Terry Schiavo — Page 2

"I am mostly sickened by DeLay and his characters using this very difficult private issue for their desired political gain. "

It sickens me, too. DeLay is a horrible human being who would probably sell hos grandmother down the river if it meant five minutes of airtime. This is a private issue. She has the right to die. Mr. DeLay, and all of the people who try to legislate their personal moral beliefs about euthanasia and whatnot, should be ashamed of themselves.

DGrant what if she was in an abusive marriage? Her family suspected foul play. I don't feel the same way about this.

I can't help feeling upset over this situation, but DGrant, I appreciate your explaining your point of view.

Does the marriage argument hold when the spouse has a common law wife and a couple of kids? Those marriage vows were broken, a long time ago. Either the vows (for better or for worse) apply or they don't. Can't be just what's convenient at the time. Upon breaking his marriage vows, any say over his "wife's" life or death should be null and void!

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http://www.saveterri.com/

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PJ - thanks for sharing your mother's bravery.

DGrant – I had thought about the marriage argument. Apparently Mr. DeLay picks and chooses when to defend the “sanctity” of marriage?

FS – we need not just living wills, but durable health care powers of attorney with explicit intentions. The living will and power of attorney should be given to your primary care physician.

Many of my right wing friends feel Terri should die. One even told me she's "just a pile of cells." I am aware of the way Clint Eastwood was slammed by some because of the euthanasia in MDB. Too bad Terri couldn't go out like the character in MDB but I realize that would be "killing" her.

This is hitting me far too hard right now.

This weekend makes it a year since my stepfather died. He had MS since the late 70s. Many different medications and treatments were tried over the years, but MS is chronic. It exacerbated in 1994 and 1998, and by 2001, he got to the point that couldn't swallow anymore. He had to go on a feeding tube, and by late 2003, his body couldn't take all the multi tubes. He had a kidney infection that wouldn't be able to be cured...it would just keep prolonging the inevitable if we fixed it. He was already a vegetable who could no longer talk, but could move his head a little. He had a living will saying not to keep him on this sort of life support, but we still had to make the decision of when to remove the tube. They kept adjusting the "food" doses to what his body could handle (as low as a teaspoon/day), until finally in March, it had to be taken out. I'm not even going into the hell some of his family gave us even though they almost NEVER did anything over the years, and there WAS a living will that allowed my mother to make a decision. The man's body just wore out. I'm still not over this. I took care of him since I was 15. I feel more guilt than I ever thought I could even though I know it was the humane thing to do. But my mom has advanced MS too, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something similar down the line.

I know the situation is different, but this news story has just culminated at an awfully painful time for me, and I kinda needed to share.

Updated On: 3/19/05 at 11:26 AM

I feel like it's killing an innocent woman, even if she IS in a vegetative state.

Having been in the position of caring for people in similar states as Terri Schiavo, my observations have been that people see what they want to see and begin ascribing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to a person who is no longer capable of generating those higher intellectual and emotional processes. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be inclined to do that myself were it my child. However, were I ever in a similar situation, I can only hope that my husband would pull the plug, or the feeding tube...despite how other family members may feel. It would be kinder for me...and for everyone else...in the long run.

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Terri Schiavo, and any issues involving euthnasia and letting life take its natural course has always interested me.

How come euthnasia is considered playing God, but the extended of life just because we can isn't? *is confused, and goes back to reading "Frankenstein"*

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Thank you iflitifloat. It's worth a lot. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be over this. It's such a delicate and divided issue, and you hope and wish that you never have to make that sort of decision. Seeing someone you love in that condition and having them unable to communicate with you is one of the most painful things ever. I really feel for Schiavo's family.