Katrina - Doctors Killed Critically Ill Patients - Mercy Killing Or ?

GotZoom

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Apr 20, 2005
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Cordova, TN
Doctors working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leaving them to die in agony as they evacuated hospitals, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

With gangs of rapists and looters rampaging through wards in the flooded city, senior doctors took the harrowing decision to give massive overdoses of morphine to those they believed could not make it out alive.

In an extraordinary interview with The Mail on Sunday, one New Orleans doctor told how she 'prayed for God to have mercy on her soul' after she ignored every tenet of medical ethics and ended the lives of patients she had earlier fought to save.

Her heart-rending account has been corroborated by a hospital orderly and by local government officials. One emergency official, William 'Forest' McQueen, said: "Those who had no chance of making it were given a lot of morphine and lain down in a dark place to die."

Euthanasia is illegal in Louisiana, and The Mail on Sunday is protecting the identities of the medical staff concerned to prevent them being made scapegoats for the events of last week.

Their families believe their confessions are an indictment of the appalling failure of American authorities to help those in desperate need after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city, claiming thousands of lives and making 500,000 homeless.

'These people were going to die anyway'

The doctor said: "I didn't know if I was doing the right thing. But I did not have time. I had to make snap decisions, under the most appalling circumstances, and I did what I thought was right.

"I injected morphine into those patients who were dying and in agony. If the first dose was not enough, I gave a double dose. And at night I prayed to God to have mercy on my soul."

The doctor, who finally fled her hospital late last week in fear of being murdered by the armed looters, said: "This was not murder, this was compassion. They would have been dead within hours, if not days. We did not put people down. What we did was give comfort to the end.

"I had cancer patients who were in agony. In some cases the drugs may have speeded up the death process.

"We divided patients into three categories: those who were traumatised but medically fit enough to survive, those who needed urgent care, and the dying.

"People would find it impossible to understand the situation. I had to make life-or-death decisions in a split second.

"It came down to giving people the basic human right to die with dignity.

"There were patients with Do Not Resuscitate signs. Under normal circumstances, some could have lasted several days. But when the power went out, we had nothing.

"Some of the very sick became distressed. We tried to make them as comfortable as possible.

"The pharmacy was under lockdown because gangs of armed looters were roaming around looking for their fix. You have to understand these people were going to die anyway."

Mr McQueen, a utility manager for the town of Abita Springs, half an hour north of New Orleans, told relatives that patients had been 'put down', saying: "They injected them, but nurses stayed with them until they died."

Mr McQueen has been working closely with emergency teams and added: "They had to make unbearable decisions."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=361980
 
"It came down to giving people the basic human right to die with dignity."

Is that not one of the most Orwellian phrases you have ever heard?
 
I think this is one of the most hurrendous examples of people entrusted with preserving life just take life matters into their own hands because THEY lacked faith and hope.

Their families believe their confessions are an indictment of the appalling failure of American authorities to help those in desperate need after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city, claiming thousands of lives and making 500,000 homeless
.

And now not only are they not responsible for their horrific deeds but Bush and the government are.

KILLING = Compassion now.
 
I can hear it now.

Those nursing home workers who left half their patients in the nursing home while they and the other half evacuated; only to find those left behind all died from drowning - they are going to use this as their defense.

"We only left the critically ill...we knew it would be quick...we didn't want to do it...but just like those doctors...we had to make a choice."

Barbaric.

They should all be put in a cell have the key thrown away.
 
wonder where these doctors received their MD's...and Hollywood got this political issue correct with the old movie..."Soilent Green" seems they have lost the touch lately though!
 
One emergency official, William 'Forest' McQueen, said:
Mr McQueen, a utility manager for the town of Abita Springs...
So which is it?
Is Mcqueen an emergency official (whatever that is), or a maintenance man?
I may be wrong, but I think this story is.... :bsflag:
 
When people are dying, they are often pumped up with Morphine to ease the agonizing pain. If I was dying soon anyway, I would prefer to go right away than lie there for a few days in that kind of pain. If I'm not having a high level level of pain, then I would like a chance to live even for a short while.

I am not saying that the medical staff did the right thing here, but I do understand why they might think it is merciful.

Here's the part that concerns me- the article states that the pharmacy was "under lockdown" due to marauding thugs. If that means that morphine was available, but no one was willing/brave enough to go get it, then total shame on them.
 
Abbey Normal said:
When people are dying, they are often pumped up with Morphine to ease the agonizing pain. If I was dying soon anyway, I would prefer to go right away than lie there for a few days in that kind of pain. If I'm not having a high level level of pain, then I would like a chance to live even for a short while.

I am not saying that the medical staff did the right thing here, but I do understand why they might think it is merciful.

Here's the part that concerns me- the article states that the pharmacy was "under lockdown" due to marauding thugs. If that means that morphine was available, but no one was willing/brave enough to go get it, then total shame on them.



partially agree....however why not go as far as issuing MD's with 9mm Glocks that would be quick and painless...I think they just cut and ran...not in the interest of the patients...IMO!
 
I still think the story is :bsflag: ....

You guys know very well if it were true the "Get Bush Media" would have been ALL OVER IT. Instead it comes out in the UK? :rotflmao: :lame2:
 
Mr. P said:
I still think the story is :bsflag: ....

You guys know very well if it were true the "Get Bush Media" would have been ALL OVER IT. Instead it comes out in the UK? :rotflmao: :lame2:


who really knows anymore what is true and what is fiction...tis fun speculating though! :cof:
 
archangel said:
partially agree....however why not go as far as issuing MD's with 9mm Glocks that would be quick and painless...I think they just cut and ran...not in the interest of the patients...IMO!

Call me young lady one more time, and I may have to give you positive rep points.
029.gif


(Alarms sounding. Rep code violation in progress. Aggh!) :)
 
Abbey Normal said:
Call me young lady one more time, and I may have to give you positive rep points.
029.gif


(Alarms sounding. Rep code violation in progress. Aggh!) :)



now I am in trouble again...sorry missy..opps there I go again...better go start dinner before I am severely beat...LOL :thanks:
 

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