Friday, April 01, 2005

Briefly weighing in... Terri Schiavo

I'm going to echo some sentiments that have been widely expressed, but that I think are at the heart of this case. And that is about all I'll do. If someone knows any of this to be false, fill me in. I, like everyone else, have to go with what is out there.

I have been very surprised to find the amount of "illiteracy" about Terri Schiavo's situation/condition.

1. Terri Schiavo could swallow her saliva which, by itself, nearly militates against a PVS diagnosis.

2. Until her situation deteriorated recently, Terri Schiavo was able to eat cake and pudding orally. Some doctors say this still might be possible were she truly PVS, but this still is an important detail in rebutting the idea that she was unable to orally eat. The hospice was under "orders" from Michael Schiavo, even in the last days of her life, not to feed Terri Schiavo orally.

3. In any other legal case, Michael's common-law wife and three kids by her would be considered an insurmountable conflict of interest and a forfeiture of his guardian rights.

Other sidenotes that may or may not have conflict of interest written all over them...
George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney, is a member of the Hemlock Society, and an otherwise religious weirdo (http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/pfeiffer200503301030.asp).
The hospice was handpicked... its board was a George Greer campaign contributor in his last election. At least one board member has been a member of the Euthenasia Society of America.

This wasn't about leaving Terri Schiavo to die a natural death. It was about whether or not her quality of life warranted feeding her.

I find some peoples support of that consideration to be appalling.

(Thanks Chad)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

After you've been married a number of years...ask yourself who would you trust more to know you well enough to make decisions you are unable to make...your wife or your parents