HW # 31 - Comments 3

For Ben

I think the point you make in your post that there is no such thing as a perfect health care system is a good one. It is important because as you say at the end a system that covers all the people has to be better than America’s system “where approximately 50 million people are not covered by health insurance at all.” It’s also really important because the people in this country who want to shoot down Obama’s health care program always focus on the flaws instead of on the main point which is that it is unjust that certain people can get health care and certain people can’t. Your American friend’s reaction that in England care is better than ours is the reaction I think everyone has who goes there from this country and needs a doctor. Mainly the opponents to Obama’s program just don’t want to have to pay taxes that will help other people. In England and France people don’t feel that way. I read somewhere that they think of “we” and in America we think of “I.” It seems as though it would be dangerous to live in a country where so many people could get really sick and infect other people or make healthy people feel guilty for not helping them. Great job.


For Natalie

I really liked your comment on the sign you saw in the nursing home while you were waiting for the social worker to take you to the two patients. The sign was essentially saying not to be too optimistic or too pessimistic, and that “It is a time for hope.” You said you thought it was a time for acceptance: “For with acceptance they are able to live out the last of their days fully.” At first I thought that actually hope would be good. Hope to get better and out of there as fast as possible. Then I read that the first patient had been in for 13 years and the second for 8 years! Then I had to disagree with acceptance just speaking for myself. I was back to the idea of hope that death would come as quickly as possible. I think you showed courage going into the nursing home to interview two strangers and that you wrote up the interviews in a really interesting way. The first woman seemed to be happy there. I could see that being with people might be better than being stuck at home with one nurse if you couldn’t move around. The second woman was pretty happy too. She even had a job telling others about her religion. They were lucky they had family members to visit. Both stories mad me feel a little glad I am a male and less likely to live longer than a female, only in the sense of not wanting to be stuck in a nursing home for so many years. Excellent job.

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From Natalie

I thought this was really interesting. It's funny how the majority supports euthanasia for those in dire pain, but most states don't allow it. I like how you supported this claim with your own poll. "The significance of my findings could be that since people are living longer and longer, they are more interested in not dragging out a painful dying experience or a dying when they have lost control of body functions or their minds." I think this is a really good conclusion to your findings. It seems to make sense. Nowadays I believe that people are more content with their lives, making them more ready to accept when their time comes.

From Ben

"The significance of my findings could be that since people are living longer and longer, they are more interested in not dragging out a painful dying experience or a dying when they have lost control of body functions or their minds."

I think this is an extremely valuable insight, because it also brings up the idea that all human's desire eternal existence, and yet your studies indicate that most people would be willing to give that up just because they are in pain. My favorite part of your project is the amount of evidence you used and how thorough your analysis was. Great job!

From Mom

My husband and I do not have Living Wills and after reading your post about euthenasia in the sense of it meaning a "good death" in ancient Greek, I think we should. I was surprised that so many people living where your grandmother lives have one. That statistic of 72% of Americans being in favor of euthanasia for terminally ill people who want to end their lives was surprising considering how religious this country is. I suppose that most religions think that suicide is a sin and obviously murder (by the doctors giving the injections or the pills) is a sin. Choosing to end your life if it is too painful or too dependent on other people sounds like a reasonable and also unselfish thing to do. Being an organ donor is a generous thing to do, and I understand that many old people's organs can be life saving to younger people.


From Dmitry

I don't know if I knew what euthanasia was befor but I thought what you said was interesting. Even though I might be sad if someone like my aunt got drugs from a doctor to kill herself if she was really in pain and wanted to die I guesss I would understand. What you wrote made me think i would want to get drugs from a doctor if I was in pain and wouldn't get any better.