# Why keep Ariel Sharon alive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701 "2007-12-12T03:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/1 "2007-12-12T03:06:45Z")
And, I don’t mean this to be a debate about Sharon, Israel, Arafat, the middle east, or anything else. I just wish an answer from any family member of a person who is in Sharon’s condition for any possible reason not to pull the plug and let him go meet his maker, obvilion, or whatever we have for us after this life… ---
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/2 "2007-12-12T03:09:52Z")
Is he brain dead? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/3 "2007-12-12T03:14:07Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] I just wish an answer from any family member of a person who is in Sharon’s condition for any possible reason not to pull the plug and let him go meet his maker, obvilion, or whatever we have for us after this life.. [/QUOTE] Problem is, such a person could only give an answer for somebody in their family, not Sharon’s. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/4 "2007-12-12T03:17:16Z")
[QUOTE=ManiacMan] Is he brain dead? [/QUOTE] In a “persistent vegatitative state from which he is unlikely to recover” is I think the quote I read (looked it up recently for the Celebrity Death Pool, don’t remember where now, though) which I guess is different from brain dead. I imagine they’re keeping him alive because they’re hoping on some slim hope of recovery, but I imagine that chance only goes down with time, so I don’t know how realistic those hope are. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/5 "2007-12-12T03:21:57Z")
If it’s not about Sharon specifically, why isn’t this in great debates? There are political reasons for Israel to keep him alive, but if you want to ignore those then this isn’t a GQ thread. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/6 "2007-12-12T03:36:30Z")
Because he is a perennial favorite in the Death Pool. They do it to spite us. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/7 "2007-12-12T03:43:11Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Because he is a perennial favorite in the Death Pool. They do it to spite us. [/QUOTE] Tell me about it. My theory is that he isn’t dead because somebody needs to take the place of perennial spoiler that pope JPII vacated. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/8 "2007-12-12T05:07:07Z")
Deleted. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/9 "2007-12-12T05:13:22Z")
Religious reasons? Maybe all of the Terri Schiavo defenders have moved on to him. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/10 "2007-12-12T07:33:30Z")
[QUOTE=WoodenTaco] If it’s not about Sharon specifically, why isn’t this in great debates? There are political reasons for Israel to keep him alive, but if you want to ignore those then this isn’t a GQ thread. [/QUOTE] Well, his family or doctors may have stated why they are keeping him alive, or there may be a well known reason to keep someone in such a state that aren’t obvious but people who’ve had family members in a similar condition would know (I think that’s what the OP is asking), so I don’t think a GQ type factual answer is impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/11 "2007-12-12T07:48:01Z")
Frankly, I don’t understand the OP. Why kill him? Is he bothering someone? [QUOTE=Malodorous] In a “persistent vegatitative state from which he is unlikely to recover” is I think the quote I read (looked it up recently for the Celebrity Death Pool, don’t remember where now, though) which I guess is different from brain dead. I imagine they’re keeping him alive because they’re hoping on some slim hope of recovery, but I imagine that chance only goes down with time, so I don’t know how realistic those hope are. [/QUOTE] The hope may be slim, but it’s a damn sight better than it would be if they pulled the plug. [QUOTE=Malodorous] Well, his family or doctors may have stated why they are keeping him alive, or there may be a well known reason to keep someone in such a state that aren’t obvious but people who’ve had family members in a similar condition would know (I think that’s what the OP is asking), so I don’t think a GQ type factual answer is impossible. [/QUOTE] His family are keeping him alive because they’re his family, and the doctors are keeping him alive because it’s their job. He’s insured, and I’m pretty sure no one needs his organs. Honestly, I really don’t understand the question. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/12 "2014-01-02T04:48:12Z")
Bumping this thread of 6 years ago, it looks likely he will die shortly: > **[Ariel Sharon, Former Prime Minister of Israel, Is Said to Be Near Death...](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/world/middleeast/ariel-sharon-former-prime-minister-of-israel.html)** > > The condition of Mr. Sharon, who has been comatose for nearly eight years, has deteriorated recently, the hospital treating him said. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/13 "2014-01-02T04:57:28Z")
I think his family believed he still had some level of consciousness or might regain it. I’m not sure there was much evidence for that, but I can appreciate that it’s difficult to let go. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-ariel-sharon-alive/429701/14 "2014-01-02T04:58:09Z")
This topic would be better suited in IMHO or Great Debates, but since it’s so old I’m closing it. Anyone interested in discussing it may open a new thread in an appropriate forum. Colibri General Questions Moderator