Unbreakable Vows

[Neri]

No: HPFGUIDX 165643

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at ...> wrote:
>
> > Neri:
> > Hmmm, an interesting analogy, although I'm not sure how accurate. I
> > think the situation you describe is mainly relevant to unconscious
> > patients who are not expected to regain consciousness before they die.
> > I believe that in most western states a doctor who deliberately stops
> > CPR to a fully conscious patient would be accused of something,
> > possibly murder.
> > 
> 
> Pippin:
> If the patient is conscious and capable of issuing a DNR (Do Not
> Resuscitate) order, I believe the doctor would be guilty of malpractice
> if he didn't honor it. If Dumbledore, as commander or patient, ordered
> Snape not to try to save his life, it would be Snape's duty as
subordinate
> and/or doctor, to obey. 
> 

Neri:

OK, lets be more exact. 

First, I think someone who needs CPR would be by default unconscious,
so what I wrote before was rather stupid.

DNR is not a direction to stop CPR, it is a direction not to begin CPR
at all. The assumption is that the patient's heart has stopped,
meaning he'd certain to die within seconds without CPR. 

So, I think the whole CPR analogy is rather inappropriate here. We've
seen Dumbledore living and functioning quite well for almost a whole
year since the ring incident. He drinks, eats and, erm... visits the
toilet. He doesn't appear to be suffering pain, except occasionally
when he uses his injured hand. His mental faculties seem intact. It
doesn't look like Snape is actively performing any active constant
magical/medical procedure on him (that is, Snape teaches, sleeps and
so on throughout this year without any apparent effect on Dumbledore).
So, if Snape is artificially keeping Dumbledore alive in any way
throughout this year, it should be something more equivalent to
patients who live normal life once they receive a certain medication
regularly, but might die quickly if they do not receive it, say
serious diabetes patients requiring insulin (there's probably a better
example but I can't think of it at the moment). I suspect that a
doctor would not be allowed to let a diabetes patient die by
withholding insulin from him (even if that patient asks the doctor to
do so) and I'm sure the doctor shooting that patient would be regarded
as murder even if the doctor was supplying that patient with insulin
throughout the previous year.


Neri