Medical Ethics

CNN had an interesting article yesterday called "Death and Dying: When is it time to let go?" The article claims that "End-of-life issues top the list of medical ethical dilemmas", and in the short 8 weeks that Katie has been in the hospital, she has found this question to definitely be the most difficult and most controversial one.

Coincidentally, Times interviewed Billy Graham last week in the wake of his wife Ruth's passing. The article had this to say:

We asked him whether, with all our advanced medical technology, we perhaps fear death and fight it too much. "I think we often do," he said. "I'm convinced that in some cases we aren't so much prolonging life but prolonging death." Over his long life he has endured some serious medical crises; he now has Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer and a shunt to drain excess water from his brain. "I'm thankful for the incredible advances in medicine that have taken place during my lifetime. I almost certainly wouldn't still be here if it weren't for them," he says. "And I believe God has given them to us because he loves us and wants what is best for us, both in this life and the next. But death is a reality common to us all, and for me as a Christian it isn't something to be feared, because I know what lies ahead for me beyond the grave."

We thank God that he has placed Katie where she is and the opportunities that she has had and will have to encourage and comfort those in their last days as well as the families there with their loved ones. Pray that she will have the knowledge of how to best encourage those in these tough times and the wisdom for the difficult decisions ahead.