A sensible analysis of the Marlise Munoz case

Erik  & Marlise Munoz

When Marlise Munoz was fatally seized by an apparent pulmonary embolism, certainly all professionals working in end-of-life and bereavement care could appreciate the awful experience about to unfold in the lives of her husband, family members and friends. What no one could have anticipated, however, was the two months of horrific burden laid on their backs.

With all of the political maneurvering and legal posturing that has taken place, there has been “more heat than light.” But Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd, cuts right to the heart of the matter in this insightful article. Perhaps her most stirring comment: “But the freakish, dystopian hell superimposed on their loss was an inhumane synthesis of factors outside their control: obscure and misinterpreted law, cover-your-butt bureaucratic paranoia and hysteria surrounding reproductive politics.”

I have read few analyses of this case that shed more light on the need for sanity. Click here to read Floyd’s article.

In with the New

As 2010 draws to a close, we’ve launched our blog to more effectively communicate with the community of caregivers we are priveleged to serve. Whether its through reading our GriefConnections newsletter (become a subscriber at www.griefconnect.com/newsletters/aspx), participating in one of more than 70 continuing education programs offered each year, or picking up a copy of one of our books, we are grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside you as you walk alongside the dying and bereaved.

I hope you’ll use the simple sign up over in the right column to keep abreast of what we’re posting (don’t worry–you’re email address won’t get sold to FingerHut!)

But more than that, I hope you’ll join in our community. Through the comments section, you can interact with other caregivers in our field–and I hope you’ll forge some new connections that way, too.

I look forward to interacting with you in 2011 and beyond!