Keeping End-of-Life Decisions, Our Decision

Front Page   |   Forward to a Friend   |   Printer Friendly   |   Post Comments August 19, 2009  |  Vol. 4, No. 33 Keeping End-of-Life Decisions, Our Decision by Newt Gingrich Emotions are high in the debate over the future of our health care, and for good reason. What we are discussing are deeply personal, often deeply emotional issues. Sponsored Content SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP OBAMACARE! The Radical Left Will Not Stop Until They Succeed in Socializing Medicine. SIGN NOW Before it is TOO LATE! Americans are troubled by what we're hearing from Washington because we don't want government to dictate these deeply personal, deeply emotional decisions. Especially those decisions that come near the end of life. Like so many Americans, I know this from personal experience. My father-in-law recently passed a few years ago. It was a tragic, grief-filled event. But in the end, my father-in-law, his doctors and his family controlled the care he received. Not a bureaucrat. Not an impersonal panel of government "experts." That's why this debate is so emotional. The Model for End of Life Care I think every American should have the opportunity my father-in-law had to have a conversation with their doctor about end of life care that is totally private, in which there are no standards set by the government and no fear of the bureaucracy. We had that kind of an experience at Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, where my father-in-law died. At Gunderson - without any mandates from government - 92 percent of patients have advanced directives setting out what kind of care they want at the end of life. Patients are treated with compassion, dignity and humanity. Families are engaged. Doctors are allowed to do what they think is best for patients, without fearing that the federal government is looking over their shoulders. Sponsored Content How to Turn a $200 investment into $1 Million Imagine turning $200 penny stock investment into a waterfall of cash. There's a reason penny stocks have been Wall Street's favorite hidden investment for years now: they give the best shot at winning it big. A select group of profit-seekers already racks up the big penny stock wins with scientifically selected plays. Click Here to Find Out How You Can Invest $200 Health Care Isn't Politics. It's Personal. End-of-life care is becoming a political football - and that's precisely why so many Americans are fearful for the future of their health care. Because it's not politics. It's personal. And the test of any health care reform proposal is whether it gives us more power to control deeply personal decisions, or whether it takes that power away. What follows is an article I wrote for the Los Angeles Times this weekend that explains how health care reform in Washington threatens to take us down the road to government control, and what we can do to stop it. Read Healthcare Rationing: Real Scary     Your friend,    Newt Gingrich Newt's Quick Links: You can also watch me explain the benefits of private end of life care versus government imposed decisions in this video. Human Events | Forward to a Friend | Printer Friendly | Post Comments | Contact Us | Advertising Opportunities

This email was sent to brad0222002.economy@blogger.com because you are subscribed to Newt Gingrich's weekly email, The Newt Gingrich Letter through Human Events. To update your email delivery preferences, click here. Please do not attempt to respond to this message as your reply will route to an unattended email box. If you have questions, please send them to CustomerService@HumanEventsOnline.com. For advertising opportunities please click here. If a friend has forwarded you this message, visit HumanEvents.com to subscribe to FREE conservative news alerts from Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan and Chuck Norris. Human Events  |  One Massachusetts Avenue, NW  |  Washington, DC 20001 You were added to the system July 21, 2009. For more information click here.