Terri Schiavo Part 2: My Thoughts
Let me start off by being quite blunt. No beating around the bush or delaying for dramatic effect.... So here it is: Pull the plug. Now that you know what I think, let me backtrack a little and explain my reasoning. It is far less callus and blunt than it seems.
Terri Shiavo has been on life support for about 15 years. Over this time she has, not willingly, put her husband and family through more pain than joy and cost them more than an arm and a leg in medical bills... maybe like an arm, leg and ass cheek. Either way, its costing a butt-load. She has had slim to no chance of EVER recovering and hasn't even been able to acknowledge their presence.
This case has gone through more appeals then any capital crime and been ruled on by more judges than is even necessary or reasonable. The whole process has been done to a tee. This is probably one of the few times that the courts took every possible step and did it all by the book. You can hate the Judges decision all you want, but respect it. Stop delaying the pain and suffering of all these people that actually have something to do with this woman. Every day, minute and second that passes is delaying the inevitable and causing the family more pain. Pain that their wife/daughter is suffering, pain in the belief that she might recover and pain in the fact that they cannot grieve for their wife, child and friend.
Now there are rumors that Terri has been somewhat responsive and there is hope of rehabilitation. Well, if this is true then that changes my whole out look on things. If there is a chance that she could come out of this, then by all means save the poor woman; But why couldn't you rehabilitate her at any point in the past 15 years? Why now, on her death bed, do you say there is a sudden change in her condition? Why? If this woman dies it will be a tragedy, but that's life. You cry, you grieve, you move on and remember the good times. No matter what happens though, any outcome of this will result in terrible pain and sadness for the family. The rest of the world, however, will move on in a matter of days. For the family this is real, it isn't entertainment or fighting for a cause to boost your own self-worth. So why the big fuss? Because it's all politics. All of it. Period. It is a case that many politicians saw as an opportunity to advance their own agendas. A case that would bring out the pro-lifers/anti-abortionists, create support from the catholic majority of middle America and create a media frenzy. I'm certain that Jeb Bush, the man behind the madness, doesn't even see a person laying in a bed right now starving to death. All he see's is another rung in the ladder to follow daddy and dubya.
Speaking of publicity, have you heard of the name Sun Hudson? No? Well you're not alone. In a similar case (that has had almost zero media attention) on March 15th, the feeding tube was removed from six month old baby Sun Hudson. This was also done against his mothers wishes. Sun was born in September with an incurable and rare form of dwarfism that results in lungs too small to sustain life. Citing what is known as the Texas Futile Care Law, a judge ordered the baby's tubes be removed which resulted in his death. What is the Futile Care Law, you might ask? and how can they do this against a mother's wishes without any sort of appeal? Well, the Futile Care Law was brought into effect to give hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient can't pay and if there is no hope of revival, regardless of the family's wishes. And who signed this into Texas law in 1999? You guessed it, George W. Bush. Yes, this is the same man who, as President, cut a vacation short to push through a law to try and save Terry Shiavo. A law in direct violation of his earlier law. His words were, "It is best to err on the side of life." Well sorry ole' buddy, you can't change your mind when money is on the table. Ask Ms. Hudson.
Terri Schiavo and husband Michael in 1990
Terri Shiavo has been on life support for about 15 years. Over this time she has, not willingly, put her husband and family through more pain than joy and cost them more than an arm and a leg in medical bills... maybe like an arm, leg and ass cheek. Either way, its costing a butt-load. She has had slim to no chance of EVER recovering and hasn't even been able to acknowledge their presence.
This case has gone through more appeals then any capital crime and been ruled on by more judges than is even necessary or reasonable. The whole process has been done to a tee. This is probably one of the few times that the courts took every possible step and did it all by the book. You can hate the Judges decision all you want, but respect it. Stop delaying the pain and suffering of all these people that actually have something to do with this woman. Every day, minute and second that passes is delaying the inevitable and causing the family more pain. Pain that their wife/daughter is suffering, pain in the belief that she might recover and pain in the fact that they cannot grieve for their wife, child and friend.
Now there are rumors that Terri has been somewhat responsive and there is hope of rehabilitation. Well, if this is true then that changes my whole out look on things. If there is a chance that she could come out of this, then by all means save the poor woman; But why couldn't you rehabilitate her at any point in the past 15 years? Why now, on her death bed, do you say there is a sudden change in her condition? Why? If this woman dies it will be a tragedy, but that's life. You cry, you grieve, you move on and remember the good times. No matter what happens though, any outcome of this will result in terrible pain and sadness for the family. The rest of the world, however, will move on in a matter of days. For the family this is real, it isn't entertainment or fighting for a cause to boost your own self-worth. So why the big fuss? Because it's all politics. All of it. Period. It is a case that many politicians saw as an opportunity to advance their own agendas. A case that would bring out the pro-lifers/anti-abortionists, create support from the catholic majority of middle America and create a media frenzy. I'm certain that Jeb Bush, the man behind the madness, doesn't even see a person laying in a bed right now starving to death. All he see's is another rung in the ladder to follow daddy and dubya.
Speaking of publicity, have you heard of the name Sun Hudson? No? Well you're not alone. In a similar case (that has had almost zero media attention) on March 15th, the feeding tube was removed from six month old baby Sun Hudson. This was also done against his mothers wishes. Sun was born in September with an incurable and rare form of dwarfism that results in lungs too small to sustain life. Citing what is known as the Texas Futile Care Law, a judge ordered the baby's tubes be removed which resulted in his death. What is the Futile Care Law, you might ask? and how can they do this against a mother's wishes without any sort of appeal? Well, the Futile Care Law was brought into effect to give hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient can't pay and if there is no hope of revival, regardless of the family's wishes. And who signed this into Texas law in 1999? You guessed it, George W. Bush. Yes, this is the same man who, as President, cut a vacation short to push through a law to try and save Terry Shiavo. A law in direct violation of his earlier law. His words were, "It is best to err on the side of life." Well sorry ole' buddy, you can't change your mind when money is on the table. Ask Ms. Hudson.
Terri Schiavo and husband Michael in 1990
posted by Geoff at 2:12 PM
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