Terri Schiavo’s Feeding Tube Pulled
As you no doubt already know, Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was pulled today. I haven’t really been following this story too closely over the past several weeks, but here are my thoughts:
If Mrs. Schiavo made it clear that she did not wish to be kept alive artificially, then she should not be kept alive artificially. Of course, the problem is that we don’t know if that’s what she really wanted, because she did not sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order or living will.
Her husband, Michael, says that she made her desires clear to him. In the absence of any written orders, he, as her closest living relative, gets the right to make this decision for her, regardless of his moral character. Therefore, if he decides to have the tube pulled, it should be pulled.
Some would regard this as murder; is it really? Or is it just “letting nature take its course”? Is it not just turning the case over to the Highest Power?
Is withholding unwanted medical care murder? I don’t think so.
Now, one detail remains: Over the next week or two, Mrs. Schiavo will essentially be starving to death. This will be an extremely painful experience, described by (at least) one commentator as torture. We don’t want that; I’d recommend that Schiavo receive some sort of painkiller to ease her passing.
The woman is brain-dead. It’s time to let her go.
UPDATE: See my next post on this topic.
March 18th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
No, she’s not brain dead. As I understand it, brain dead people are not responsive. She is very responsive, awake, alert.
I know of people alive and well accomplishing great things who are dependent on artificial means, like ventilators, to be kept alive (see http://www.makoa.org/jlubin/closeup.htm). Being dependent on ventilators or feeding tubes is not a criterion for “pulling the plug.”
March 19th, 2005 at 12:00 am
You might be right about her being officially brain dead; a google news search for “Schiavo Brain Dead” turns up some 2500+ news articles with those words in it, so I assumed…
In fact, this article quotes Dr. Ron Cranford, a neurologist who was ordered by a court to examine Schiavo.
Sounds pretty clear to me.
And I’m most certainly not saying that being kept alive by extraordinary measures is a bad thing; I’m saying that if Schiavo did not want those measures taken, then she should not be receiving them.
March 19th, 2005 at 12:26 am
Hi! I’ve been following this story closely for the last couple of years, and I just wanted to add a few thoughts. Mainly, I wanted to point out that you talk about people being “kept alive artificially” and “unwanted medical care.” However, the ONLY thing that Terri relies on is a feeding tube, and that is because her husband refuses to allow her to receive therapy that may lead to her eat orally. I want people to remember that she can breathe on her own, and her body functions normally. Simply put, Terri is not terminal. So this would not be “letting nature take its course.” Also, you refer to her husband’s statements. First, this man has already fathered children with another woman. Second, the circumstances the led to her illness are far from conclusive. Newsday had this to say about the case. “For years, the Schindlers have repeatedly suggested that their son-in-law strangled their daughter the night she collapsed 15 years ago this Friday. That’s why, they have asserted, she lost consciousness and suffered the irreversible brain damage that has left her in what doctors say is a persistent vegetative state. That’s also why, they’ve said, Michael Schiavo won’t provide the treatment that would allow her to recover. He doesn’t want her as a witness against him.”
In addition, The Empire Journal details a list of evidence that points to the fact that Terri was the victim of domestic abuse. Here is a part of their article. “The night before Terri Schiavo was found face down in her Florida home under mysterious circumstances, her best friend says Terri had had a fight with her husband, Michael Schiavo and that she had talked about divorce. In testimony given in proceedings in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court before Probate Court judge George W. Greer, Terri’s best friend Jackie Rhodes related under oath that Michael Schiavo was upset because Terri had spent $80 on her hair that day. Hours later she received a phone call that Terri Schiavo was in the emergency room.”
Finally, The Empire Journal also reports one very interesting piece of information about the whole situation. “In 1992, Michael filed and won a malpractice case in which a significant award was made for Terri’s rehabilitation and therapy. The award was based, in part, on expert testimony that she would live a normal life span.” However, “During the time he was seeking the malpractice award, Michael never indicated that Terri would want to die if she were severely disabled.”
March 19th, 2005 at 6:20 am
If she’s brain dead, she won’t feel pain. If she feels pain, she’s not brain dead. It’s that simple. So if she needs pain killers, she’s not brain dead.
The machines that measure her are only as good as machines can get. There can be brain activity that they are not able to measure.
Let this be a lesson to young people. Beware of who you marry.