Court documents filed as part of an investigation say that hospital workers in New Orleans killed patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I think the term they used was “euthanized.” I can already hear the excuses: They had “Do Not Resuscitate” orders anyway; better to die quickly than slowly; you weren’t there so you don’t know. All examples of justification of evil.
The allegations revolve around a group of patients left on the seventh floor at Memorial Medical Center. This floor was leased to a different entity, LifeCare Hospitals. According to NPR, the patients on the seventh floor were all DNR patients—they had “do not resuscitate” orders.
The report describes the deplorable conditions in the hospital which was left without power, without sewage, and in soaring temperatures with looters attempting to enter the hospital.
Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights organization that leads the disability community’s opposition to legalized assisted suicide, euthanasia and other forms of medical killing, points to a section of the NPR report suggesting the staff wanted to eliminate the patients so they could themselves escape.
Apparently the evacuation plan said that LifeCare personnel could not leave any living patients behind. Well, there’s one way to fix that problem.
Technorati Tags: euthanasia, hurricane-katrina
