The case of Terri Schiavo [Post May Offend]

[lizziec]

I have been prompted to post this morning by the case of Terri Schiavo, (and here and here) a woman in the US who has been in a persistent vegetative state since 1990. Her husband who is her legal guardian wants her to be allowed to die with dignity and has been fighting since 1998 for her feeding tube to be removed. He has been successful on three occasions (including this last one) and twice the decision has been overturned by those on the opposite side, Mrs Schiavo's parents and siblings because they:
"believe she can still lead a fulfilling life".

My take on it is that if there is anything left of this woman, she is trapped, unable to do anything inside this shell of a body. I don't think being trapped like that is in anyway a meaningful existance and I think she should be allowed to die.

It is a difficult decision for people to make and the law courts have constantly approved Mr Schiavo's wishes. I do not think that Congress (overwhelmingly republican) should have got involved and certainly should not be passing laws to prevent it. It is government meddling gone mad, and the wrong people are being caught in the middle. Now we have intervention in this case what is to stop them from doing the same in other cases? Or even make abortion illegal again.*

I hope if anything like that happens to me the people who love me will allow me to die with dignity and not stay like that for fifteen years. It isn't a life. It may bring comfort to the family because in a bodily sense the person they love is not dead, but in my opinion they are worse than dead.

I have been told before that Greif is a selfish emotion, and I agree with it. It is an emotion for the living and not for the dead, one that doesn't take into account how much the dead person would have suffered if they had lived, just how much the living person wishes they hadn't died. I think the case of Mrs Schiavo is grief taken to its most extreme level of selfishness by the parents and siblings. In not wanting her to be dead they are denying her right to dignity, and trying to justify it by telling themselves and the world it is because they know she can have a meaningful existance.

I think that is just unfair to her.

*Abortion is something I don't think I could ever do, but I defend the right of women to it.

Comments

[no1typo.livejournal.com]

an excellent post. I applaud your stand, you know my views but so that just about everuyone you know understands.

If I end up like this, do NOT keep me alive, furthermore do everything you can to hasten the end so that you can get on with your lives, and start to rebuild.

Afterwards let them have what they want for other people, have a funeral service that reflects helping you, but no abide wiht me, and no clapping OK? or I'll come back to haunt you, oh and you know about the wreath thing

[barakta]

I think this case has been complicated by lots of conflicting evidence and stuff... An LJ friend of mine has been citing articles which claim the husband was awarded money for Terri's care and then Terri was withdrawn from therapy and stuff and didn't receive any of the money. I have also seen reports which claim Terri turned up in hospital in the first place covered in bruises and old healed fractures raising issues about the reason she had an eating disorder in the first place...

Now I don't know about the authenticity of these news reports, but I think there has been so much media interest in the case, political people using it for their own ends and other things I don't think most of us could possibly know so that leaves any judgement as feeling wrong to someone...

I think I am a fence sitter on this one and that we should all be more aware of our wishes and make them clearly known to our families and partners in writing and then hope that there aren't fallings out between them if they are incapacitated.

Natalya

[trappermcintyre.livejournal.com]

Even if all that is true, I don't think it's fair to keep her alive like that. Despite what the family think, I don't think a meaninful or proper life can be had when "living" like that.

I wouldn't be surpised if money *did* come into it somewhere. It's not like dying or being critically ill in America is a cheap buisiness :S

[cutter666.livejournal.com]

I agree with you entirely. It's just not fair to keep her alive like that. I really hope my family honor my wishes and let me die if i end up like that.

[bethanthepurple.livejournal.com]

It's a horridly complex case. The statement that she said she wanted to die is purely hearsay from the husband - the authenticity of it depends on how you interpret the rest of the evidence.

Then the choice that its time for her to die by removing her feeding tube. Effectively starvation & breakdown of the body. If you're gonna frickin kill someone, there are only about a million ways to do it quickly & with dignity. Passive euthanasia my arse, the decision makes it active, the rest is cowardly.

Oh yeah, I'm pro-choice & all living-will & stuff.

Argargarg.

[trappermcintyre.livejournal.com]

It's a horridly complex case. The statement that she said she wanted to die is purely hearsay from the husband - the authenticity of it depends on how you interpret the rest of the evidence.

Indeed. I still don't think it's fair to keep someone alive just for the sake of it. I don't think that being in that situation a proper life can be led. Don't get me wrong - lots of brain damaged people do have meaningful lives after injury, but in a Persistant Vegitative State your body is essentially just going through the motions. All higher brain function has gone :( I'd hate to be left in that situation.

Then the choice that its time for her to die by removing her feeding tube. Effectively starvation & breakdown of the body. If you're gonna frickin kill someone, there are only about a million ways to do it quickly & with dignity. Passive euthanasia my arse, the decision makes it active, the rest is cowardly.

I agree entirely, but the law doesn't allow for active Euthanasia, which would be far better. I support a person's right to choose. Animals are put down if they are suffering horrendously, so why do we condemn humans to live like that. Noone should have to travel to the Netherlands or Switzerland just because they are so ill their quality of life means it isn't like life any more.

I'm not saying it should be done without thought or due process, but I think that a proper process can be put in place to make Voluntary active euthanasia possible in extreme cases.