Bob, in that sense, I agree with you.
I also agree with Harvey, though, that for the most part, that doesn't affect us in the trenches.
Doctors don't get paid to have discussions on end-of-life issues. Does that translate into those discussions not happening? No. They happen.
In my 28 years of practice, and hundreds of terminal cases, I can vaguely remember a couple in which a religious advisor of any sort was involved in any decisions...and generally, they were helpful with the family coming to grips with the reality of the situation, because they, like us, had been down this road before. I wish there'd been more.
In my writing, I have been exceedingly careful not to characterize anything in a way that would be seen as tilting in one direction or the other politically. I know that if I do, I will be attacked by the other side. That's the political game, which is played for high stakes.
