I think pulling her off a feeding tube for the second times is a sick fucking game..not one of us knows..nor does anyone else for that matter if indeed she feels or does not feel pain.

 

To pull her on and off is really fucked up.

 

"Look here Terri the powers that be are gonna just leave you over there in the corner for a a day or 6 until you either die of hunger or the courts decide to feed you again." "So sorry about that last time in 2001/3...but you didn't feel fuck all anyway..right?" "I mean that's what the doctors say...and we have so much faith in what they say..so catch ya on the other side."

 

Quote:

"A judge has ordered Terri's death on three occasions, and she went without nutrition for five days in April 2001 before a higher court ordered that feeding be resumed. Three Florida appeal court judges are to rule on her future soon."

End Quote.

Source:

 

We have come nowhere close to understanding the brain..what little we do know about it cannot tell us for sure if there isn't another place we go to when in a vegatative state.

 

Starvation is painful...point final.   

 

There is so much more to this story than we're getting. Had she had access to certain rehabilitative procedures she may have improved..or so say some medical experts..others say no. Whatever the case..this reminds me of a death penalty last resort case..going back and forth..back and forth. Bad enough government has a say in that..get the hell out of private situations.

 

If people love you enough they can find a way to send you on peacfully.

 

I would.

 

Hey-  Sha, I respect what you're saying and agree with parts but I've gotta strongly disagree with some of what you said.

 

A vegetative state is different than a coma.  The only part of her brain that is functioning is the most primitive part that controls breathing and heartbeat.  MRIs have shown that the parts of her brain that have to do with consciousness have turned into more or less a liquid.

 

The right wing has managed to find a few drs. who dispute this, but these are quacks.  The panel of nationally-respected neurologists that Jeb Bush appointed came to the unanymous conclusion that she has no consciousness, feels no pain, hunger or thirst.  Even if she did feel hunger or thirst, drs. virtually all agree that it is not a horrible way to die.  One fades into a sort of dream state, then sleep, then death.  But that's beside the point because she has no consciousness.

 

The right wing is confusing FACTS by bringing in drs. who have their own agenda to contradict medical science as accepted by virtually all medical authorities.

 

I wish I could find a link to one of the neurologists who was on Bush's panel- he explained it so well and left no doubt as to the facts of the situation.  If I can find a link, I'll paste it.

 

In any case, I do agree with your main conclusion- it should be her husband's right to carry out her wishes.  And court after court has decided that she did in fact tell him on three separate occasions that she never wanted to live if something like this were to happen. (How come all of the sudden the sanctity of marriage, which was so very important to the right wing when it came to gay marriage) now doesn't matter at all and the courts should over-rule marriage.  And if not, the judicial branch, which the right wing says is too activist, needs to be over-ruled by the legislative branch. 

 

The contradictions are just mind-boggling.  I do agree Sha, that this is such a tragedy for all family members- husband, father, mother, brothers.  There is no good outcome.  But we can't let the gov't make decisions about such private matters. 

 

It was good to read in this mornings paper that nearly 80 percent of people felt the federal gov't has no right to intefere in this.  First reassuring thing I've read about the American public in a long time.... 

 

Marco

 And this woman still waits to die some 11 or more days later.  

 

 

It is the manor in which it's being done Marco that isn't right..I don't care what the experts say.

Agreed.

Hey Sha- can you elaborate?  If she's not suffering and everyone who's objective agrees that she's not, why is it a problem?

 

The drs. who have examined her over the last few days say she looks very much at peace.  It reminds me of my dad's final days when he'd made his peace and was ready to go.  While he was not in a vegitative state or a coma, he was in and out of consciousness the last few days and knew the time had come.  He passed very peacefully.

 

The US hospice system is a wonderful thing, and she is at a hospice.  They ensure that patients don't suffer but let them go when it's time to go.  And IMO, that's how it should be.

 

Marco

 

Marco

I beleive she is on a morphine drip now.  thank God.

sue

Agreed, Curio- may she rest in peace and may all of us learn from this horrible experience.  We should all make a pact to make a living will.  I don't care what your personal choice is, just take the action so that our choices are followed.  Those of us who wouldn't want to be alive as Terry was need to protect ourselves and our familes so that we may go in peace when we decide we're ready.

 

If anything at all good comes of this, I hope that more of us will give this some thought and save our loved ones the pain of going through what both Michael Schiavo and Terry parents went through, and of course what Terry herself went through.

 

Rest in peace; what else is there to say?

 

Marco