthanasia may be conducted passively, non-actively, and actively. Passive euthanasia entails the withholding of common treatments (such as antibiotics, chemotherapy in cancer, or surgery) or the distribution of a medication (such as morphine) to relieve pain, knowing that it may also result in death (principle of double effect). Passive euthanasia is the most accepted form, and it is a common practice in most hospitals. Non-active euthanasia entails the withdrawing of life support and is more controversial. Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances or forces to kill and is the most controversial means. An individual may use a euthanasia machine to perform euthanasia on himself / herself.

If what the doctor did (or didn't do) was within these 2 definitions I see no issues with his actions.

reply to post by Red Dawn 09


When you'll be a doctor in this very situation you'll get the right to criticize what he did, he did the best he can and now idiot call him a serial killer, you cannot judge what you have not faced, be him at this moment and speak and if you have not experienced the same situation then be quiet!!!

I read this whole story, took awhile, as its long. It's one of those stories I wish I could UNREAD.

I cant even begin to tell you how sickened I was, I actually couldnt sleep for a day or two. In this world, there arent many people we can actually trust. For some, its our parents. But anymore, even family members can't be trusted.

You come to think of the doctors and nurses as someone you trust with your life. After all, who else is there to put your life in their hands?

These people put their lives in these doctors and nurses hands, and they threw it away like it was nothing. Like they were unwanted dogs.
All because of what? Because they didnt want to try and get them out of the hospital? Because some of them were obese and it might take an extra few people to help get them out? Because they were tired...Because they didnt want to stay themselves..Because the patients would be aware if they died or not? I literally cried when I read about the obese mexican man. He even got up that morning to feed himself breakfast, and told the nurse, Are we ready to rock? Hey man, dont let them leave me here.! Then she comes in later to give him something that will "make him feel better"...and overdoses him on morphine to kill him, so they wouldnt have to try and get him out.

I cant even say anything else..it sickens me to the core of my very being.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Yummy Freelunch]

Originally posted by jsobecky
Katrina was a horrible disaster.

You cannot fault the doctor for what he did.

The gov't failed these people. How long were they supposed to wait for help and relief?

NOLA is hot and humid on the best of days. Imagine being surrounded by fetid water and no electricity, with the lives of hundreds of patients in your hands.

The doctor made a humane decision.

Once again, I find myself in agreement. (Don't get real used to it ) If I were a terminal patient in a New Orleans hospital in the wake of Katrina...or if my mother or child were in the same circumstance...and the city was being abandoned as it was, I would much prefer to allow Morpheus to take me than to wait for death in my own waste, surrounded by others dead and dying.

This whole issue is absolutely beyond the realm of what we know as the real world, and given what I've heard...the doctor deserves a medal.

If anyone should be taken to task...it's the officials and politicians that allowed the city to fail.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


Well said.

This guy obviously made some of the hardest decisions anyone is ever likely to make. Given the situation i think he did the right thing.

Its funny so many are in uproar about this, you vote in governments who use military's to enforce their own methods of euthanasia on civilian men, women and children. Bombs, tanks, bullets... oh i guess they are less dignified than a shot and falling to sleep.

reply to post by jsobecky



I too agree that the Doctor made the only humane decision possible.

Much better to take the long sleep than die alone in pain.

Obviously some of you didnt read the whole story!

The obese man they "killed" on the 7th floor was fully aware and ready to go!! He was paralyzed from the waist down, and couldnt get himself out.

The older lady on the bottom floor who asked one of the doctors to clean her tracheostomy , she grabbed his hand and had a look of fear, and he told her to keep fighting. They "killed" her later.

An obese black man, took a very long time to die after they injected him with the 2 drugs..everyone could hear his death rattle. They even gave him more drugs, but he wouldnt die. So they started to wheel him to the helicopter.

One lady even woke up after being injected and moaned, "that burns" as it entered her veins.

One other obese man, the doctor even thought he was dead, had to touch him to see if he was alive. The man said.."Im ok doc, go see to someone else." Thankfully they didnt "kill" him. He's still alive today..and a witness.


Sure there were some patients who were comatose or unaware..but they were there to fight for their lives, and they put their lives in the hands of the ONLY ones capable of helping them.

Its also not THEIR fault that Katrina happened and they had every right to live, as much as these doctors. Who only saved their own asses and the ones that were easy to get out.

They killed over 40 people that day. For no reason.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Yummy Freelunch]

The first 2 posts say

(visit the link for the full news article)

But i didn't see any link.

I searched on Google and found this, if anyone is looking for a link:

www.nytimes.com...

Hopefully it's the right link and if not maybe the OP can correct it.

Yes it's a long story and will take me a while to read it, but for now I'm just posting the link. If I have any comments after reading it I'll post those later.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Yes, i think thats the right link..its also on here which will lead you to your link also. Hmmm strange..the OP had links up the other day

reply to post by Yummy Freelunch


If you say the OP had links up the other day I believe you, but it makes me wonder what happened to them.

Thanks for confirming it's the right link.

Regards

Originally posted by Arbitrageur
reply to post by Yummy Freelunch

 

If you say the OP had links up the other day I believe you, but it makes me wonder what happened to them.

Thanks for confirming it's the right link.

Regards

Yes, me too!!! Because that's how I found the story..lol...and strange also, the whole story was on the RAW site too, now its shortened..hmmm maybe there was another post here like this one that I read?

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Yummy Freelunch]

Originally posted by Yummy Freelunch
They killed over 40 people that day. For no reason.

Hmmm and how many would have died had the Doctors not been there at all to assist some of the people ?

I'm sick of society and its self imposed judges who think they know better about a situation they were never involved. Too many people these days think they know better even without experience or knowledge of a situation and enjoy far too much finger pointing at others just to play the "blame game"

Just out of curiosity, where were you ? Did you not come to the aid of these poor innocents who were murdered ? Why didn't YOU do something to help them ?

I can see this if someone is a vegetable. I can see this if they are a coma patient. I can see this if they are terminal.

But because they are inconvenient? That is totally not cool.