Would you want to be kept Alive by Artificial Means?

Question

I don't mean short term. I'm talking about for the rest of your Life. Feeding Tube, Respirator etc...? Or would you want someone to "Pull The Plug"?

Answer 1

Where one uses only *non mechanical* methods to maintain life, the question of *artificial* means does not arise.

;-)

Answer 2

If I couldn't operate without a feeding Tube or Respirator or whatever, then what sort of life would I be having??
If I was braindead or unable to operate on my own PERMANANTLY, then I would consider being kept alive by long term artificial means, a form of cruelty. Pull the plug!! Pull the plug!!

Answer 3

Probably not. I've worked in nursing homes. We had family members of our residents who wanted to keep their loved one alive as long as possible so would go have feeding tubes put in. Some of these people would just linger and linger and just lie there vegetative. When we'd find out that certain residents were getting feeding tubes put we'd just look at each other and shake our heads, it really was sad. But I can also understand why they would want to keep loved ones alive, it's hard to let go. But still, you ultimately have to decide what is best for the person rather than what makes the rest of the family feel good.

Answer 4

Scary answers here. I have ms, and may very well end up on a feeding tube due to swallowing difficulties. Do I want to starve to death because of lost muscle control in my throat? The idea terrifies me. I have value far beyond being able to swallow. It is important to remember that being given nutrition is not artificial, it is basic human dignity. Look deeper at this issue, think about consciousness, if I am unresponsive, and look to be so for the long term, I would refuse antibitotics for infection, which is inevitable, have a DNR order, and refuse any electronic aid to breathing. Dying of hunger or thirst, no way.

Answer 5

I have made sure that my family knows that if something happened to me abxcolutely no long term life support. To me that is stopping what God wants. If He is caing me home of course He can take me life support or not but it is not right to me. What is th point? If God has called you home it is just a shell there anyway why try and keep it alive. If it is a coma try and see if I am gong to come out of it but if there are no active brain waves pull the plug.

Answer 6

My wife and family have my written instructions: in the absence of any hope of recovery I am to be kept alive only as long as it take to harvest any and all transplantable organs and/or tissues! Then let me go!

There are thousands (hundreds of thousands, millions) of people who could lead productive lives that need organ/tissue transplants. If I have no hope of "living" give them a chance.

Let's not even get into the costs associated with long term full life support in todays medical economy...

Answer 7

Apparently the only person on the planet who wanted to be kept alive by any means necessary was Terry Schiavo.

Or that's what the "culture of 'life'" people seem to think, because I don't hear any of them saying they would want to be kept alive forever.

Answer 8

I would want to be kept alive long enough for those who wanted to say good-bye to me to be able to. Then, they can pull the plug before I start getting bed-sores. Although, if I was rich, I'd want to try cryogenics.

Answer 9

I wouldn't want to be a bother for my Family. I would rather they let me go and they keep on with their life. I would hope they realize that it would be the best thing to do, why would they want to see their Mother or Wife in pain helpless daily for the rest of her life, better to let me go and end the pain once and for all:)

Answer 10

Pull the plug - if God wanted me to be a vegetable I'd have been born a carrot.