Desperate Man May Have Shot Wife Out of Love
After 45 years of marriage, an Ohio man allegedly walked into a hospital and shot his wife to death.
Police say John Wise killed wife Barbara as she lay in critical condition on a hospital bed in the intensive care unit. But police are now investigating whether this 66-year-old man ended his wife's life in an attempted mercy killing.
Mrs. Wise had been in the hospital since July 28, when an ambulance was called to their home. The details of her illness are limited, but right now, we know that she was treated for a medical condition that involved "advanced life support including oxygen, a heart monitor, and IV."
Wise had brought the gun along during a hospital visit. Staff didn't know anything was wrong until they heard a pop sound that drew attention to the room. "It was an isolated incident," a spokesman for the hospital said. "No other staff was in harm." Wise has been cooperating since the incident, say police. "We are in the preliminary stages of the investigation," said Capt. Dan Zampelli. "Certainly him wanting to end his wife's suffering is one of the motives we're looking into."
Euthanasia is such a hot button topic. I for one have been conflicted about this issue since I first heard about Dr. Jack Kevorkian helping terminally ill patients with assisted suicide. It seems like a crime, but at the same time, it's merciful as well.
We don't know what conversations Mr. Wise had with his wife, but what if she asked him to end her life? What if she didn't want to live in whatever medical condition she was in at that time? That would suggest that he shot his wife out of love, wouldn't it? Does that make it any less of a crime? As gruesome as this particular case sounds, perhaps if Wise pulled the trigger, he felt that he was being a loving and compassionate husband by ending her life.
What do you think of assisted suicide? Is mercy killing wrong?
I've asked my husband to kill me if I were to ever get Alzheimers so bad I didn't remember any of my family or life. I don't want my body to live on after my mind is gone.
However, how do we know it was a mercy killing and not a, "these hospital bills are so expensive I can't take it anymore" stress killing.
Quoting furbabymum:
I've asked my husband to kill me if I were to ever get Alzheimers so bad I didn't remember any of my family or life. I don't want my body to live on after my mind is gone.
However, how do we know it was a mercy killing and not a, "these hospital bills are so expensive I can't take it anymore" stress killing.
Never thought of that angle! (in the red)
I don't know. I do believe that you should have the right to choose, if you are sick, with an incurable disease. At the very least, you should be able to choose to take last ditch, hail Mary kind of treatments, or to just let the disease take it's course. I don't believe that the state should be able to force you to take those treatments if you don't want to. (in this state, there have been many, many cases where they stepped in and forced the family to do this, then confiscated all of their property to pay for it!! I just think that's so wrong!!) I'm not sure how I feel about someone out-and-out seeking to end their life by some sort of active means. I do know that I would choose to skip the treatments and simply die if I were sick from some incurable disease. I'm not afraid, (know where I'm going!) and I would not want to be responsible for financially devestating my family!!
My hubby disagrees. He feels that not doing everything possible is the same as suicide. I don't agree with that at all, but what can you do? He's entitled to his opinion, too!!
What do you do with
Is it ok to kill the first? :)
- Cafe Beth
on Aug. 7, 2012 at 12:13 PM