Is it wrong to keep people in a vegetative state alive?

[Dtewi]

Discuss...

Dsis edit: I stole his OP from vgc. Much better then that^

This is a rather controversial issue that had America's interest piqued for some time. I think we should bring it over to the forums.

...

In my opinion, I think it's completely selfish to keep them alive. Those whose loved ones have become vegetables try to delay their deaths as long as possible with life support in an attempt to delay their own grief. If the person is truly a vegetable, then nothing can bring them back. They don't have any reason to stay in this world a have a right to pass on. To keep them alive as an attempt to merely postpone any sadness is, in my opinion, selfish.

However, these feelings don't extend to coma patients. This is because that there is actually a chance they can come back unlike vegetables. I honestly think it depends on the chance of recovery they have. If faced with the choice of pulling the plug, I am deeply unsure of what I would do. What if there was a chance of recovery? What if they could stay alive? I couldn't pull the plug. But to keep on to my hope that they could come back when they really might not is just as selfish. My actions would be to keep them alive, but if they stay in a coma for too long, then I would pull the plug.

Thoughts?

[Mako]

If there is no hope that they will ever come out of it I say you have to pull the plug. If there is a chance they will I say wait, even if it is a long time. Of course, we will never know how exactly it feels to be in that state. Maybe they are just dreaming or something.

[dsister]

Misdiagnosis of PVS is not uncommon. One study of 40 patients in the United Kingdom reported that 43% of those patients classified as in a PVS were misdiagnosed and another 33% able to recover whilst the study was underway.

I say keep them alive.

Though if they are in a constant vegetative state for a year. They should pull the plug. I know I wouldn't want to live like that =(

[Mako]

I know I wouldn't want to live like that =(

How do you how it feels though? It could be just like your dreaming or something we don't even know about.

[dsister]

I know I wouldn't want to live like that =(

How do you how it feels though? It could be just like your dreaming or something we don't even know about.

I wouldn't want to just waste away in a bed. I'm also sure it would put a great mental strain on my family and friends.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1085166
Also that is interesting^

Seems you don't dream while in a coma... Can't see how you would when you are in a vegetative state...

Edit: To expand on this.

Medical definition
A wakeful unconscious state that lasts longer than a few weeks is referred to as a persistent vegetative state.

And from the link I posted earlier in this post you can't dream while you are unconscious. So going by this you are just existing, barely.

[Alasted]

No! We can rebuild them. We have the technology. Better than they were before. Better, stronger, faster.

[El Duderino]

First someone has to explain the difference between a vegetative state and our lives...

[SmokedHostage]

If I was a veggie, I wouldn't hold against anyone to pull the plug.

If I was a fruit on the other hand..

[zex]

Well, I think that most people should make that choice before, but of course it's impossible to make everyone state clearly what they wanna. We have a similar law of organ donations, you can say whether you want or not, and if you don't, it's presumed you wanted. Here it could be the same, if you say you'd want to be kept, perfect, pay it, if you didn't say anything, then obviously you didn't want to be kept and they should pull the plug.

I certainly know that I wouldn't want to be any length of time in vegetative state, in my case pull the damn plug asap.

[El Duderino]

/pulls zexens plug...

[Luinil]

I can't see how a vegetative state is living. I believe the soul has left already, leaving the shell of a body behind, still "alive" but not really living. So pulling the plug just removes the heart beat from this world.

HOWEVER, as dsis pointed out, PVS can be, and is routinely, misdiagnosed. If i were to learn later that a person wasn't in PVS, and i pulled their plug...

[zex]

And how would you learn about it? They'd be dead, dead, dead, I don't think they'd find out after that...nothing to worry about

[El Duderino]

^^ you find out IN HELL !!!

[damkira]

pull the plug
let me die
euthanasia
wave bye bye

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