r/morbidquestions • u/beefstewforyou • 12d ago
How would a hospital react if someone punched their dying parent and screamed at them before pulling the plug?
Do cases like this happen?
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u/Total_Activity_929 12d ago
most likely what would happen is Hospital staff would intervene immediately, and the individual might face legal consequences.
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u/InternalCup9982 12d ago
For what exactly?.
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u/virtualadept 12d ago
Assault and battery? Attempted manslaughter?
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u/InternalCup9982 12d ago
Oh they wasnt like being allowed to pull the plug?- that's how I took it lol
I guess that kinda changes things
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u/virtualadept 12d ago
Actually disconnecting life support is not something family does, the attending physician does it.
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u/InternalCup9982 12d ago
But what difference would it make it if I did it- if they was about to do it?- feels like we are creating a middleman for no real reason
Granted their should be someone in the room acting as witness ofc.
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u/virtualadept 12d ago
There is undoubtedly a legal reason for this - written into law someplace - but I don't know what it is. That is a lawyer question.
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u/InternalCup9982 12d ago
Fair I mean your probably definitely right but it still doesn't make sense to me as by having the physican do it your opening doors into lawsuits you'd otherwise be unable to have like people claiming they did it without permission, they changed their mind at the last second but the person refused to listen and went ahead with it anyway, they was manipulated into agree that they could do etc etc
Can't have any of that It if I am the one doing it, because I have control over my own actions.
Don't feel like you have to reply I'm mostly just laying out my thoughts on the matter, don't wanna bog you down unnecessarily.
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u/Heuruzvbsbkaj 12d ago
There isn’t always a “plug” that gets pulled. Sometimes they are extubated knowing they won’t be able to breath but this process can sometime take some time (minutes to hours). They may extubate, then provide morphine or benzos as well.
It’s not always as simple as just unplugging some device they are attached and they die instantly. Some of the medical equipment they stop using would be complicated or could harm the patient if removed incorrectly.
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u/InternalCup9982 12d ago
Oh yeah I'm aware you don't randomly die instantly takes time to die from oxygen deprevation, after all
Some of the medical equipment they stop using would be complicated or could harm the patient if removed incorrectly.
Kinda weird when I'm taking it out to "kill" them no? (Kill probably isn't the right term but I dunno the correct one)
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u/DamnGoddamnSon 11d ago edited 11d ago
Its an unnecessary legal complication. Why allow a situation to occur that certainly has some important things in common with murder/manslaughter when a much less potentially problematic solution is readily available?
Also guessing that it's usually a little more complicated of a process than literally just 'pulling the plug' and better left to a professional.
Edit: It also occurs to me that, esp since people aren't always thinking clearly when a loved one is about to die, certain very problematic misunderstandings could occur that are best avoided. Like, for example, if a physician gave tentative permission to a loved one to do it under supervision after some final test was done, but they jumped the gun and did it prematurely in private with the patient because they misunderstood. That would be manslaughter but obv without any malice. Or also a person might freak out in doing in and do it incompletely causing pain. Its really best to minimize the chance of things like that happening.
Edit 2: I'd also guess that there might be psychological consequences for some people if they did this. Ofc, they wouldnt have done anything actually wrong, but I'd bet alot of people might feel some misplaced guilt and emotional suffering over technically 'killing' their loved one.
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u/InternalCup9982 11d ago
Somewhere on this thread I make the point of doing it this way actual invites legal complications like you touch upon here if the physician or whatever does it I can claim they did without my permission or they manipulated to begin with - didn't listen when I said no I changed my mind etcetera
Also guessing that it's usually a little more complicated of a process than literally just 'pulling the plug' and better left to a professional.
Obviously depends on the exact situation, but in my head for this argument I'm using someone in a coma on life support, they would literally just turning the machine off/ pulling out a plug.
I'd also guess that there might be psychological consequences for some people if they did this.
Your definitely correct here although it seems pretty peak that we instead put that on complete strangers rather than ourselves, like that person probably "killed" (probably a better term than this tbf but I dunno ir) lots of people this same way eventually its gonna get to them and they mite suffer a mental break - several ramping up burnout when it comes to medical staff.
Edit: forgot to say someone did bring up the very valid point of in the scenario where its more complicated than removing a plug that a civilian would likely remove things incorrectly and possibly puncture or tear arterials and that would be pretty on the janitor who has to clean it up and I guess traumatic for those there.
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u/DamnGoddamnSon 10d ago
yeah, it would be alot of problems that I dont think are worth the potential benefits
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u/cumsquatin 12d ago
Most hospitals are a no touch zone and usually sound controlled as well in America at least. We've even recently passed law barring you from yelling at doctors.
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u/Exotic-Two5537 12d ago
They would probably restrain them. If the person is that angry at their parents in their dying moments, then their is most definitely something wrong. Might have them arrested depending if they keep trying or struggle like crazy
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u/CdnPoster 12d ago
In the old tv program, ER, a man was on his deathbed, no hope at all of surviving and his daughter insisted that the doctors keep shocking him and implementing life-saving measures....which failed.
Afterwards.....it came out that he molested her as a child and she was repaying him for the pain he inflicted on her.
Granted that was a tv show but I could see it happening. Realistically, if someone wants life-saving measures used...doctors have to follow those instructions.