Support bill to let Ohioans die on own terms; cheers to Vindy and Bertram; clean up Market Street; LGBTs not born that way
Support bill to let Ohioans die on their own terms
Talking about death is difficult. As technology advances and new interventions emerge, those conversations get more complex. But dying is as natural as living, and decisions about the end of life are among the most personal and life-affirming any family can face.
That is why Mercy Health – Youngstown, a part of Ohio’s largest health-care system, supports Ohio Senate Bill 165, Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, commonly known as MOLST. We believe it promotes good health care and good public policy and is in accord with our understanding of applied Catholic teaching.
MOLST is an individualized medical order that documents and clearly communicates a patient’s wishes prior to a health crisis, allowing families to focus on their loved ones. By allowing patients and families to guide treatment, MOLST allows more choice than the current Ohio DNR Protocol, which only allows comfort care.
Patients who believe in sustaining life can use a MOLST medical order to support that belief in an actionable medical order across health settings.
Importantly, use of a MOLST is voluntary. If a patient or family doesn’t want a MOLST, they don’t have to have one, and the form can be revoked at any time.
We believe the question is simple: How can families support the journey of their loved ones on their terms, in comfort and without undue suffering? We owe them our support so they live and die on their terms, in comfort and at peace.
Sister Marie Ruegg, HM, Youngstown
The writer is vice president of Mission and Values at Mercy Health – Youngstown.
Vindicator plays positive role in Mahoning Valley
The May 1 letter from Habitat for Humanity’s Tom Gerdy of Lynchburg, Va., giving testimonial to the good people of the Mahoning Valley was well deserved. I have firsthand knowledge of Habitat’s work, of people helping people, with five Habitat homes in my Geauga County residential development.
I am new to your community (seven years). I lived the first 80 of them in Lake County, Ohio. I had a very limited knowledge of this area, or as Tom Gerdy said, its past challenges. I visited Youngstown’s Labor and Industry Museum. It is a real treasure, and I recommend it to everyone.
Tom’s letter motivated me to write and give recognition to another very important entity in Youngstown and Mahoning County.
The [Youngstown] Vindicator, its editorial staff and columnist Bertram de Souza are to be highly commended for their policy of reporting, not only the good, but more importantly reporting and exposing the underbelly of wrongdoing, corruption, and cronyism that erode the very fabric of a community. Think Detroit, Mich.
You have to look no further than the two-year Oakhill debacle, the Mill Creek Park fiasco, and the recent YSU police chief investigation. These are unpleasant things that must be aired and addressed if a community is to grow and prosper.
We are very fortunate to have The Vindicator and writers like Bertram de Souza who won’t back away from corruption, cronyism, court rulings, and tell it like it is.
Tom Page, Boardman
Youngstown must focus on Market Street blight
Once a month I have an appointment on Market Street in the Boardman area.
The first thing I see when I exit Interstate 680 South are the beautiful floral displays built by Community Corrections Association Inc. of Youngstown. The group also purchased the John Knox Church and completely remodeled the building beautifully into what is now the CCA offices.
On the other hand, as you are going south on Market, you see abandoned buildings that need to be demolished yesterday. By the time you reach the Uptown area, oh boy, what a mess! My mother used to live in Edgewood Apartments. They were beautiful then; both the building and Mom are gone!
There are so many buildings on Market Street such as a new gas station and store where once was a Kroger store. There’s also a Family Dollar and a drugstore.
But the street continues to be neglected all the way to Midlothian Boulevard; then it starts to improve somewhat.
So if this town is to survive, the city needs to find a way to get rid of all the blight on Market Street so Youngstown can become once again the beautiful area it once was. I hope so!
Grace A. Leash, Girard
Transgenders, gay people were not born that way
The topic of trans- gender bathrooms and that people can change their gender is absolutely wrong. God made us male or female, and He doesn’t make any mistakes. Gender confusion is a better term for these confused individuals and they must be counseled to understand that if you were born as a male, you are a male, and if you were born a female, you are a female.
Any DNA test can prove what a person actually is and that is what you are no matter what you think or believe. Anyone who has lived long enough has met people who have thought that they were someone that they weren’t or could do something that they couldn’t do. This is true about many people and is a sign of mental confusion.
There are transvestites, homosexuals and other sexual deviants, and this is wrong as are many other things people do and believe in life. We see this in religion because people don’t want to believe the Bible.
After having lived in New York City for 45 years and over 21 years in Youngstown, I have met many of these people. My boss was a lesbian and my co-worker was a male homosexual. They were nice people and always treated me with respect.
We are not to hate these people, and they have made their own choice in life. We must never think that someone is born this way as we all make good and bad choices in life, and God never tempts anyone to sin or to do evil.
Leo Feher, Youngstown