How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?

[Procrustes Stretched]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."



Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

whatever planet you cane from: Dante is a non believer


all things being relative, you come across as a class A imbecile

 

[Vox]

30 - 40 years ago the population was different. try comparing the situation to one with a period of massive immigration of non English speaking populations and more specific data reflecting populations. Your critical thinking skill set is more like those from -- oh wait -- 30 - 40 years ago.

sample bias.

we do not have such a massive immigration now and actually the vast majority of immigrants are pretty well educated - the ones which overstay their visas ( and that is 35-40% of the illegal immigration) are at least high school educated, and majority - university educated. The LEGAL immigration to this country is basically very educated people.

?

"is"????????????????? edumacated?

Migration Information Source - Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

A Record-Setting Decade of Immigration: 2000-2010 | Center for Immigration Studies

and? as I stated - the legal immigration to this country is very well educated people.

and it is not the immigrants which ruined the school system in this country - children which go to school learn English almost immediately.

If it is being required.

And if it is NOT - that IS the part of dumbing down the public school system of this country for the last 30-40 years - for political correctness reasons. The dumb Mexicans which cross the border illegally should not be required to learn English becasue it might hurt their feewings - and you ripe what you saw

 

[Vox]

It has nothing to do with faith.

plenty of our leftard atheists here, on the board, were all in arms to continue the ventilation of the Jahi's body.

since the left is usually more ignorant than the right, it is not surprising.

people do not know basic things - thanks to the derailed by the left public school system of education.

Ha,ha, if that was true, you would be at the top of the list of leftists.....so, you must be the exception on the right?......

piss off, the product of dumbing down the educational system of this country

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."



Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

whatever planet you cane from: Dante is a non believer


all things being relative, you come across as a class A imbecile

Well that is so sweet of you to say. And coming from such a profound fool, that is high praise, indeed.

With regard to your 'not believing', I would plead with you to give it a second look. Valid reasoning is simply a set of natural laws governing human cognition and analysis.

You're clearly engaged in the effort, why not learn how to do it correctly?

OH! It occurs to me that a person of your limited means, may simply be unable to do so. Please forgive me if this is the case?

How long did you try and how hard did you fall?

 

[The Irish Ram]

I am the death panel, let me work.
Your 12 year old child is in need of a kidney, and we have one available, but I feel if his own kidneys can't keep him alive, why waste the money? Let him die, and save a bundle. I don't care much for children........
Oh and uppity white bitch, no pacemaker for you.......
I don't like that black guy in rm 201, skip the chemo. He's not a very productive individual anyway........
And that down syndrome woman makes me cringe. Why didn't Dr. Gosnell slit her neck at birth? Now I have to do it.....
That Jew in rm 404 who needs an aneurysm fixed, yeah right, like that's going to happen in my hospital, lol...........
Don't we have enough Asians in this country? Mrs. Chang has gots to go. Insulin Denied!
Damn those Mexicans, always wanting something for nothing. Why should our time and money be spent on his wife? If she can't deliver her child in the field like the rest of them then let her bleed to death. It must be fate. And look at all the money we saved........
The old coot in 615 is about to start sucking money out of Social Security AND medicare. Send Him home with his gall bladder intact. We'll save a bundle and help our gov. save too..........
That idiot Dante, what good is he to society? Forget the cat scan, let the brain bleed do it's job.......
I am the death panel, let me work.

Why on earth would you think they'll stop at the old or religious folks? That's just the beginning.......

 

[Quantum Windbag]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."

Jahi McMath, Ariel Sharon, and the Valley of Death - TIME


Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

I am confused, what does this conspiracy whackadoodle nonsense have to do with faith?

 

[Vox]

I am the death panel, let me work.
Your 12 year old child is in need of a kidney, and we have one available, but I feel if his own kidneys can't keep him alive, why waste the money? Let him die, and save a bundle. I don't care much for children........
Oh and uppity white bitch, no pacemaker for you.......
I don't like that black guy in rm 201, skip the chemo. He's not a very productive individual anyway........
And that down syndrome woman makes me cringe. Why didn't Dr. Gosnell slit her neck at birth? Now I have to do it.....
That Jew in rm 404 who needs an aneurysm fixed, yeah right, like that's going to happen in my hospital, lol...........
Don't we have enough Asians in this country? Mrs. Chang has gots to go. Insulin Denied!
Damn those Mexicans, always wanting something for nothing. Why should our time and money be spent on his wife? If she can't deliver her child in the field like the rest of them then let her bleed to death. It must be fate. And look at all the money we saved........
The old coot in 615 is about to start sucking money out of Social Security AND medicare. Send Him home with his gall bladder intact. We'll save a bundle and help our gov. save too..........
That idiot Dante, what good is he to society? Forget the cat scan, let the brain bleed do it's job.......
I am the death panel, let me work. .

Why on earth would you think they'll stop at the old or religious folks? That's just the beginning......

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Catholic.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.


Martin Niemöller

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

I am the death panel, let me work.
Your 12 year old child is in need of a kidney, and we have one available, but I feel if his own kidneys can't keep him alive, why waste the money? Let him die, and save a bundle. I don't care much for children........
Oh and uppity white bitch, no pacemaker for you.......
I don't like that black guy in rm 201, skip the chemo. He's not a very productive individual anyway........
And that down syndrome woman makes me cringe. Why didn't Dr. Gosnell slit her neck at birth? Now I have to do it.....
That Jew in rm 404 who needs an aneurysm fixed, yeah right, like that's going to happen in my hospital, lol...........
Don't we have enough Asians in this country? Mrs. Chang has gots to go. Insulin Denied!
Damn those Mexicans, always wanting something for nothing. Why should our time and money be spent on his wife? If she can't deliver her child in the field like the rest of them then let her bleed to death. It must be fate. And look at all the money we saved........
The old coot in 615 is about to start sucking money out of Social Security AND medicare. Send Him home with his gall bladder intact. We'll save a bundle and help our gov. save too..........
That idiot Dante, what good is he to society? Forget the cat scan, let the brain bleed do it's job.......
I am the death panel, let me work.

Why on earth would you think they'll stop at the old or religious folks? That's just the beginning.......

Well said.

Yessir, that's Eugenics alright.

(For the uninitiated, "Eugenics" was the "Global Warming" of the late 19th, early 20th centuries. Much more readily accepted than is Global Warming, but it served the same purpose. Which was to promote the notion that '"SCIENCE!" knows best'. And as with all Leftwing notions, it was inevitably learned to be total BS. But sadly, only after it maimed and murdered MILLIONS.)

But they both serve as first class examples of why socialism has no means to settle in on sound morality.

Socialism rests upon Relativism.

Relativism rejects objectivity.

Objectivity is essential to truth, trust, morality and justice.

No truth, no potential for trust, morality or justice.

Simple stuff.

Anti-Theism is locked dead center within that morass and stands as the grandest rationalization, responsible for most if not all of it. In effect, they're pissed that they're not God and take every opportunity to try and prove that they are. Sadly, having no means for objectivity, they SUCK at it and the experiments always go horribly, HORRIBLY wrong. And again, having no means for objectivity, they of course lay the responsibility for the failure on those who opposed them... many of who are dead and as a result are unavailable for the debate.

As simple as it is, it quite sad really.

 

[itfitzme]

It has nothing to do with faith.

plenty of our leftard atheists here, on the board, were all in arms to continue the ventilation of the Jahi's body.

since the left is usually more ignorant than the right, it is not surprising.

people do not know basic things - thanks to the derailed by the left public school system of education.

plenty of leftist Christians and other holy rollers were all for keeping a dead child on ventilation because no matter the cost to society (all those days in the hospital after a death was certified) a god-damned miracle is hoped for. how crazy is that?

People go to nursing homes because they either can't cope or have given up. In those places, you have religious or non-religious people and the sentiment is often that they wish to die or that death would be better than some of the things they are going through because those people have almost all given up.

If you're not in a nursing home, it is likely that people haven't given up the will to live.
The default in life is that no one wants to see their mom or their dad die let alone a sister or a brother.

I haven't heard these arguments for forty years that we should keep people on ventilators. Those values are old school. The truth is that when someone is brain dead, you can't tell me that their soul hasn't already left because we don't know what death is.

Because you want to offer care to people who don't work, the doctors will tell me around 70 that I am ineligible for a colonoscopy. I am being counseled to die because you want to make health care available to those who don't work and it could be prevented and I could still be a service to society and I have loved ones who depend on me.

"the doctors will tell me ..."

So one on two things

either you've gone to way too many doctors trying to get a colonoscopy or

you've never been told anything by s doctor about a colonoscopy.

I guessing the latter.

 

[itfitzme]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."



Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

You can argue anything you want but it won't make it true except in a self-righteous, a-moral mind.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."



Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

You can argue anything you want but it won't make it true except in a self-righteous, a-moral mind.

I couldn't agree more, what makes truth, is that 'it' is and/or occurred as the assertion states.

I've just noticed that there seems to be a rise of 'people', of a given variety, who are today coming to inform us that in practical terms, what the OP here has come to tell us, in practical terms.

I find this hysterical, because back when Obamacare was being sold, back when the Tea Party was rising up and giving the Federal Reps 'what for', I and others of like mind, most notably, one Sarah Palin, stated at the time that 'Death Panels' were an axiomatic function of putting a Government bureaucracy in charge of Healthcare. Which again, at the time, without exception, those advocating for such feigned everything from unbridled -OUTRAGE- to rolling on the floor laughing at the very idea that the government would ever refuse care to anyone.

Recall that this all started because HMOs and Insurance companies were denying payment for procedures, because the contract policy either didn't provide for it, or the policy limits had been reached. The aforementioned demanded that this was criminal, further demanding that the government was the only way that the elderly and otherwise downtrodden could be saved from heartless bureaucrats.


Now I've seen on numerous other sites that many of those that I know for a fact, were former advocates that government was the only chance to help 'da poh', are now turning to this practical, but sad fact, that the only way ObamaCare can work is to kick the elderly and sick off the system. With "Sick" meaning 'Pre-Existing Conditions'.

All of which sums to the same old circumstance where Leftwing policy has screwed us to the wall, AGAIN!

 

[daws101]

It has nothing to do with faith.

plenty of our leftard atheists here, on the board, were all in arms to continue the ventilation of the Jahi's body.

since the left is usually more ignorant than the right, it is not surprising.

people do not know basic things - thanks to the derailed by the left public school system of education.

plenty of leftist Christians and other holy rollers were all for keeping a dead child on ventilation because no matter the cost to society (all those days in the hospital after a death was certified) a god-damned miracle is hoped for. how crazy is that?

it IS crazy.

but as I told before - that is becasue the vast majority of the populace is uneducated due to the dumbing down of the public school system by dimocraps for the last 30 years.

sneer aside, people simply do not understand the concept of the brain death.

you're living example of brain death.....

 

[Vox]

plenty of leftist Christians and other holy rollers were all for keeping a dead child on ventilation because no matter the cost to society (all those days in the hospital after a death was certified) a god-damned miracle is hoped for. how crazy is that?

it IS crazy.

but as I told before - that is becasue the vast majority of the populace is uneducated due to the dumbing down of the public school system by dimocraps for the last 30 years.

sneer aside, people simply do not understand the concept of the brain death.

you're living example of brain death.....

and you are a living example of anencephaly from the very beginning

 

[The Irish Ram]

Ouch!

 

[daws101]

it IS crazy.

but as I told before - that is becasue the vast majority of the populace is uneducated due to the dumbing down of the public school system by dimocraps for the last 30 years.

sneer aside, people simply do not understand the concept of the brain death.

you're living example of brain death.....

and you are a living example of anencephaly from the very beginning

 

[itfitzme]

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

You can argue anything you want but it won't make it true except in a self-righteous, a-moral mind.

I couldn't agree more, what makes truth, is that 'it' is and/or occurred as the assertion states.

I've just noticed that there seems to be a rise of 'people', of a given variety, who are today coming to inform us that in practical terms, what the OP here has come to tell us, in practical terms.

I find this hysterical, because back when Obamacare was being sold, back when the Tea Party was rising up and giving the Federal Reps 'what for', I and others of like mind, most notably, one Sarah Palin, stated at the time that 'Death Panels' were an axiomatic function of putting a Government bureaucracy in charge of Healthcare. Which again, at the time, without exception, those advocating for such feigned everything from unbridled -OUTRAGE- to rolling on the floor laughing at the very idea that the government would ever refuse care to anyone.

Recall that this all started because HMOs and Insurance companies were denying payment for procedures, because the contract policy either didn't provide for it, or the policy limits had been reached. The aforementioned demanded that this was criminal, further demanding that the government was the only way that the elderly and otherwise downtrodden could be saved from heartless bureaucrats.


Now I've seen on numerous other sites that many of those that I know for a fact, were former advocates that government was the only chance to help 'da poh', are now turning to this practical, but sad fact, that the only way ObamaCare can work is to kick the elderly and sick off the system. With "Sick" meaning 'Pre-Existing Conditions'.

All of which sums to the same old circumstance where Leftwing policy has screwed us to the wall, AGAIN!

You have been misinformed by people that do not know economics.

There are numerous ways that it can work. It has been working for decades without kicking elderly and sick of the system. As a society and a country, we haven't had a habit of letting people die. One way or another, people have recieved medical care. All that the PPACA does, basically, is change the accountability of the medical markets because, one way or another, Medicare and Medicaid picked up much of it, the rest was simply written off.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

the school systems are terrible? does the data show this?

I think media and culture do more to dumb people down. I've seen rational people move to extremely progressive or conservative communities and lose the skill sets they once had. It's called, go along to get along

yes it does.

and the system was derailed from a very good school system which was here 30-40 years ago.

on bolded part I actually agree, but the media is much dumber by itself than it was even 10 years ago.

30 - 40 years ago the population was different. try comparing the situation to one with a period of massive immigration of non English speaking populations and more specific data reflecting populations. Your critical thinking skill set is more like those from -- oh wait -- 30 - 40 years ago.

 

[itfitzme]

"Death Panel" advocacy?

I read this and I think, here's a person who is never too terribly far from being outraged over the notion that that non-believers can't be moral people.

I would argue that relativism, as the basis of socialism and rejecting objectivity, precludes the means for sound morality in the adherents to such.

I would wager that back when it became obvious that socialized medicine required Death Panels, the you pretended to be outraged over the very idea that socialism would ever deny people medical treatment.

Deceit such as this is quite common among relativists.

You can argue anything you want but it won't make it true except in a self-righteous, a-moral mind.

I couldn't agree more, what makes truth, is that 'it' is and/or occurred as the assertion states.

I've just noticed that there seems to be a rise of 'people', of a given variety, who are today coming to inform us that in practical terms, what the OP here has come to tell us, in practical terms.

I find this hysterical, because back when Obamacare was being sold, back when the Tea Party was rising up and giving the Federal Reps 'what for', I and others of like mind, most notably, one Sarah Palin, stated at the time that 'Death Panels' were an axiomatic function of putting a Government bureaucracy in charge of Healthcare. Which again, at the time, without exception, those advocating for such feigned everything from unbridled -OUTRAGE- to rolling on the floor laughing at the very idea that the government would ever refuse care to anyone.

Recall that this all started because HMOs and Insurance companies were denying payment for procedures, because the contract policy either didn't provide for it, or the policy limits had been reached. The aforementioned demanded that this was criminal, further demanding that the government was the only way that the elderly and otherwise downtrodden could be saved from heartless bureaucrats.


Now I've seen on numerous other sites that many of those that I know for a fact, were former advocates that government was the only chance to help 'da poh', are now turning to this practical, but sad fact, that the only way ObamaCare can work is to kick the elderly and sick off the system. With "Sick" meaning 'Pre-Existing Conditions'.

All of which sums to the same old circumstance where Leftwing policy has screwed us to the wall, AGAIN!

Of course you "couldn't disagree more". You are so far out in your own rationalized fantasy land that you couldn't possibly be more full of bullshit and more in dissagreement with actual reality.

Thankfully, your psychotic delusions don't change anything.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

How is "Strong Faith" helping to Bankrupt America's Health Care Delivery Systems?
Our society spends extraordinary amounts of money on care at the end of life. If all that money really did lead to flourishing health, it would be well spent.

But many families choose the uncanny valley without understanding just how hard the journey will be. Raymond Barfield, director of the pediatric palliative-care program at Duke, sees every day what researchers have documented: religious families are consistently the ones most likely to insist on heroic measures and most likely to resist doctors' assessments of viability. It is the people with a "strong faith" who also want the most dramatic technological interventions.

"Medicine has access to massively powerful technologies that can keep molecules going in the right direction," Barfield told me. "And when a family believes healing will come if they just demonstrate enough faith, they often believe they must use every possible technology to keep their loved one alive."

Jahi McMath, Ariel Sharon, and the Valley of Death - TIME


Why does society out up with this? 57.4% of Americans believe a god can heal patients even if doctors have declared further medical treatment pointless. - recent study cited in Time magazine

Culture warriors wonder why the American medical system is being strained? Bring on the so-called death panels.

Psilly 32:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the culture wars, I will not be in my opposition to society paying for others beliefs: for my own delusions in an all seeing father figure watching over each and every individual believer in the irrationality of intercession prayer and miracles, dictate society pay no matter the costs; irrationality and delusion they comfort me.

As I was saying...