This whole Terry Schiavo case down in the States is a great big can of worms. I do think people should have the choice on when to end their lives, under certain circumstances. Though in this case Terry Schiavo has no way to let people know what she wants.
I do find it despicable that religion is once again the focal point of the argument. In one of the new articles they say “The suit says her religious beliefs are being infringed, the removal of her feeding tube violated her rights and that she hasn’t been provided a lawyer.”. What relgious beliefs are being infringed upon? If someone could clear this up for me. I know suicide is a Catholic sin. Though I also know in theory the Christian god is suppose to be a merciful god, at least that is the way he is portrayed in the New Testament. Aren’t we suppose to follow the example set out by god? So shouldn’t we be merciful as well?
I’m also pissed off by this comment by someone, who doesn’t even know Terry, regarding Terry’s husband stating that Terry told him that she would never want to be kept alive artificially. This lady said, “Terri was too young, she was not thinking about death”. How can this lady say this? Do you have to be 80 before you start thinking about death? I know I started thinking about my own mortality when I was a preteen. I guess I was advanced in worrying about my mortality.
I realize that I’m bias. An uncle of mine was brain damaged after a severe beating. Her recovered a little bit after being on life support for a couple of months. Eventually he passed away because of an infection he couldn’t fight off (I think it was pneumonia). I know I wouldn’t want to live like that.
I bet Terry doesn’t know what is going on around her but she is causing another division of the American people, which always seems to be the progressive/human rights-oriented America versus religious America.
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i find it sick that a decision that should be so personal is turning into a political/religious media circus. I read yesterday that bush is “rushing” back to sign a bill that would extend her life. Realistically, what are the odds that this woman will want to live like this for another 15 years?
This situation is particularly disturbing for a number of reasons. No, Ms. Schiavo doesn’t have the abilities to express her wishes, however, this is a situation where we are not dealing with an unconscious woman who was being kept alive by a ventilator. She is conscious and is (was) being kept alive by a feeding tube. The thing that bothers me the most is that out of nowhere, when her husband decides to get married to someone else which he knows he can’t do without being divorced, he wants to end his wife’s life. It’s sick really. A press conference this morning presented by Mr. Schiavo’s atty. noted that a judge has even gone so far as to deny her communion. The day that her feeding tube was removed, she was given last rites and communion and can only receive communion one more time before her death. I think that this is atrocious. It makes me ill to think about what her parents are going through, to have no choice but to watch their daughter die because her husband is anxious to begin a new life. They have even offered to take over all expenses and care to prolong her life. I encourage you all to keep her family in your hearts and prayers for the next week as Ms. Schiavo’s life will come to an end. May their healing and comfort begin in knowing that there are thousands of people who share in their grief and mourning and refuse to let Ms. Schiavo’s death be in vain. I definitely am going to get my last wishes drawn up to prevent my family the unfortunate experiences that the Schindler’s are currently suffering.
There is nothing wrong about religion being the center of this arguement. This case is about life and death — moral and ethical issues at the core. Religion, whether you like it or not, shapes people’s sense of morality and ethics. The majority of Americans are people of faith, and of course their faith will influence their stance. It’s naive to think that religion will be silent on this issue.
Also, I disagree with your last sentance that this is progressive vs. religious. The first and most fundemental point of human rights is the right to life. At this moment, Terri is being denied life. This is an infringement on her human rights. What makes this even more difficult is that we really don’t know what condition Terri is in. We know so little about the brain and our definition of life and the term “human” is so narrow, we are practically in the dark ages when it comes to this. It’s dangerous to seek a final and permanent step for someone else when we don’t know what their state is and even more importantly, what their wishes are (as is the case with Terri).