[Acrylic-bob]

There are some who will call me harsh and unfeeling when I say this, but here goes.
I really do not see the point of expending time and resources trying to keep people alive who are in a persistent vegetative state. 'Just because we can' does not seem like a really sound ethical reason for maintaining the life of someone for whom that concept has ceased to have any effective meaning. What purpose is served by keeping someone alive who is, to all intents and purposes, dead and who could not survive without constant intervention. It has always seemed to me to be an abuse rather than compassion. Far better to let the person involved die with dignity and encourage the relatives to accept the unfortunate fact and get on with their lives, rather than have them tear themselves apart in this unseemly and desperate attempt to hold onto a person that is lost.

I do sympathise with relatives who find themselves in this awful position, and I hope that I never have to face a similar dilemma. But if I were to have to face it, my response would be; let them go, give me a little space to grieve and then let me carry on. I would rather have the memory of a loved one as being happy and active, than hooked up to a bank of machines slowly wasting away.