schiavo

[pwnag3!!]

just wondering what everyone thinks about the terry schiavo case.
I personally think they should pull the plug.
i had an argument with someone saying that its immoral and murder to pull the plug.
I retort.
Are you christian...
(person) yes
(me) well tell me this. Is the goal of a life lived to make it into heaven.
(person) yes, but its not her time to die.
(me) it was her time to die...thus artifical breathing and feeding tubes... she was meant to die. Why would you or any other person deny her passageway into an after life.... she is basically the living dead. Even if she came out of a coma her brain is mush. no point in living with a mushy brain.
(person) welll i guess your right.
so im just wondering what everyone thinks about all this nonsense.

 

[jacknjill]

i think they should pull the plug. no one deserves to "live" like that. it was obviously her time to go

 

[moraym]

This thread may quickly degenerate into mod-deleting-debate. So I wont offer my opinion of her.
But I know I would not want to live like that.

 

[jj48]

She is not on ANY breathing machines. She is not a vegetable. She responds to people in the room and breathes on her own. It has even been documented by nurses that she has eaten on her own in the past.
But her "husband" (I use that term as loosely as possible) has been living with another woman for years while STILL MARRIED to Terry and has two kids with this other woman and he refuses to let her parents - who are willing and able - to care for her. He also will not allow anyone to feed her - even though she can eat things like pudding and Jello. He is SCUM. Why is everyone so quick to let this woman die?

 

[lefty]

If she is as aware as people make her out to be, and it is said that she somehow communicated the notion that she no longer wants the feeding tube, then I am not against the tube being removed. She of all people would know the suffering that is endured day in and day out.
That's just my opinion though.
-lefty

 

[lovethesea]

we need to let family matters stay private. This happens literally everday......and we don't hear about it. Government gets involved it can and will be a slippery slope for us all. :nope:

 

[lovethesea]

oh, and my aunt works with people in this state everday. She is not aware.....only reflexes are guiding her. And if you try to feed her, she will choke to death. Its a known fact that the few seconds of her "smiling" is in a video of about 8-10 hours of nothing. Nurses say she never responds differently at any given time. Only her reflexes....
I would come back to haunt anyone who persisted in making me live like that and a majority of people feel the same.
Hence as stated the govt intervening.

 

[nw2sltfsh]

Originally posted by jj48
.
But her "husband" (I use that term as loosely as possible) has been living with another woman for years while STILL MARRIED to Terry and has two kids with this other woman
The appointed attorney representing Terri and not her parents or husband did considerable research and investigation and found that on many occasions shortly after the massive heart attack brought on by bulimia occurred her parents insisted on introducing him to women in an attempt for him to go on with his life. He did stand by her side as a Husband for quite some time. He has done nothing wrong IMO
All that remains in operable condition on Terri is her brain stem and frontal lobe. She only has reflexive and non cognitive motor functions left.
it is a sad sad story but as stated it happens everyday to other families and has never received so much attention.
I can personally see both sides - as a parent I would not want to outlive my child and the guilt of removing the tube would destroy me .... But as a wife I could not look at my young active full spirited husband in a state like that knowing he would not want to live like that.

 

[fishtanker]

i don't think its revelant what the husband is or has been doing while she been a vegatable. He didn't do anything to put her in this condition and he still has a life to do what he wants with it. just because you or I might not behave this way doesn't mean that he's wrong for behaving this way.
The woman is not alive. the most basic human instinct is eating. she can't feed herself. if atrifical feeding wasn't around then she would be dead.
What bothers me is that if Terri really said that she didn't want to be artfically fed then what her parents and the congress are trying to do is wrong. The spouse is the guardian and speaks for his wife.
Just IMO...

 

[avbryce1]

I think It is all sick The woman said that she dident want to be kept alive by artifical means. So this matter should not even be in question. also, let me say this, for any of you that feel the same way as Terry Schiavo did become an organ donor and you wont have to worry about them keeping you on life support.

 

[jkvjl]

If she was a dog how would we treat her. Sad this country treats our animals better then people. Insurance companys are doing nothing but getting rich off this. she has No life

 

[simm]

He is in it only for the life insurance he will recieve when she does die.

 

[lovethesea]

I don't think anyone would go through what he has gone through for a small life insurance policy if there actually is one. Remember she was only in her 20's when this happened. Most people at that age don't have policies on their own with the exception of what your employer might let you have access to.
He has spent far more in legal bills I am sure.
There was a malpractice suit brought against the hospital and they won, but I think that money was spent on her care. (not 100% sure on that though)

 

[lovethesea]

..........found this info regarding suit
Raising the issue of a possible conflict of interest is the fact that Mr. Schiavo stands to inherit the remainder of Mrs. Schiavo's malpractice settlement upon her death. Mr. Schiavo has publicly responded to this charge by claiming that, of the original $1,050,000 awarded in the malpractice suit, less than $50,000 is left, the rest having been spent under a judge's supervision on medical care for Mrs. Schiavo and the ongoing legal battle. He has also stated that, if he does receive this money, he will donate it to charity.

 

[ophiura]

Can we stop referring to this HUMAN as a vegetable? Or does that just make it easier for people?
Some thoughts to ponder:
If a doctor came in and gave her a lethal dose of something now to end her suffering, would they be charged with murder?
You can't starve a dog to death; you can't starve a convicted murderer to death (some argue you can't kill them in any way). Purposely starving people to death is something we associate with Hitler.
An innocent woman, regardless of cognition by our standards, is being starved to death.
It is not a matter of "I wouldn't want to live that way."
I wouldn't want to live like...
A baby
An elderly person in a nursing home
A person with any one of dozens of genetic diseases
A person with Down's Syndrome
A dwarf
An obese person
A parapalegic/quad
A blind person
A deaf person
Why can I say these things? Cause I am healthy and intact, and don't have the strength of character to live any other way or to even think about it. It is too scary...I just wouldn't want to live that way. Would it changed if something happened to me...could I adapt? I reckon, but maybe not. Have you watched how people react to others with these issues?
But should these peope die for my "not wanting to live that way?" Just because you "wouldn't want to live that way?" People live fine lives in the above situations....so lets abandon this "I wouldn't want to live that way" logic because it is a slippery slope. And we are on that slope - more clear when it is a machine keeping you alive...but now it is getting slippery.
I know, this is different, but do we know how different? Has she had therapy for years and still no improvement? Has she been given any chance for anything else? No.
What if she didn't want to be starved to death? I know that "I wouldn't want to live that way but I surely wouldn't want to die that way" either. I don't want a heart/lung machine keeping me going for sure (pull the plug!) but I don't want to be starved.
Is this really more of a euthenasia issue - should we humanely assist people in dying or just in cases like this or what?
Make it clear to your family what you want, that is all I can say! Let's hope we aren't faced with the choice. It may seem easy to us from one side or the other because it has no impact on our lives. JMO

 

[judyk]

The only good that has come from this, is families discussing their feelings on this situation. Everyone should take the time to fill out a living will. This may stop this from happening to you one day. Of course, big brother could try to step in again. (Too bad they don't rush to provide the rest of the citizens with needed medicines and treatments.) I would haunt my family if they left me like that for 15 years. I also, would hope my husband would go on with his life. If your spouse dies and you remarry, it doesn't mean you don't still have love for the first one.

 

[fishtanker]

You can't starve a dog to death; you can't starve a convicted murderer to death (some argue you can't kill them in any way). Purposely starving people to death is something we associate with Hitler.
If she was able to eat then she wouldn't be starving to death. Its not like she can't eat becasue of side effects to treatments or cancer that effects her eating ability or a coma that she could come out of. She is physically and mentally unable to eat due to her irreversible brain damage.
But should these peope die for my "not wanting to live that way?"
No, but these people should be allowed to die if "they" do not want to live that way.
Is this really more of a euthenasia issue - should we humanely assist people in dying or just in cases like this or what?
i think we should as long as the person is of sound mind when euthenasia is requested.
Has she had therapy for years and still no improvement? Has she been given any chance for anything else? No.
Court appointed Drs. have stated that she has no chance of improvement. This has been going on for 15years.
Again IMO...

 

[lovethesea]

Originally posted by ophiura
A baby
An elderly person in a nursing home
A person with any one of dozens of genetic diseases
A person with Down's Syndrome
A dwarf
An obese person
A parapalegic/quad
A blind person
A deaf person


None of the above are living with an atrophied brain and only electrical activity in the cerbral cortex.

 

[molamola]

What kind of precedent are we setting, by allowing a woman to die based on heresay? Since when is it acceptable to determine a human's fate based on something someone may or may not have said? I think that's pretty frightening.
No one will ever know what her actual wishes were and that fact merits some sort of action in her parents' favor, in my opinion.

 

[ophiura]

I do also want to interject here that this can be an emotional issue, and that we are all expressing our opinions...which we are each entitled to. Hopefully this can be done reasonably.

I think we can all agree that the number one issue to come out of it for us, is to share our wishes with our families and put together a living will...and be specific. Because here is a clear case where it is not a matter of being unplugged.