
Over the weekend, cable news pundits bashed the continued use of VA's end-of-life care planning manual, "Your Life, Your Choices," mislabeling the handbook as "Obama's Death Book for Veterans." AMVETS would like to set the record straight on this handbook, which has been in use with the VA for more than a decade.
"Your Life, Your Choices" is a document designed to help veterans draft a living will to determine how they will be cared for, should they be unable to make decisions for themselves. The document is very similar to documents offered by major health care providers across the U.S., including the sections dealing with end-of-life care. The book was originally issued in 1997. In 2007, the Bush Administration commissioned a panel to review the book. The panel overwhelmingly praised the manual's benefits and decided to continue circulation. The VA has decided to review "Your Life, Your Choices" as a matter of routine, but the handbook remains in publication today and VA officials continue to list it as a viable free resource. To read the latest version of "Your Life, Your Choices," Click Here.
Last week, an op-ed was published in the Wall Street Journal by Jim Towey, founder of the non-profit "Aging With Dignity." Towey's group disagreed with the continued circulation of "Your Life, Your Choices," purporting that President Obama has recommissioned the handbook. This assertion is false. "Your Life, Your Choices" was continually circulated under the Bush Administration. Plus, Towey's motives in publishing his misleading op-ed may not be entirely benevolent. "Aging With Dignity" has its own guidebook to end-of-life care called "Five Wishes," which is available for sale on Towey's Web site. This mess is the latest act of political grandstanding, which has derailed critical work on veterans' issues.
In the op-ed and on Fox News, critics took many passages from "Your Life, Your Choices" out of context, leading viewers to believe that the book advocated assisted suicide and "pulling the plug" on aging veterans. Both of these assertions are, again, false. The book outlines all aspects of end-of-life care, including religious obligations. It advises veterans to discuss end-of-life care with their religious leaders and to suggests ways to have difficult conversations with loved ones.
There is one line in the book that addresses assisted suicide by pointing out that such procedures are illegal and irrelevant to the contents of the book, since living wills are for people who can no longer speak for themselves.
Towey's argument that Obama reissued the book is a flat-out lie and the continued propagation of this message is yellow journalism. This kind of red herring distracts all of us from the important work that needs to be done. Veterans' organizations such as AMVETS are sworn to protect the best interests of our veterans, and arguing over this is a waste of our time.
New veterans are returning from the front lines in the Global War on Terrorism. With these new conflicts come new challenges that VSOs must address, such as PTSD, TBI, women veterans' health, claims-processing issues, employment and re-employment rights, education benefits, transition assistance--the list goes on. In the current Congress, more than 400 individual pieces of legislation have been introduced that could have an effect on the veterans' community and the Obama Administration has proposed significant changes to modernize the VA. This is where our energies must be focused--not on a manufactured issue designed to stir public dissent and sell books.
The danger "Your Life, Your Choices" poses to veterans is that it guides the user to viewing his life through the prism of "quality of life." The user is asked to consider different scenarios and then decide whether his life is "not worth living." This is a wrong approach to take with a vet of any age. Your life is your life and nobody gets to tell you (certainly not the government)whether or not it's "worth living." The fact that YLYC was written by a leading figure in the assisted suicide movement and that the ONLY resource listed under "advance directives" was the Hemlock Society (now called "Compassion and Choices")is also worthy of note. The document was pulled by the VA in 11/07. It reappeared in 7/09. President Obama probably didn't know about it (the VA is a huge bureaucracy)at the time, but now he does.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteRespectfully, your approach is completely backwards. Keeping government out of these critical and deeply personal decisions is exactly why a living will is so essential for all of us, veterans included. As you aptly stated, "Your life is your life and nobody gets to tell you (certainly not the government)whether or not it's 'worth living,'" is precisely why we all should consider these difficult, personal and ethical issues well in advance and discuss them with our spouses, families, doctors, lawyers and trusted friends. "Your Life, Your Choices" is a valuable, free tool to help our veterans do just this. That some have chosen this moment to politicize this text, now in use by the VA for more than a decade,is more than distasteful, it is a distraction from our vital mission as veterans' advocates. I invite you to read, as I did, "Your Life, Your Choices" in its entirety here: http://www.ethics.va.gov/YLYC/YLYC_First_edition_20001001.pdf
Your comment that the text was written by a leading figure in the assisted suicide movement is also highly inflammatory and misleading. Six doctors and public health specialists originally coauthored the work, and in 2007 an independent panel including a diverse group from the faith based and medical communities, praised "Your Life, Your Choices" and endorsed its use in the Veterans Health Administration.
Jay Agg
AMVETS National Communications Director
Thank you for addressing this issue. Republican Veterans should be ashamed of themselves for not coming out against this ridiculous political play.
ReplyDeleteWhy aren't Veterans in all leadership positions putting a stop to this? ASAP. Do they not care this is an unfair black eye and low blow to the Veterans Administration?
I am especially disappointed in Senator John McCain, who ran on his veteran record. His silence is deafening.
Mr. Agg, as the daughter of a veteran who died last month and the mother of a career-Air Force veteran who is disabled, I thank you for shining the light of truth on those horrible lies that were invented solely to advance an obstructionist agenda to disrupt today's healthcare debate. Those who spread that commpletely distorted information have no respect for our veterans and currently serving military men and women. Again, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you Mr. Galluci and Amvets!!
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ReplyDeleteI wept all week every time I thought of those four questions OUR disabled vets are being asked to answer about their present 'usefulness' to society. The only point of these questions being there is to subtly--or not so subtly suggest--that since they no longer have 'cash value', and are, in fact, a drain on US financial resources, to 'get on with it.' And we all know what that means.
ReplyDeleteI believe the VA has done some good things for Vets. I also have seen frist hand how they can be very unworthy of caring for Vets. I believe page 21 is the worst part of this book. It is put in such a way that takes away any hope one might have when dealing with such important choices. The book is not all bad, it does have some good information. Does anyone remember the giant climb in military suicides, If one was thinking of it they should be no where around certain parts of this book. They might get the crazy idea that they are a burden. Where are the standards of right and wrong, oh being lost to Godless doctors who help dictate them. Semper Fi for all the fallen
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ReplyDeleteI am a vet. I take offense to page 25. THAT is the page the VA, obama and everyone else should be ashamed of. It appears the VA has removed it once more from the web site.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of the pdf.
I have experienced ALL of the things listed there, yet life is worth living. I don't need the government to tell me it's not.
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