More Foot In Mouth Action From Pat Robertson

[tropicsgoddess]

Remember how Pat Robertson made that horrible remark about how Haiti was cursed, sold to the devil and deserved to have that earthquake in 2010? Well, this asshat is at it again with another foot in mouth, head in ass remark. This time it's on how Alzheimer's is essentially a "death" and that the spouses that are the care takers should split up with the afflicted spouse over it! My grandmother has Alzheimer's and this asshat dares to say something like that?!!!

Link!

[HYHYBT]

Consider the source, and give weight to his statements accordingly.

In other words, not at all.

[bainsidhe]

You're right, he sounded cruel, yet I can't completely disagree with some of his comments. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be the spouse & caretaker of someone who's mentally no longer the person they married. And while the body may still be alive, loved ones are already grieving the loss. That's why I sympathize somewhat if a spouse chooses to date someone else. Though I admit it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

As for the divorce bit, it may be a smart financial move in order to protect the spouse. Few people have the insurance or financial means of paying for the 24/7 care a patient will require. This will obliterate the finances of both spouses and leave the supporting spouse destitute. Not a thrilling thought if that person is already older and nearing retirement. From a financial point of view, divorce might be a good move.

It's a difficult and highly emotional topic. My heart goes out to anyone put in this position.

[Teysa]

So I guess it's all right for my step-mom to divorce my dad. Never mind the fact that he's responded well to medication and is doing remarkably well for being in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

My great-uncle should divorce my great-aunt too. All the time he's spent caring for her, all the patience he's shown and the love-forget it. He's just been caring for a dead woman.

The evil part of me wonders what would happen if Pat Robertson got stricken by Alzheimer's. After all, he's not really a young man anymore.

Please note this is in response to the original post.

[Bright Star]

When you get married, it's in SICKNESS & in HEALTH, till death do you part. It's not & has NEVER been till you don't want to take care of your sick spouse so you can divorce them, kick them to the curb & find somebody else who's healthy!
What he said is wrong!! I don't care how he or anybody else justifies his remarks.

[Rageaholic]

Wait, I thought divorce was a sin.

[HYHYBT]

As for the divorce bit, it may be a smart financial move in order to protect the spouse. Few people have the insurance or financial means of paying for the 24/7 care a patient will require. This will obliterate the finances of both spouses and leave the supporting spouse destitute. Not a thrilling thought if that person is already older and nearing retirement. From a financial point of view, divorce might be a good move.

It's a difficult and highly emotional topic. My heart goes out to anyone put in this position.

Divorcing someone on paper to protect some of your combined assets is different than leaving her for another woman.

[Racket_Man]

well how wrong is it??? well for me personally I find this "moral" leaders statement disgusting and wayyyy beyond what a "man of God" should be saying. as the above responces have said I thougth the "church's" (I use this as a blanket name coveringh Christanity and Catholisim and however many different flavors there are) position was "TIl death do us part" no divorce

heck now going tongue in cheek, I guess I should have divroced and abandoned my Ex (before all the weird stuff started that acutally DID cause the marriage to fail) just cause she developed a lot of physical and medical problems about 20 years ago. there for a while it was real hard on me, dealing with all of the surgeries, the long post surgery periods and all of the things that effected her and our lives.

and I guess the same thing should be true today with my GF. she has a condition that has no known cure, the cause is not really understood, and no medication or technology that will haelpo in any way shape or form. yes it will lead to physical and mental degeneration and in a few years DEATH.

in both of the these situations I as a husband/whatever have choosen to stay. yes in both cases I COULD have walked away (and still could if I so choose) but what about the connection, loyality you "swore", the emotional physical and mental bonds that have been formed, the sense that you are ABANDONING someone you have invested time and energy just becuase??????

[AdminAssistant]

It does raise an interesting question. If a person has become so incapacitated by a disease such as Alzheimer's or dementia that they are no longer themselves...should the partner be expected to stay? If I'm so damned out of my mind that I don't know even know who I am, let alone who Fiance is, I don't want to restrict his happiness. Hell, in my mind, I'd already be dead. (If the US allowed assisted suicide, I'd definitely be dead.) If it's in his best interest to separate our finances and receive emotional support from someone else, then I'd be okay with that.

Of course, that's how I feel about it, and everyone's entitled to their own opinion. It's situations like these that make it so important for couples to develop written emergency plans, living wills, etc. If I'm in a terrible car accident and declared to be braindead, Fiance will know that I want him to terminate life support. He'll know that if I'm mentally incapacitated to the point where I'm not myself, that I want him to do what's best for his happiness.

[Ladeeda]

And then what happens to his wife? Will she have health insurance, or any way to get care? Will she even have someone to handle the decisions about her health care?

Far as I'm concerned, the dude can fuck whoever he wants, but that's his WIFE. He needs to take care of her, and can marry the new women when he's a widow. You don't leave just because someone is "not the same person". Dementia and Alzheimer happen. It's a fact of life. It's a disease, and not like alcoholism. When you marry someone, taking care of them in the old age, and all that comes with it, is part of the deal, whoever goes crazy first.

[Andara Bledin]

An article on CNN, more about the backlash than the comment.

Here is the full quote of what Robertson said, in response to a caller whose friend was seeing other women because his wife was in the late stages of Alzheimer's:

I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but to make sure she has custodial care and somebody (is) looking after her.

Obviously, what should be done will vary from situation to situation, but I think that if the friend isn't neglecting his stricken wife while doing whatever else he is doing, then there is no need (or point, really) in divorcing her.

^-.-^

[mooncat]

I find this part the most interesting: "and start all over again." I think that shows that Robertson's concern was more for the healthy spouse than the sick one. "Get out of there, buddy, and start a new life."

I suppose it's possible that he was thinking in terms of "it's wrong to be date/sleep with another woman while you're still married to the first one, so you should end that marriage first." Not all denominations consider divorce unacceptable.