| Terri
Schiavo is a woman who suffered a heart attack 15 years ago, who
essentially died but was resuscitated, though not entirely. Her
brain had suffered enormous damage from the heart attack.
As time passed, her brain further
deteriorated -- to the point where much if not most of her
cerebral cortex (the portion of the brain that controls conscious
thought, among other things) was literally gone, replaced by
spinal fluid. Doctors hired by Terri's husband say the
deterioration of Terri's brain left her without thoughts or
feelings, that the damage is irreversible, and that Terri's
life-like appearance is merely the result of brain stem activity
-- basically involuntary reflexes we all have.
An independent doctor hired by the
court reached the same conclusions. Doctors hired by Terri's
parents did not dispute the physical damage done to Terri, but
they claim there are new therapies that could improve her
condition.
In two separate trials, the trial
court found such claims of potential improvement to be without
merit. Terri's body continues to function without her cerebral
cortex. She is sustained by a feeding tube surgically inserted
into her stomach. She cannot eat through her mouth without a
strong likelihood of choking to death.
Mrs. Schiavo has a husband who lived with his in-laws following
Terri's heart attack, who apparently provided care and therapy for
years but who later came to believe Terri would never recover. He
believes she would not have wanted to be kept alive in this
brain-degenerated condition by a surgically implanted tube.
He is apparently willing to
continue his fight to achieve what he believes Terri would want
despite ridicule, hatred, expense, and threats.
Mrs. Schiavo has parents who were once allied with Terri's husband
in an effort to care for Terri and restore her but, unlike Terri's
husband, they never lost hope. They believe Terri reacts to them
and has conscious thoughts. They believe Terri would not want, and
does not want, her feeding tube removed, and that some cognitive
function could be restored through new therapies.
Terri's parents are willing to
continue their fight to achieve what they believe Terri would want
despite ridicule, hatred, expense, and threats.
The State of Florida has judges who had been placed in the
utterly thankless position of applying Florida law to this
impassioned situation.
Florida law calls for the trial
court to determine what Terri would choose to do in this
situation, and after a trial hard fought by Terri's husband and
her family, where each side was given the opportunity to present
its best case about what Terri would do, the court determined the
evidence was clear and convincing that Terri would choose not to
continue living by the affirmative intervention of modern medicine
-- that she would choose to have her feeding tube disconnected.
In a second trial, brought about by
Terri's family's claims new therapies could restore her and that
the existence of such a therapy would make her "change her
mind," the trial court again heard evidence from all sides
and determined that no new therapy presented any reasonable chance
of restoring Terri's brain function.
The propriety of these decisions --
from the sufficiency of the evidence to the appropriateness of the
procedures used -- has been unanimously upheld on appeal each
time.
You were left with a public that was much confused. Some saw video
clips of Terri moving, appearing to make eye contact, and making
sounds, and they assumed such are the product of conscious thought
-- that Terri's "in there."
- Some believe Terri's husband has
been motivated by money.
- Some believe that no heart
attack occurred -- instead, Terri's husband beat her nearly to
death and has been trying to end her life ever since.
- Some believe he is a bad person
because he has taken up with another woman and has children
with her.
- Some believe Florida's judiciary
is corrupt or inept, to the point where death threats have
been made against the trial judge.
- Some are sad that families would
fight like this.
- Some believe that removing
Terri's feeding tube would cause her pain and is inhumane
- Some are disappointed that the
law does not allow someone in Terri's condition to be kept
alive perpetually if a family member is willing to care for
him or her.
- Some believe no life should
be permitted to reach an unnecessary end unless irrefutable
proof, or at least written proof,
shows the person wanted things that way.
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A Durable Power of
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Receiving Pain
Relieving Medication,
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and Any Limitations Thereto,
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Not Want Life Resuscitation in the event of cardiopulmonary
arrest, a stoppage of the heart.
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