Who suffers by letting Terri Schiavo live?
Perhaps Michael Schiavo, but he apparently already believes that the woman he once married is no longer alive, so why does it matter to him if her body lives on or not? There are civil, legal options available to him to relinquish his rights and get on with his life that don’t require taking someone else’s.
Michael Schiavo can get on with his life and still let Terri live.
Who suffers? Michael Schiavo says he is fighting to honor Terri’s wishes to not be kept alive like this. Though I’m not aware of other witnesses or testimony to this desire, let’s grant that Terri at one time made such a statement. I know over the course of my own life, however, that there are many opinions I once felt strongly about with which I no longer agree. Some of these I’ve even put down in writing. Are we 100% certain that this is still Terri’s wish?
Just in case, let Terri live.
Who suffers? Some say that Terri Schiavo wouldn’t want to be kept alive in these circumstances, and justify her termination because the body in the hospice no longer has any consciousness that represents her as “Terri.” But if that is so, then “Terri” doesn’t know or care if she’s being kept alive or not.
Let Terri Schiavo live.
Who suffers? Some people may feel the “right to die” may suffer if Terri is kept alive. Many no doubt think that they themselves would not want to be kept alive like this. Your solution is unaffected, however: put it in writing in a Living Will – and hope that you don’t change your mind before the situation arises.
Sign a Living Will, but let Terri Schiavo live.
Why are so many willing to have Terri Schiavo die, but no one is willing to kill her? If the judge is convinced that terminating the shell of Terri Schiavo is necessary, why not authorize a painless lethal injection instead of death by starvation? If the law doesn’t permit this then why don’t the legislators who feel Terri Schiavo must die schedule their own emergency session and pass a law every bit as narrow as what Congress is considering that says Terri Schiavo may be legally killed without having to starve her to death?
Who suffers by letting Terri Schiavo die?
She does, if she is “in there.” Her parents and family do. The fate of every other vulnerable person in her situation either now or in the future does. The soul of a country willing to sacrifice it’s most vulnerable of any age does. Yes, that’s a heavy argument and a hard risk to quantify, but why even take that chance when the question can be easily avoided in one simple way.
Let Terri Schiavo live.
Update:
Go to this post from Michelle Malkin to find links to audio and video recordings of Terri, along with an illuminating description of Florida’s legal requirements for someone to be diagnosed as being in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). There’s also a link to James Q. Wilson’s excellent article in the Wall Street Journal.
