You've brought this point up a couple of times, so I will throw my thoughts out on this.

If she was in pain, was this pain in existance just when the feeding tube was removed? Or could this pain have been around for a month, a year, or more? Even if she felt pain, I would have no regrets about this decision. I do not know of many people who would, if given the choice, rather stay in what was obviously (after all this time) a permanently vegatative state rather than face relatively short-term pain or discomfort. While I am sure that dying from starvation isn't a whole of fun, the couple of weeks of it sure beats being a lifeless vegatable!

To me (as others) the REAL tradgedy in this case was not that we allowed her to die, but rather that we allowed her to die the way she did. If ever there was a case to be made for euthenasia, this was it (as was my grandfather who died of emphasyma and many other people who have had to suffer needlessly!).

As cold as it may sound, I say "so what" if her last couple of days were painful because of the removal of the feeding tube: it is a hell of a lot better than the way she was "living"!

We could go back and forth for ever with whether she was suffering, whether starving was suffering, whether she could have recovered, whether she was responsive, blah blah blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is, none of that matters. None of us should have ever known the name Terry Schiavo. This was a private matter that got pushed too far and was exploited by many many people. The only good that can possibly come out of this at this point is to serve as an example of why a) people should be diligent about making their wishes lear and b) people's individual rights for themselves and their rights as decisison-makers for their loved ones should be respected.

Sheez, why can't this issue have died with her.

Because it is an interesting topic of dicussion.

Jeb Bush seems to think there's still some political gold to be mined out of this issue.

Link



Likely more fool's gold, says I.

Aaaarrrrr