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Barbara Mancini, the Philadelphia nurse who is being charged with assisting in the suicide of her 93-year-old father, is pinning her hopes on Pennsylvania's attorney general to drop felony charges that could send her to jail.
Mancini, 57, is alleged to have given her ailing father, Joseph Yourshaw, a lethal dose of morphine to hasten his death. She's charged with "recklessly endangering another person" and "aiding suicide," according to the criminal complaint, obtained by ABCNews.com. The case hinges on whether Mancini gave her father the morphine to help relieve his pain, as she claims, or to help him commit suicide.
The day before police intervened, Yourshaw had fallen. When the hospice nurse, Barbara Cattermole, came the following day to check in, he was unresponsive in bed, according to the Inquirer, and she called police. The nurse "told me that her client had taken an overdose of his morphine with the intent to commit suicide," according to the police report.
The nurse had reportedly told him that Mancini had given his father the medicine, "at his request so that he could end his own suffering." ABCNews.com called Cattermole for comment but she refused. When an ambulance arrived, Mancini allegedly told paramedics that her father was dying and did not want further treatment, according to the Inquirer.
Durkin overruled her. At the hospital, Yourshaw was revived with Narcan, an antidote for opiate overdoses, and lived for four days, according to the Inquirer. Mancini's lawyers said that his doctors gave him additional morphine for his pain. The death certificate says he died of "morphine toxicity," complicated high blood pressure and heart disease, according to the Inquirer, but an autopsy was not performed.
Crowley of Compassionate Choices said that proving that Mancini assisted in her father's death will be difficult. "Here, the kicker is, that he doesn't even die," he said. "They have to prove that he wanted to commit suicide and she aided him. But keep in mind, he didn't die and that's what's bizarre about the whole thing. He lived another four days after the family prevailed and asked them to please stop treating him against his medical wishes."
A hospice nurse at his home in Pottsville, Pa., reported her to police. Yourshaw reportedly was taking prescribed morphine for a variety of painful illnesses: end-stage diabetes, heart and cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease and arthritis. The state must prove that Mancini intended to help her father die.
She allegedly gave him an overdose, yet he did not die. He did, ironically, die after they gave him morphine in the hospital 4 days later. Now somehow she is getting flack for assisting in his suicide. But WHY? His long term care plan was a long term assisted suicide if you ask me.
Originally posted by benrl
The morality of it all is up in the air, and really comes down to personal views, despite what I personally believe on the matter,
I can answer the last part.
She allegedly gave him an overdose, yet he did not die. He did, ironically, die after they gave him morphine in the hospital 4 days later. Now somehow she is getting flack for assisting in his suicide. But WHY? His long term care plan was a long term assisted suicide if you ask me.
It was her intent to kill her father, assisted suicide or not, it would be the same for an attempted murder by gun, you shoot at someone, intent is where the law is.
I can accidentally discharge a weapon and face lesser charges, than an intentional shot that missed.
Originally posted by brandiwine14
reply to post by ValentineWiggin
I believe in assisted suicide, I believe everyone should have the right to die if that is their wish especially when living is causing them constant pain. My question though is her flip-flopping. If she was truly assisting him in his wish for death I see nothing wrong here. If however she actually screwed up his dose and death was not really wished by him just a small relief of pain than there is a problem. People should not be tasked with caring for individuals if they do not understand what it entails, how much is too much medicine or too little etc.... I see that she is a nurse so I highly doubt this was a mistake.
However it seems that she just wished to help him end his life how he chooses to and I honestly see nothing wrong with that.
It takes an abundant amount of love for someone to help a person who means so much to them end their life. People are generally selfish and want to hold on to anything and anyone they can at all costs, even in others pain. I commend her for letting go, if in fact that is what she did.
edit on 13-8-2013 by brandiwine14 because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Cancerwarrior
I'm living with stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma. I've had tumors in my sinus cavities, my lungs, my brain, my abdomen, shoulders, and most recently on my spinal cord.
I had those removed last weekend, they were small (less than 1/2 inch.) but I am still in alot of pain, just these few sentences take alot of effort. I have nerve damage on the right side of my body and my nerves going down my spinal cord and legs feel like they are on fire most of the time. I also have side effects from IL2 and radiation that I'm still dealing with from last year also. My body is shot. This is an incredibly deadly disease. It is responsible for only 4 percent of all skin cancer diagnosis, but its responsible for 80 percent of all skin cancer deaths. I'll be extremely lucky if I am alive 4-5 years from now. I am not deluding myself into thinking that I'm going to live to be an old man drinking my coffee on the front porch and yelling at kids to get off my lawn.
I'll tell you what makes me afraid.
Spending that time in pain.
Watching my loved ones watch ME in pain. That's the worst part is watching your family suffer because they are watching YOU suffer.
I only hope if I am in a situation where I am in so much pain and I'm eaten up with Melanoma that someone would love me enough to send me back to God.
Everyone seems to like to pretend that they are never going to die. They forget that its a naturail process and they are going to die also. I think most people's ego tricks them into just ignoring death and pretending its never going to happen to them, that's its this horrible thin when in reality in can be a sweet release from the pain and suffering in this world.
Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
If we hypothesize that she did intend to kill him, yeah she would have murdered him if he had died then but he didn't, he died four days later. There is also this big elephant in the room that I can't get over... wasn't the long term care plan to kill him anyway? He was dying anyway. He wanted to die anyway. You could go so far as to say God was ready for him to die but I really don't want to go down that road.
Originally posted by benrl
Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
If we hypothesize that she did intend to kill him, yeah she would have murdered him if he had died then but he didn't, he died four days later. There is also this big elephant in the room that I can't get over... wasn't the long term care plan to kill him anyway? He was dying anyway. He wanted to die anyway. You could go so far as to say God was ready for him to die but I really don't want to go down that road.
Heres the problem, who gets the say? IN the absence of Laws to regulate such issues it really is up to the D.A. to decide if criminal intent was involved.
and she flip flops the story, Surely you could understand that IF there is to be allowable assisted suicides, it has to be regulated strictly.
Otherwise you could get family members offing others for their money, etc. Just to hurry the process along, I understand the case is sad but see the need for strict rules and regulations regarding such a topic..
I could walk into death row and shoot someone because they are taking up my tax dollars, but guess who will probably be sitting on it soon after.
The excuse of they are already going to die does not fly in such cases.
edit on 13-8-2013 by benrl because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by AshleyD
I don't have a specific opinion on this nurse or her actions (mainly because it's hard to pin down her true intentions).
However, I am adamant about allowing a person to choose to die if they are in horrible suffering. The comment about pets is exactly the way it makes sense to me. We would never make an animal that is mauled or in indescribable pain continue in their anguish- we put them down to end their suffering. So, why do we insist humans suffer?
One of the most terrifying human afflictions I have ever heard of is locked in syndrome. Hearing about it freaked me out so bad I begged my husband to kill me if such a thing ever happened to me. One story in particular broke my heart. One man suffering from locked in syndrome had used eye movements to appeal to the courts for the right to die. His appeals were refused and I think he died in the end of refusing his feeding tube although I'm not sure how he was able to do that.
There is such a thing as a fate worse than death and we shouldn't force our code onto others who are begging to be released from pain.
The only drawback is I could see it being abused to kill those who don't want to die or those deemed 'undesirable.' But in the case a person makes it abundantly clear they want to 'go home,' I have NO PROBLEM with them being accommodated.
Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
On that note, I also believe these decisions should be allowed at any given point in a persons life just like a DNR order and go through the same process. The person who wishes to have assisted suicide (at any age) should set forth the conditions of which they would like it to happen ( Im talking about terminal illness, schizophrenia, dementia, whatever, not just someone saying at 18 if they get perscribed an anti-depressant they want assisted suicide).
Originally posted by benrl
Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
On that note, I also believe these decisions should be allowed at any given point in a persons life just like a DNR order and go through the same process. The person who wishes to have assisted suicide (at any age) should set forth the conditions of which they would like it to happen ( Im talking about terminal illness, schizophrenia, dementia, whatever, not just someone saying at 18 if they get perscribed an anti-depressant they want assisted suicide).
You are treading in some muddy waters at the point when you start talking non-terminal illness.
Someone wants to take their own life fine with me, you have that right now, its usually done with terminal velocity off a high place, Abuse of pharmacology, or the lead kind.
Otherwise thats when the law needs to come in and allow ELDERLY who are unable to take their own by their own hand if they so deem it.
I agree entirely about the ego instinct preventing us from accepting our inevitable deaths. I believe it even prevents us from TALKING about it.
Originally posted by Cancerwarrior
reply to post by ValentineWiggin
I agree entirely about the ego instinct preventing us from accepting our inevitable deaths. I believe it even prevents us from TALKING about it.
My wife bursts into tears when I try and talk about it with her. My family too has convinced themselves that I beat it the first few times i went to MD Anderson and that's it. Melanoma does not really go into remission like other cancers do. I've been unable to get out of bed the past 10 days or so since the operation. My mom and dad came and saw me when I got home from from the hospitol. The left shortly after when they saw I could not move without my eyes going to the back of my head from the pain. When they left they were crying, and I NEVER seen my dad cry.
I notice too alot of folks are keeping their distance now that I'm really starting to show the wear and tear. The same folks that would come around after a surgury or an IL treatment to tell me that I've been on their churches prayer list have not been around lately. Not that I'm complaining, I'll take all th prayer I can get! I guess I remind them that sooner or later we all pass on, but really death is just a part of life.
No need to apologize, but thank you just the same for the kind words.Like I stated before, my own physical pain is only part of it. Watching my family cry because thay are watching me suffer is a worse.
I'm determined to face my death without the fear that has seemed to pervade alot of my life. I used to be quite a negative person, believe it or not the cancer has made me not only a better person, but more appreciative of everything I've experienced and have yet to experience.
There was a thread on ATS a while back about the top 5 regrets of the Dying. It was written by a Hospice nurse. The number one regret of people that are facing death is that they wished they had just chosen to be happier. In the end you realize it's not anything material that will make you truly happy. It really is a choice.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
There is the thread with the article.
I feel like if I take my own life, no matter the amount of pain I'm in I will distance myself from the source that is God. So I hope if it comes down to it, someone can help me do it.
Originally posted by roguetechie
women who god forbid have an abortion