Do Not Resuscitate: My Life as a Vegetable

[JakeD]

If you pay attention to the news, you've probably noticed a lot of hubbub about a young lady from Florida named Terri Schiavo (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/18/schiavo.brain-damaged/index.html). She's currently on life support, and her family is embroiled in a huge legal battle with her husband over whether or not Terri actually wanted to be on life support in the first place.

Her husband contends that she did, but the only evidence he has is his claim that she said so. He may have ulterior motives, as he has a reputation for abusing her and even had a girlfriend while she was in a vegetative state. Her parents, of course, don't want to let their daughter go. As far as I'm concerned, they're hanging onto every minuscule action of hers and turning it into a big activity thing. Fact of the matter is, she's still brain-dead. Congress is calling on her and her husband to come and testify in front of the Supreme Court. That seems impossible to me.

When I see the pictures of her, I automatically think that she's a veggie. She doesn't look as responsive as her parents make her out to be. Then again, I haven't seen her IRL. If I saw some sort of video, I'd be a bit more convinced, but then again someone's activity can be a subjective thing.

Regardless, I've always thought that being on life support is a shitty way to live, and no matter how much you love someone you should let them die in peace with a bit of dignity instead of letting them suffer an unnecessarily prolonged existence. I'm obviously letting my bias get in the way of most rational thought on this issue, but I still can't rationalize how a brain-dead person can provide a sufficient testimony on their part.

The main thing that hacks me off is that many of the Florida politicians are turning this into their own little agenda, which makes me physically ill. She's become a pawn for the pro-life crowd. Their agenda can pertain to dropping bombs on and shooting all the people that their little hearts desire, but one woman's life hangs in the balance and all of a sudden it's a massive issue. Totally reminds me of that Stalin quote, "death of one's a tragedy, death of a million's a statistic", etc.

[Bassmama]

Ummmm.... and how many years has she been on life support? Apparently the pro-lifers expect him to become a priest (a chaste one, anyway) while they keep thiat woman's 'meatsock' alife- while what USED to be her (her brain) is long since dead.

I agree with you, Jake- let the poor woman go in peace.

[Bane]

Just for the sake of something for my future ppls to point to in case something of that sort happens.

Dear Future Person in charge of such stuff: Unplug me, I'm not fucking with you. If I ever do wake up the first thing I'm gonna do is get my atrophied muscles back into shape to whip your ass.

[Amaurote]

I always think it's one of the crowning ironies of the pro-life lobby that its opposition to mercy killings forces doctors and families to seek permission to force patients to die in the most painful ways imaginable - starvation and dehydration.

[Bassmama]

I always think it's one of the crowning ironies of the pro-life lobby that its opposition to mercy killings forces doctors and families to seek permission to force patients to die in the most painful ways imaginable - starvation and dehydration.

... and cancer patients, liver & lung failure patients, etc. to die long & horribly. We put our animals to sleep, why do we not allow euthanasia for our humans that we love so much? For those of you that are against it, have you ever watched someone die from a horrible disease? I mean working & caring for them 40 hours a week- not just going in & visiting them & leaving.

Dr. Kevorkian is right, IMHO.

[entipy]

I agree, Bass. I'm so pro-Euthansia. Life for its own sake is not always the best thing.

Specifically in this case, from what I've heard, she is currently being kept alive via a feeding tube and not necessarily a breathing machine or other apparatus. Her body is sustaining her, but she has no brain function. In *this* case, I do not think the most humane thing to do is to unplug her feeding tube. That would cause her to slowly starve to death over a number of days. That's not fair to the poor woman, vegetable or not.

This case is a perfect example of why Euthanasia should be allowed in certain circumstances. She obviously has no prayer for any future life of consequence, and I'm sure if she were able to tell her family, she would tell them, "Hey! Dammit, what makes you think I want to live this way???"

[Amaurote]

Where I do think the pro-life lobby have a point - and for the most part, they don't - is that speaking on behalf of someone in PVS is presumptuous and an arrogation of the individual right to decide. That is absolutely correct, as it happens (and there are a number of people who have recovered from ostensibly irremediable conditions who would agree with them), but it doesn't make that presumption morally wrong, which is the burden of their case.

[Unforgiven]

If my brain is dead, I am dead. That is all.

[Amaurote]

That's absolutely right, Unfy, but do we know for a fact that everyone we diagnose as being in PVS are actually unaware or incapable of recovery? They probably are, but in speaking for them we're certainly arrogating their right, no probablies about it. I agree that we should, and I think the pro-life lobby is in error, but their point itself is perfectly valid.

[JakeD]

I agree, Bass. I'm so pro-Euthansia. Life for its own sake is not always the best thing.

Specifically in this case, from what I've heard, she is currently being kept alive via a feeding tube and not necessarily a breathing machine or other apparatus. Her body is sustaining her, but she has no brain function. In *this* case, I do not think the most humane thing to do is to unplug her feeding tube. That would cause her to slowly starve to death over a number of days. That's not fair to the poor woman, vegetable or not.

This case is a perfect example of why Euthanasia should be allowed in certain circumstances. She obviously has no prayer for any future life of consequence, and I'm sure if she were able to tell her family, she would tell them, "Hey! Dammit, what makes you think I want to live this way???"

I'm pro-euthanasia too. It's a perfectly sane decision to make under the right circumstances, and a lot of people deserve it as opposed to suffering, as she will. I don't like the fact that she's going to starve to death either. Someone made the argument that since most of her brain's deteriorated, that she's not going to know the difference anyways, but regardless it's a horrible way to die. I just hope some benevolent nurse slips in the room with a syringe-ful of an extremely generous dose of morphine and gives her a more dignified release from life than starving to death.

[whitecrow]

It's not about life, it's about QUALITY of life. Even if she did recover, which is unlikely (to put it nicely) she wouldn't have any quality to her life, and then what? Poor woman has to live out her days completely miserable and unable to do anything about it.

I'm pro Euthenasia (LEFTY ALERT) in some situations, and this one definately falls into that category. 15 years on the food tube, that's just not right. If ever I'm in that situation, will one of you please let me die?

[Bane]

Just thought I would post these. They were there and I like bloating the database

[Evilpoptart]

http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/images/war.332.gif

[Bassmama]

Now Gov. Zeb Bush is trying to get custody for her and has involved the Social Services Department.

I can't believe that the religious right has that much power over our government, & that the Bush family are abusing their power like they are AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT!!!

[Amaurote]

Now Gov. Zeb Bush is trying to get custody for her and has involved the Social Services Department.

I can't believe that the religious right has that much power over our government, & that the Bush family are abusing their power like they are AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT!!!

It's interesting, but as bad as this is for her family, I think the GOP intervention is the best thing to happen to the Democrats since "Read My Lips": the overwhelming majority of the electorate that hates the state and the church interfering with people's private lives has watched this episode from start to finish. I think this will come back to haunt the Republicans in the years to come, because it's now become part of their political profile.

[chica]

I have heard from people that if you are braindead, you don't know you're starving to death. All I know is that everyone I talk to says they wouldn't ever want to be a burden on their family and friends. Perhaps Terry doesn't know whether she is or not, but if she had a moment to think sanely about where's she's at, I'm sure she would want to go. I also think it stinks that this has become something political, a way for people in power to promote themselves. Also, Amaurote, you bring up alot of good points. I think the goverment should think about forcing people to get living wills as soon as sanely possible. If the goverment wants to get involved with this matter, I think that's as far as it should go. I could also be bias on this whole matter cause I am (was) pro-Kivorkian. Sorry I jump around so much when I write, geez.

[Bassmama]

No, you didn't jump around a lot, Chica. You've got your information right- after the first 48 hours or so, a coherant person will no longer have pain- someone who's braindead won't feel anything from the beginning. I don't believe she's totally braindead, though- just extremely damaged, but I haven't heard how profoundly damaged she is.

I agree with you on Kevorkian, too- I feel that if someone is terminal & going through a debilitating disease including horrible pain or total loss of function, there should be an option of getting a shot & just going to sleep, like we do with our animals. We won't let our animals suffer, but we can stand by as our loved ones lay there in agony & die horribly? That NEVER made any sense to me.

I hope that this whole political deal comes back to bite the Repub. party BIGTIME- but I fear it won't happen. What REALLY pisses me of, also, is the shooting of the 10 people at the indian school by the student- as of yesterday, 3 days had passed and the 'great white father in Washington' had not BOTHERED to send any messages to the families, the school, the tribal elders... anyone. Again, the arrogant asshole judged keeping an almost totally braindead woman more important than the deaths of kids & a teacher & a whole community of people

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64317-2005Mar24.html

BTW- I too, feel that Terri wouldn't want to linger on like that. I think her parents are kooks.

[Fire]

Well, as most of you already know, the appeal was denied again. I am glad that this woman will be able to die, she's laid in bed with a tube in her for way too long. I hate that she has to starve to death, whether or not she can feel it. It's inhumane. However, it's more inhumane to let her live like she was. She deserves to go in peace, to finally be rid of what's holding her on this earth. I'm sorry for her family, I know that they tried their hardest to keep their daughter here, and I fully understand. But it's time to let her go. Now she will, and she will be in a better place.