Comments on: Palliative Care for Atheists? http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists A Blog of Atheist Thought Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:40:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rusty Shackleford http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists/comment-page-1#comment-68356 Rusty Shackleford Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-68356 This seems like a silly thing to study, but if he/she is serious the Duke student should check out the Oct./Nov. 2007 issue of <i>Free Inquiry</i> magazine. This seems like a silly thing to study, but if he/she is serious the Duke student should check out the Oct./Nov. 2007 issue of Free Inquiry magazine.

]]> By: dsilverman http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists/comment-page-1#comment-68357 dsilverman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-68357 My personal opinion here is that I would avoid the palliative care. As an Atheist, I know that this existence is all there is, and frankly, I want it. If there's a 1% chance of a reasonable survival, I'll take it. I would not give up. My personal opinion here is that I would avoid the palliative care. As an Atheist, I know that this existence is all there is, and frankly, I want it. If there’s a 1% chance of a reasonable survival, I’ll take it. I would not give up.

]]> By: what http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists/comment-page-1#comment-68358 what Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-68358 Both questions are poorly chosen with respect to your intention of determining how atheists would deal with the process of dying. You are asking us to tell you what atheists <b>in general</b> think. Also you are asking us about making a decision for which you have poorly defined the parameters. You should ask want we as <b>individual</b> atheists think and you should be more specific about the question. Palliative therapy varies with the disease, stage, individual, support system, living conditions and finances. Whether to go with a high-risk treament - in terms of outcomes and side effects - or palliative therapy would obviously depend upon similar considerations including stage of the new treatments development. The variance in the responses to these questions is just going to be to high and will overwhelm any differences between groups that you wish to investigate. Both questions are poorly chosen with respect to your intention of determining how atheists would deal with the process of dying. You are asking us to tell you what atheists in general think. Also you are asking us about making a decision for which you have poorly defined the parameters. You should ask want we as individual atheists think and you should be more specific about the question. Palliative therapy varies with the disease, stage, individual, support system, living conditions and finances. Whether to go with a high-risk treament – in terms of outcomes and side effects – or palliative therapy would obviously depend upon similar considerations including stage of the new treatments development. The variance in the responses to these questions is just going to be to high and will overwhelm any differences between groups that you wish to investigate.

]]> By: billh http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists/comment-page-1#comment-68359 billh Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-68359 If there is any chance of survival, yes. If not, let me go.<br /> <br /> I do not believe in gods, in fact I know the gods are man made. Is there an escense that continues? Not sure. I do believe that reincarnation is a posibility, far more so than so god, so let me go on to another life, or if not, it does not matter anyway. Just avoid a painful death is what I would want. If there is any chance of survival, yes. If not, let me go.

I do not believe in gods, in fact I know the gods are man made. Is there an escense that continues? Not sure. I do believe that reincarnation is a posibility, far more so than so god, so let me go on to another life, or if not, it does not matter anyway. Just avoid a painful death is what I would want.

]]> By: reedbraden http://atheists.org/blog/2007/10/18/pallative_care_for_atheists/comment-page-1#comment-68360 reedbraden Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-68360 I would take the palliative care. I know that this life is all I get, but I would not want to take a dangerous risk to extend this life into 6 more months of bed-ridden misery, which is how the majority of people who insist on taking that gamble end up, if not dead from surgery.<br /> <br /> I am not afraid of death. I know it's inevitable and there's nothing I can do to stop it. When it happens, I'll be too dead to care. The hospital staff should be doing more important things than playing god to keep me alive for another miserable month. When they could be removing a tumour or aiding a birth, they shouldn't be tinkering with my failing organs. I would take the palliative care. I know that this life is all I get, but I would not want to take a dangerous risk to extend this life into 6 more months of bed-ridden misery, which is how the majority of people who insist on taking that gamble end up, if not dead from surgery.

I am not afraid of death. I know it’s inevitable and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. When it happens, I’ll be too dead to care. The hospital staff should be doing more important things than playing god to keep me alive for another miserable month. When they could be removing a tumour or aiding a birth, they shouldn’t be tinkering with my failing organs.

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