I Just Don't Know 

This will be my one obligatory Terri Schiavo post. Simply put, I just don't know. There are so many issues rolled up into one here, that I don't think anyone really knows... but most everyone is standing on one side of the line or the other.

On the Right to Die: I firmly believe in it. You have the right to live, and you have the right to die. That's the power that you have for yourself. Doctor assisted suicide? You betcha. If I'm faced with 3 months of pain and anguish from terminal cancer... drug me til I'm gone. If you as my doctor refuse to take an active role (in which case I will spit on you with the last bit of saliva left in my mouth)... then someone sneak a .45 into my room and walk away. If I can't do it myself because I'm in a coma... then I hope someone will do it for me. Some people are utterly against this, and this debate has snuck in here. Some people don't really care what she wanted, just whether they believe what she wanted was right in the first place. That argument has no place here. All that matters is what did she want? I just don't know.

Is she in a Persistent Vegetative State?: From what I understand, she didn't want to be kept alive in a persistent vegetative state. But is she in one? My understanding is that there has been a complete lack of standard diagnostic testing. For instance, she's never under gone an MRI... shocking most neurologists who have heard this. All she's had is a CT, which is very inconclusive in these cases. The doctor that was used in the original court case is also an activist for euthanasia (of people with Alzheimers for instance). Not exactly what I'd call impartial here. So it's quite possible she's not in a persistive vegetative state, definitely affecting the facts of this case.

But here is the kicker. If she's not in PVS, maybe she didn't want to be in the state she's in right now either. I'm not sure if I'd want to be. Whether you agree with it or not, this might be her final wish... but it doesn't seem like people want to accept that. People are classifying her as being in PVS because it's an easier argument for doctors and lawyers to "stop life saving measures" then to commit "doctor assisted suicide". Whether she's in PVS might not be the issue here at all. Once again... it's a matter of what did she want? I just don't know.

Removing Her Feeding Tube: This absolutely sickens me. This is a bastardization of the Hippocratic Oath in every sense. Starvation and dehydration as a way to die? That is an absolutely horrible way to go. It's also a passive way out, which is why doctor's are willing to do it. Fucking assholes. If she really wanted it to end in this situation, then over dose her on something... let her go out peacefully and without pain.

If you were to suggest starvation as an appropriate way to carry out the death penalty for anyone on death row... what would the public say? It's a sad state of affairs when we allow murders to be given a more peaceful death than an innocent woman in a hospital. This is one thing I do know.

On the Federal Legislation: I don't agree with it. It set's an awful precedent, and according to this morning's news it didn't do any good anyway. I think it was wishful thinking for people to think it would. There has been so much controversy over this case, that changing what has been already decided will be almost impossible for any judge.

If anything, this is cautionary tale for those who don't want this to happen to themselves. Make a living will, and let your family and friends know exactly what you want. More importantly, don't let doing the second stop you from doing the first. Because if this happens to you, and you don't have your wishes written down, there's no guarantee those who love you will do what you want. People have a hard time letting go. Is that what's happening to Terri? I just don't know.