The Schiavo issue

[Nephythys]

Sac- I would expect nothing less-

Claire- the question was- if someone went in right now and smothered her- would they charge them with murder?

[Claire]

I have to assume that the person would be charged in her death, but I don't know if they'd be found guilty of murder.

[Nephythys]

A circuit court judge denied Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's request to take protective custody of Terri Schiavo (search) on Thursday, perhaps spelling the end of the protracted legal battled over how the severely brain-damaged woman ought to die.

Link

[mousepod]

This is such a f-ing sad story.

Personal politics aside, I'm heartened by this thread. There's humanity here in the LoT - I'm grateful for everyone's opinion. Thanks.

[Not Afraid]

This poor girl! She can speak nor conprehend much and her entire life is in the hands of others with beliefs that may or may not coincide with hers. What a terrible place to be in.

[Disneyphile]

Politics aside, I'm still not over the fact that someone is dying of dehydration because someone wanted her to.

Her parents even petitioned to provide food and water to their daughter in hopes to teach her to eat, and that was denied. And people are being arrested outside her hospital just because they want to bring her water.

It's disgusting.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

Her parents even petitioned to provide food and water to their daughter in hopes to teach her to eat, and that was denied.

It's been 16 years. She can't eat, that's been confirmed by doctor after doctor after doctor.

And people are being arrested outside her hospital just because they want to bring her water.

People were being arrested for trespass, and possibly disorderly conduct. It had nothing to do with what was in their hands. It was a form of protest and they did it with the purpose of getting arrested. Ia ny of them actually thought they'd get through and give her water, they are delusional. But they didn't, they did it to cause a scene.

It's disgusting.

What I find disgusting is people demonizing others based on a distorted, one-sided assessment of the situation.

I've said several times that I honestly don't have an opinion one way or the other about it. The only thing I know is that the right to decide is Michael Shiavos and it should be (and was) upheld.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Someone asked how can a husband look for her death if he's acting in a loving manner?

My husband would do the same thing as Michael Shiavo is- hold out for as long as is reasonable to hope for recovery, and if recovery is impossible, then to make sure I die. He'd probably be just as demonized for it, but he knows what I want.

"Netherlands (apparently) no longer need consent for assisted suicide" -

Ok that's a problem. The person *must* consent. My biggest fear is that I will wind up with something debilitating, and be unable to say that I want out.

"It took Michael S. seven years to 'remember' she didn't want to live like this."

I'm sure it took some time to come to terms with the probability that she will never recover. You don't exactly want to say, ok she's been in a coma for a week, that's it, give her a big tube of morphine.

I think the whole thing is creepy and horrible from any angle. My heart goes out to you who've had to deal with this stuff in your own families. I worked in a couple of nursing homes, and it's hard even when the family *is* in agreement. I can't imagine if the family is fighting amongst themselves. There's a lot of denial going on, and that's hard to watch, but what can you do if someone refuses to face reality? Ouch.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

It's been 16 years. She can't eat, that's been confirmed by doctor after doctor after doctor.

And, doctor after doctor after doctor have also claimed that she CAN feel pain and is aware of her surroundings and can interact. And, there are doctors who have denied that. The human brain is so complex that no one will ever know exactly where full "awareness" and "thought" come from. That's one thing all the doctors can agree on.

Something happened to me as a child where I went into a "non-responsive" state. To this day, I can recall in great detail what was going on around me, things that were said, etc. even though none of that detail was ever told to me by my parents. And, I remember wanting to respond, but my body wouldn't. I remember being taken to the hospital where I could feel the prick of an IV needle and the pain associated, yet couldn't cry out. All I did was stare "off into space". 5 days later, after many tests, I was released with an "inconclusive diagnosis". I only regained "full awareness and responsiveness" once I awoke the next morning, after having been knocked out with drugs. My parents are utterly amazed that I can recount word for word their actions and statements up to that point. And still, no one knows what happened. But, damn, I know what I experienced, and that can't be argued.

Sorry, but I'm too convinced that Terri is quite aware of what's happening to her right now. And, I don't give a crap what "evidence" or "scientific" blabber is thrown at me.

I go off of my heart and hunch on this one, and that woman is very much alive. But, not for long, apparently.

Also, if her husband was so concerned about her, then he would have waited until she passed before having another woman and children. At least, if marriage meant anything to him. He would have stayed with Terri, and only Terri, through the end. And, he obviously didn't support her enough to seek help for her bulemia before it caused this in the first place (wow, there's a supportive spouse - ick).

As for going with my heart and hunch on this one, I'm entitled to do so without explanation, and besides - I do believe in miracles. One just might have happened if she was offered food and/or water at this point, but it's not "allowed".

[Ghoulish Delight]

Of course you're entitled, however, I'm entitled to point out that VERY few doctors contradict what the several court-appointed as well as personal doctors have concluded. Those that do are on the fringe of their profession, and have little to back up their claim. You want support? No one who has 1) lost blood flow to the brain as long as Terri did and 2) remained unresponsive for more than a few months has ever been known to subsequently regain responsiveness. This isn't a psychological anomoly, a large and vital portion of her brain has been destroyed. It's simply not there.

But all of that is beside the point. The point is, she said she did not want to be kept alive if she was in a state where she was a burden and she had no hope for recovery.