Ageism

“Would You Refuse All Medical Interventions After Age 75?”
(Medpage Today — March 7, 2023)
“A closer look at the mathematics of aging.
In an article from 2014, noted bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, wrote that he will refuse all medical interventions including antibiotics and vaccinations after age 75….
“Emanuel is now 65.  Interest exists in the durability of his 2014 claim….
“For many, a long life is now possible….As Nietzsche points out, ‘He, who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how.’ As we advance in age, Emanuel’s struggle is increasingly clear: Now what?”

“‘They treat me like I’m old and stupid’: Seniors decry health providers’ age bias”
(News Tribune — November 2, 2021)
“Ageism occurs when people face stereotypes, prejudice or discrimination because of their age.  The assumption all older people are frail and helpless is a common incorrect stereotype….
“In health care settings, ageism can be explicit.  An example: plans for rationing medical care (‘crisis standards of care’) that specify treating  younger adults before older adults. Embedded in these standards, now being implemented by hospitals in Idaho and parts of Alaska and Montana, is a value judgment. Young peoples’ lives are  worth more because they presumably have more years to live.”

“Pushing Assisted Suicide for Baby Boomers”
(National Review — January 2, 2020)
“We can always count on the New York Times to promote destructive public policies and social agendas.  In the latest example, the “paper of record” published a piece  that pushes assisted suicide as a solution to the significant challenges we will face from Baby Boomers getting old.”

In a December 23, 2019 article, “We’re Getting Old, but We’re Not Doing Anything About It,” Susan Jacoby, wrote,  “A healthier attitude also means examining moral issues.  Physician-assisted suicide, for example, is the source of a fierce ethical debate that matters greatly to anyone who can imagine growing old.”