[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             WHAT MEDICINE SHOULD DO WHEN IT CAN'T SAVE YOU

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, the current article of the New Yorker 
magazine has a thoughtful article from Atul Gawande, ``What medicine 
should do when it can't save your life.'' It focuses on those critical 
areas of end of life. It deals with fascinating studies that show 
people who deal, who are in hospice care, rather than the most 
aggressive medical interventions, actually, in many cases, live as long 
or in some cases even longer.
  But, more important, Madam Speaker, is the notion of control for 
these patients. The people who have substantive discussions with their 
doctor about end-of-life preferences were more likely to die at peace 
and in control of their situation and to spare their families anguish.
  This is exactly why I have introduced Personalize Your Care Act, H.R. 
5795, to make sure that patients' wishes are observed, that the 
government helps promote that conversation, and that we allow people to 
live their lives the way they want to.

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