Montel on Dr. OZ today

[stillstANNding]

Promos show him talking about his pain and thoughts of suicide. And a conversation of right to take own life.

Show isn't on here until 5PM. Other places may have already seen it today. What do you think?

ANN

[Gary]

Ann great minds think alike. I just saw the promos too. I am not really sure how I feel about this subject. I will admit the thought has cross my mind. And here for the first time I have to say that if it wasn't for a certain person from BT who has a BAD habit of telling me what I need to hear rather than what I WANT to hear...... Well anyway you get the idea.


I already set up the DVR to record the show since I will never remember to watch other wise. And not to mention that I have become neurotic about not watching commercials.

[Virginia]

I did not see this post in time and therefore did not watch the show. Please tell us what it is about.

[agate]

Virginia, I didn't see the show either but I got this from the Webpage for the Dr. Oz show:

Montel Williams and Dr. Ablow sound off about their point of view on terminal illness, pain and an individual’s right to die. After his own struggles with a painful illness, Montel Williams believes that an individual should have the right to end their own life. Conversely, Dr. Ablow does not believe in physician-assisted suicide.

Both men reflect upon the other’s perspective and discuss their experience on The Dr. Oz Show. They hope that their discussion can provide the grounds for a larger conversation for you to have with your loved ones.

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

The Dr. Ablow is Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist connected with Fox News.

[stillstANNding]

Well, I thought it was going to be more about MS and Montel's struggles and things he has tried and the time he almost committed suicide.

Instead, although Montel's situation and pain were touched on, it was a poorly managed (IMO) debate about the right to choose to die. There were people in the audience who belonged to Not Dead Yet and others with Compassionate Care.

Several people who spoke did have MS but the topic was Right to Die issues.

I asked in the first post: "What do you think?" because I thought it was more about MS issues. My personal answer to the right to die is: "I don't know yet." I haven't done the paper work. I have a medical background and it gets in the way- in different situations I want different things. I can't write an advanced directive that covers every scenario. I'm stuck. (Peter has a long list of things to read to me and music to play if I am ever in a coma.)

The show was a good reminder to talk about what you want (good drugs?) to close friends and family and PCP and get the paperwork done.

Mom called today and went over her wishes which I carry in my purse. I promised Mom I'd let her go. Very hard. I also told her I'd cry for years.

ANN

[stillstANNding]

The best and most thought provoking discussion I have ever read on the Right to Die/Live debate was Harriet M. Johnson's "Unspeakable Conversations." It was a cover story in a NYTimes Magazine in 2003. Part of the article recounts Harriet, a disabilities rights attorney (severely "differently abled" herself) debating Peter Singer.

Read it here: Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

ANN

[Virginia]

Thanks Agate for the link. I watched a good portion of it. Also thank you Ann. I also read part of that. If I had it in some kind of book form in front of me I woud read all of it. However, I got a little uncomfortable sitting in my straight back chair.

I do have my own thoughts on this, and do not want to be kept alive past the time when I am independent, useful to at least someone, and have a quality of life that is at least fairly decent.

I know others have their own opinions, but circumstances are different in all our lives and I think that shapes a lot of how we feel about things. If I had children or my husband was alive maybe my own feelings would not be the same as they are now.

[SalpalSally]

Yes, Thank you Agate for the link. I read most of it and I have heard all these argument before. Nature brings you into the world and nature should take you out. I believe that it's up to God, but that's my personal view. However, as another human being, I certainly could not and would not deny a person's right to choose. There should be no pain in dying, in this day and age.

Ann, thank you for your link as well. I tried to just read a bit of her story, but found myself not stopping until the very end. It didn't alter my views, but it sure did add a whole lot of new prospective to the issue.
I loved her "worse off" argument...YES!




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