Our darkest hour.
Mar 26 '05 (Updated Apr 03 '05)
The Bottom Line Sorry Terri, for we let you down :(
The Terri Schiavo case.
As I write this, we as a civilized society are systematically and willingly, starving / torturing a living breathing person to death. She suffered brain damage after a heart attack in February of 1990. This case seems to transcend political affiliations, religious beliefs and the pro life/choice debate, because we all can identify with Terri Schiavo. This could happen to any of us.
To support life, or not! The financial burden.
Our collective moral values prompt us to respect life, and help those that are less fortunate than us. We help the homeless by building shelters and soup kitchens. We provide medical and rehabilitative support for the mentally ill. We afford convicted criminals a chance to reform themselves, by housing and feeding them at public expense. So why is Terri Schiavo not worthy of the same consideration! Why is her life expendable! The sad answer most likely is lack of financial support. It's a sad that in a day and age where silver-haired Park avenue socialites are bequeathing million of dollars into Fido trust accounts for their pets, we don't have the money to sustain one humans life. Terri does not need a heart-lung machine or any other expensive artificial life support. Much like a newborn baby, all she needs is food, water and little bit of caring. But because she is 41 years of age, our judicial system (our laws) has sentenced Terri Schiavo to death by starvation and dehydration.
If this were to happen to me, I would hope that my beloved friends and family would want me to stay alive (if that were my wish, or if I had not indicated anything to the contrary.). The people that don't love me could care less and allow me to starve to death. Michael Sciavo is not Terri's friend or beloved husband.
Life is too precious to be decided on the basis of finances. It has been proven through human lab testing, that the human brain has been known to rewire itself to perform functions for a traumatized area. For example, if someone loses their sight in an accident, the visual cortex starts to process the functions of touch, hearing and smell. Thus enhancing those senses. So there still may be a chance for Terri.
This was Terri's choice?
Terri's husband Michael Schiavo has repeatedly claimed (without proof) that Terri never wanted to be on artificial life support. If those were truly Terri's wishes, then why did he wait 8 years until May of 1998 to petition for the removal of her feeding tubes? Was it possibly because the $750,000 put in trust for Terri (from the $1.25mm judgments in Terri's medical malpractice lawsuits) was depleted?
Other supposedly more humane methods of euthanasia:
Lethal injection: This is what we use for our worst convicted criminals.
Hanging by the neck: still used in many countries, but most prolific use was in our own countries history.
Electric chair: another popular method from the annals of our justice system, was replaced by the more humane lethal injection.
Firing squad: still used by a few countries, but widespread use has declined, because it was deemed too cruel for the men shooting the rifles.
Death by Guillotine: once considered a royal privilege because it was a quick and humane method of execution.
A captive bolt gun: one of the acceptable methods of cattle euthanasia, currently recommended by the AABP (American Association of Bovine Practitioners). A metal bolt is driven through the skull of the animal to cause instant brain trauma and death.
However it seems that none of these are acceptable for a 41 year old woman who suffered brain damage from a cardiac arrest. It is not up to me or anyone else to decide if Terri should live or die. However if death is the only option, then at least be humane about it. Starving her to death is barbaric. The reason why no one will give her a lethal injection, is because no one wants her death on their conscience.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Don't let this happen to you. Make sure you have a living will or health care proxy in place today. For anyone who does not have a healthcare proxy / living will, the process is quite simple.
Here is one website that allows you to create a customized living will document for a nominal cost.
http://www.legalzoom.com/legalzip/living_wills/lw_procedure.html
Here is another resource for learning more about healthcare proxies and living wills.
http://estate.findlaw.com/estate-planning/living-wills.html
Here is my health care proxy: If I ever find myself in Terri's shoes, I hope someone here on Eps will visit me at the hospital and by accident stand on my oxygen tube, or accidentally unplug the artificial respirator, or at the least bring along 200 cats, so I can succumb to my allergies.
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION.
Have all new driver's license applicants fill out an additional form for a living-will. They already have organ-donor choices listed on the back of my license. Why not my healthcare proxy choices!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
aashok
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Member: Ashok
Location: The BIG Apple
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 193 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.