Terry Schiavo

Personally, if my parents insisted that I live in a state where I could not leave a bed, could not do anything for myself, and could not express my wishes and needs to anyone verbally, I would come back and HAUNT them. That's the cruelest thing I think I've ever heard. 2 years, maybe even 5 years in such a state if there was hope is one thing- but 15 years is a completely different thing. I think it's extremely selfish and this poor woman has lost all dignity by being on national and international television and newspapers over her case. A feeding tube is a form of life support. I do think they should give her a lethal drug of some sort to end it sooner rather than her having to suffer, but then again, the past 15 years have been a constant suffering for her.

There's no happy ending, but I think forcing her to live rather than forcing her to die is a much more humane approach to the situation. Otherwise, are they just going to keep her in a vegetable state for the next 20 years until her organs break down? Come now, that's not realisitic. Not to mention how many millions of dollars in medical bills it would ammount to. I'd be interested in seeing how much money it has taken to keep her in her current state to date.

 

this is what I dont understand....... all these republicans are against big government, yet you see government stepping in to ever aspect of our lives. this should be handled by the family and the doctor. now the taxpayers have to pay for this bullshit?? come on. and they all say that its not in gods plan to let her die. well I think it was in his plan to let her die, we prolonged it for 15 years!! I mean, come on. she cant live without the feeding tube, isnt that life support. if someone cannot survive without life support over a long period of time, I think its time to let them go. we arent god! and yet we think we are doing things to be moral. I think its immoral to let someone like that live over that long of a time.

 

Some people are getting down on her husband just because he didn't become a monk after she became a vegetable.

So if you told your sig other "don't ever let me live like that", would you want them to fight for you, or just walk away because your parents are nutcases who can't let their child go in peace? If people are so worried about pain, what about all the bedsores she would have had over the years? Diaper rashes?

What if the shoe was on the other foot? The husband keeping her alive and having sex with her and such....the parents not wanting her on life support?

Face it people, this woman died 15 years ago.

 

It's a complicated issue... I can see both sides.

Buit the fact is that woman is paralysed and has a lot of brain damage. If i were in that state, I like most people I hear, would want the plug pulled.

 

Let her die; just let her rest for fucks sake

 

I have to agree with the last few posters. The woman is a vegetable, her doctors have said so. It's time to let her soul rest. She can't be happy in the state she's in right now.

And, yes, Ryan, who are we to play god? Seems we do that more and more each day. Who cares how long we live...it's the QUALITY of life we live that is the most important.

And I think it's pure BULLSHIT that the government is trying to intervene. I think this is a conflict between the family, her doctors, and her husband. This has nothing to do with the government...where do they come off making some kind of law about this? Who makes them GOD? Why should they tell us what our morals should be? This is horseshit, I'm sorry...

Shouldn't the government be more concerned about other things...things that concern more of the American public?

 

I was reading how it happened. Did you know she had an eating disorder? Sad. Her heart stopped for a few minutes from a chemical imbalance causing the stroke. Judging by this, I believe that the husband is probably telling the truth saying she would not want to live this way. I was glad to get up this morning and the tube is still out (I don't consider a feeding tube much different than a breathing machine. Both are given artifically.) And I was just as glad to see people in this thread who feel the same way - it seems the compassionate thing to do.

 

The thing about this whole case is this. Before she got into this state, she had a living will stating that she did not want to be like this, should this happen. They are completly going against her wishes. She herself did not want to go on for however many years shes been doing this. Her husband, ex-husband, what the fuck ever he is, is only trying to carry out her wishes, because he is the one that she put in charge of such things. If she had a living will, then you know damn well that him and her talked about this more than once, and decided that what is happening is exactly what they both wanted to prevent. Now our wonderful government is getting involved in somthing that is not any of thier business. I'm sorry, but this country has thousands of bigger problems than this to deal with.

 

I think they should do something else to let her go peacefully rather than let her starve to death. That would be awful. maybe she's brain damaged so bad she can't communicate, but who knows what she still feels inside. there have been cases where people have been vegetables, can't move, speak, have not a lot of brain activity, but can still feel. I think they should remove the tube and inject her with something to make the process quick and painless for her.

I wouldn't think she would want to live this way. She stated that to her husband and that shld be enough. He wouldn't do that if she has said she would rather live. It must be very hard for her parents, but I would want my child to go peacefully in that position.

I think what they are doing is morally correct, but find another way. Don't starve her.

 

Apparantly the part of her brain that creates emotion is completely "liquified," and the eye motion an expressions are pretty much inadvertant. Docotrs have said that this movement is often mitaken by family members as actual communication...wishful thinking.


I can see both sides of the issue, she isn't going to get any better, they have already tried all kinds of rehabilitation, and she hasn't responded to it in any way...but on the other hand she has a family waiting to care for her.

This situation highlights the need for some type of euthanasia...the doctors, with their hands tied, is forced to let the woman starve because they cn't call Dr. Kevorkian...the terrible part of all of this is the method

and the fact that the goverment stayed up till 1 am making a new law for only 1 person when 40 million have no health coverage at all

 

i found this article interesting.....

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0321-20.htm

 

quote: It isn’t about Terri Schiavo, it’s about tossing a bone to poor Christian voters who voted Republican this November but haven't gotten a thing for those votes so far, except a slap around the face with another brass knuckle budget and tougher treatment for poor folks who go bankrupt.

BINGO!

and thats likely all they will get, because they were completely fooled

 

i agree.....

 

amen....that's all this is...

 

First of all, she is not on life support. Many people have recovered after being on feeding tubes. Life support means machines are breathing, maintaing blood pressure, etc., because the patient is incapable. My uncle had a mini-stroke, was paralyzed, had a feeding tube, then recovered completely with therapy. Also, her "husband" and I use this term loosely, said in the med malpractice trial that he needed all the money (>$1.5 million) to care for her. Then when he got it, all of a sudden, he "recalled" conversations that she would not want to live in a vegetative state (also a misnomer). Had she gotten therapy 7 years ago when this happened, she would in all likelihood be recovered now. Her "husband", however refused this option and moved her into a hospice to die. She is still capable of some recovery if given therapy. There is also a lot of evidence that she was the victim of domestic violence, and that she was going to leave him prior to her "accident".

Michael, her "husband" has been living with another woman for several years and has fathered two children with her. A nurse at the hospice center said two years ago that whenever she talked to Michael his only interest was in whether the "bitch was dead yet", and what he was going to do with all that money when she fianally was dead. Furthermore, he visited her only once during her hospitilization. Also, she never had a living will, that is why all the controversy exists. She was, however, a devout Roman Catholic, and was againsy suicide, and reportedly made remarks against physician-facilitated death when speaking to friends and family. Just because you may not want to live as she is doesn't mean that's what she wants. Since there is no real proof either way, and her "husband" is at the very least not credible, it is better to err on the side of caution.

Her marriage should be dissolved because of her "husband's" obvious lack of concern for her welfare, as well as his living in open adultery with another woman, and he should also be prosecuted for perjury. If he was truthful in the malpractice trial he is lying now, and if he is truthful now, he was lying in the malpractice trial. He is a scumbag who only wants to profit from his wife's death, in my opinion. I am against government involvement, generally, in anything, but this is a clear case of it being warranted. The judge, who is also somehow her guardian ad litem, is suspect, her "husband" stinks to high heaven, and her constitutional rights are possibly being violated. It may be posturing, but judicial review is allowed in this country, no matter how inconvenient it may be for her money-grubbing "husband".

All I can say is if I ever end up in this situation, I hope people who think like many of you are NOT in charge of my welfare. For those of you who think the congressional involvement is unwarranted, do you want a court of law deciding YOUR future if this ever happens? Giving credence to someone who may have abused you, who may hate you, who may wish to profit from your death? Her jerk of a "husband" wants to make the state his wife's killer, absolving himself from blame, and clearing his way for profit. I would not want my tax dollars spent that way if I were citizen of FL. The sad part is, there's only about $50 000 left from the settlement, but he has to stick to his guns. He could still then profit from life insurance.

If her parents are willing to take on the responsibility, and her brother and sister as well, then they should be able to. She may even return to a semi-normal life when she starts getting the therapy she needs. People worse off than she have done the same. Anyone who thinks people who are handicapped should be thrown away should be ashamed of themselves. It may happen to you one day. The worse that can happen is her is being executed for the crime of becoming disabled. She is not brain-dead, can respond to stimuli, and can communicate. And anyone who says starving to death is painless, I invite them to try it. Go without food or water for up to two weeks and see how painless it is. And if any of you doubt, I say research this story for yourself before you make you opinion

 

its false that she didn't get therapy, she's had months of therapy.

If its this obvious that she can respond to stimuli, then how come every doctor thats examined her disagrees?


What should a husband do? If my wife were in a vegetative state for years and years, I think I would end up being with someone else too, is he supposed to wait around for his whole life when the hopes of her recovering are pretty much 0.


I've gone both ways on this case, its not clear cut to me, but I think the husband is being treated unfairly.

 

If the feeding tube is not life support, then why is she going to die without it? It is the same thing as a ventilator. Without the ventilator, you die. Without the feeding tube, you die.

 

As I already pointed out before, people live by way of kidney dialysis, they would DIE without it, but that doesn't make it "life support" necessarily. Terry's body is supporting itself. Her heart, lungs and all other organs are functioning properly. The feeding tube is not keeping her alive, it is supplying the nutrients her body, or anyone else's body for that matter, requires to keep ITSELF alive. Terry would die for the same reasons as you would without food, and it will take just as long for it to happen.

The point is, you don't know whats going on in her brain. Even though she's brain-damaged, and her motor skills are severely damaged, that doesn't prove that she is unaware of her surroundings or situation.

 

Ya might think this is interesting.

http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12660.html

 

They would die without it, but you don't think it qualifies as "life support". Curious. What would you call it, then?

By that reasoning neither does a ventilator keep someone alive. It just supplies the air required to keep someone alive.

This particular point is, dialysis patients have a quality of life that Terri Schiavo will not have (barring miracles). She is bed-ridden, in a "persistent vegetative state" (according to court-appointed physicians). Dialysis patients can work, play, go to movies, shop, visit the clinic every other day to cleanse their blood. All activities that Terri is incapable of. She has laid in that hospice bed for fifteen years, has not been outside to watch a sunset, not been able to take part in birthday celebrations or other happy moments that are part of a life.