Wednesday, March 6, 2013

From the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin: Reason needed in wake of tragic, preventable death

http://union-bulletin.com/news/2013/mar/06/reason-needed-wake-tragic-preventable-death/


Reason needed in wake of tragic, preventable death

When a nurse refused to do CPR on a woman it spurred support for laws mandating emergency care. That’s not something that can, or should, be mandated.


Public outrage over a preventable death often leads to loud calls for change in the laws. But sometimes new legislation — particularly when driven by emotion — often causes far more problems than it addresses.
And that might well be the case if new laws result from legislation enacted in the wake of the tragedy in California in which a nurse at an independent living home refused to give CPR to a dying 87-year-old woman.
The incident has gained national attention as the horrifying seven-minute 9-1-1 call where a dispatcher makes desperate pleas for the nurse to do CPR has been played over and over on cable news channels.

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