OK, I Want to Exit. What’s Next?
John Abraham explains the process to receive educational and training services from the Final Exit Network if you are considering a self-controlled death.
21 MAJOR END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
This week's post is a checklist of 21 major end-of-life decisions by John Abraham, author of “How To Get The Death You Want — A Practical and Moral Guide” (2017, Upper Access Press) and on Amazon
Contact: JohnWithFEN@earthlink.net
Web site: www.DeathAndDyingHelp.com
A theological view of death and suffering
Most objectors to the right to die stand on religious grounds, claiming that God gave life and only God can take life away. Also, any deliberate ending of life is breaking the sixth commandment and therefore a mortal sin. Life is sacred and must be preserved at all costs, only God can decide when and how our lives will end, and Christians are supposed to suffer because it allows them to empathize with Jesus’ suffering.
This interpretation of the sixth commandment is, in fact, wrong.
Finding and being a good (or great) health care advocate
One problem with advance directives is that often they are not honored. It is critical that you have a good advocate who demands that you get only the care you want and do not get what is not wanted, not only at end of life but at any time you encounter a medical institution. You will need to choose someone who meets the legal requirements to act as a health care or medical agent, which some states call a proxy, surrogate, or representative. I call this person your "advocate." State requirements differ greatly, so be sure to use your state's forms for naming a health care or medical agent, not generic documents like the "5 wishes."