http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7283607/

I realize that this is a very touchy, controversial issue that brings Religious beliefs into the mix, but in all honesty, this has to be extremely difficult for the parents of this girl in making a decision like this, to decide in keeping her daughter alive by feeding her through tubes and all, but in the end, what there experiencing is a serious case of denial in believing that there little girl isn't suffering in keeping her in the state she is in.. As difficult as this would be if I were the Parent, in the end, I wouldn't and couldn't see her suffer like that or anyone for that matter and in my heart, I would want her to be in the hand's of God where she wouldn't suffer or be in the state she's in currently.. I mean, when you look at Christopher Reeve, yeah, he was really bad to, but at least he was aware of the surroundings around him and could eat and all, could speak and what did him in was a case of infected bedsores.. This girl can't do any of this.. Can't speak, can't eat, can't do anything, so why keep her like this?? Let her be with God I say and let her go..

This whole thing disgusts me. This poor woman is being used as a symbol by certain conservatives to further their political agenda. Does anyone really think any of these people in the government care about Terri Schavo? It's just so disgraceful.

whats pissed me off more than anything in this entire mess is the media. Honestly, leave the woman with a bit of decency and stop showing her all helpless in the news 24/7. you talk about letting someone go with dignity .. seriously ... everytime you get those close ups of her trying to get people to feel sorry about her predicament, you're taking that dignity away from her.

I don't know what Terry is thinking. Apparently, she's not all that perceptive of anything around her, but why did they take her feeding tubes out? If they're going to kill her, why won't they give her an injection or something? Are you telling me she's suffering less now? This subject is pretty confusing, and watching the news tonight, it's really heated between the two sides.

Glad you brough this up BKB.

Honestly, if it were me, I would not want to be kept alive. I've already expressed my wishes to my family, and they know that if I am in a "persistant vegetative" state that I don't want to be artificially kept alive. Whether by feeding tube or respirator. If I am in a coma, I hope that they would give me a good amount of time to be certain that I was not going to come back before they removed life support. I have already decided though that if I am alert but on a respirator, I will ask for it to be removed. If I am at the point where I am palalyzed, I do not want to live my life like that.

As far as this case goes, it is a tough choice. I honestly feel for the parents. Losing their daughter by starvation is probably gut-wrenching. They obviously love their daughter very much. I do not understand while Michael Schiavo did not divorce his wife and simply move to another state? He obviously cares somewhat about her, yet he is common-law married to another woman and shares two children with her.

It is really a tough choice. The parents claim religious beliefs, but according to what most have said, even in the Catholic tradition, this will not be suicide on her behalf.

Yes and no.

She's not suffering any more or less.

Her braing damage is so significant she can't distiguis pain, hunger or anything pretty much...

Terri's not thinking anything. She's been in a comatose state for 15 years at this point, and is close to being brain dead.

Anyway, I think more than anything this shows how important it is to have some sort of living will.

If it were me, I'd just want them to end my life at a point like this. She might have felt differently...

Thanks Libs and Rod. I've actually only really heard about this in the past week but I hope I'm not the only one. I just don't know, really. I can't really imagine what it's like to be her, her husband, her family, anyone.

quite true. Then again, how old was she when this happened?? How many people truly think about these things?? This is the first time i've ever really considered telling my family to keep me alive under all conditions cept when another's life may be saved from the equipment thats keeping me alive and i really have no hope right now.

I've thought about it pleanty of times :wink:


I actually think I have the entire documents that need to be filled out somewhere, I got them about 9 months or so ago. but never got around to them. But I think I probably should...

What if it was a situation in which it would be absolutely 100% certain that you'll never leave this state? If your brain was damaged and the damage was irreversible and irreparable. Not considering the other life being saved, would you or would you not want to be kept alive?

look, the thing is, its easy for me to say whatever i'm saying now. I"m not in pain or anything right now.
THats why i want to make myself completely clear to my loved one. Whether i'm screaming for them to end my life, don't. If i'm sane enough to talk to my doctor before, i would tell him the same thing. Ignore anything i say about dying.

As for specifically answering you queestion.
My uncle when he was 8 died of Taphoid. It was considered not 100% but pretty much 95% probable you would end up dead from it during that time. Its serious today, still fatal but the possibility of survival is pretty much a given.

Point is, technology and science can evolve. We've done thigns today that were unimaginable once. And a human mind is capable of things that are unbelievale. Seen the boy whos head was crushed and only half his brain survived? He lost the entire right side of its brain and by logic, all the functions that the right side of the brain performs. His brain found a way to rewire itself. Miracles happen.

I don't think they should have removed the feeding tube. Who would want their daughter killed when she could live on, but in a limited state? There's always a small chance of a cure for her condition.

Why did this become such a controversy in the first place? This is like murdering a patient and never should have even been thought of. :???:

It's not like murdering her if it's what she would've wanted.

There is an *extremely* small chance for her to recover. Extremely small.

She is currently diagnosed as starving and on the verge of having Kidney Failure.. She's not aware of anything around her and is in La-La land and not aware of any of her surroundings.. Meanwhile, out there in the world, there are at least a dozen folks who are on the verge of death due to Organ failure or something and by letting her go with thr Lord, your able to salvage her perfectly good organs and spread her spirit unto others and enable them to actually live a better life and interact with others around them... I can't help but to think that by doing what there doing, it's almost like treating her like a science experiment or like Frankenstein.. Stop the madness and accept the fact that none of us get out of this world alive and we will meet our maker at some point and that's what the parents should realize and do the right thing.. It'll be a hard period to go through, but it will make them stronger emotionally in the end knowing that other lives were saved through Terri's organs and spirit... Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to go slay some movies..

Is she an organ donor though? And are her organs salvagable?

There's no real way to tell what she wanted. We know that before hand she speculated that she wouldn't want that, but it's a lifechanging event, that was a different person who said that. It's like how a woman might say to her friends that if she ever got pregnant she'd get an abortion and then later she does get accidentally pregnant and decides to keep it. Quite often attitudes shift once you go from speculating into the future to it actually happening.

So there's no real way to tell what she wants, the best you can do is ask yourself, who is more likely to have her best interests at heart. Some guy she use to like who has moved on to other women, or the people who gave birth to her and raised her.

She married that "some guy" and had a loving relationship with that "some guy" and regardless of what he did for her, I doubt that "some guy" would be basically putting himself on the line for a woman he had no care for. Do you honestly believe her estate is worth the crap he's getting for this? The fact that he has made peace with his wife's life-changing event and moved on to another loving relationship has no bearing on this decision. The event happened in 1990... 15 YEARS ago. Do you NEVER expect him to move on with other aspects of his life?

I would much rather have a spouse make this kind of decision for me than my parents, quite frankly. And I would want my spouse to move on and find love in other places too.

Nobody is saying her parents don't care for her... but to say her husband didn't or doesn't, is childish.


She wanted to be disconnected, this is the clearest thing we know. That decision (regardless of whether or not it theoretically would be changed) should be respected.

I feel very passionate about this... this type of issue has effected my family.

By "some guy she used to like" you mean her HUSBAND who has stayed with her for at least fifteen years and is STILL with her now.

That's twice you've injected an asinine comparison to inaccurately color this issue. The previous time was when you compared removing the feeding tube with the torture of prisoners at Abu Graib. You're usually smarter than that, Arch.

Libs is right, it really is sick how this is being twisted into this huge political issue. Shame on those who try and turn a families tragedy into there own personal benefit. And yes, I'd much rather have my significant other decide on this then my family, not to mention that people should be allowed to move on.

I just saw on Larry King, one of his guests told a disabled caller that she should be "worried" that we will start trying to kill any disabled people.

As soon as that transcript comes up, I'll try and post it.

EDIT: Here it is.

CALLER: My question is, I'm a disabled person. I am very worried about what's going to happen. I mean, are we going to start killing, you know, are we going to start killing disabled people just because -- just because they have a feeding tube?

TADA: Jamie should be concerned.

ADAMSON: Yes.

TADA: Jamie should be worried.

KING: You think we're going to go around killing people?

TADA: This will coarsen our sensibilities as a culture. This decision has influenced us as a society. It has reinforced a better off dead than disabled mentality.

What is wrong with these people?

The term "Disable" can have a different interpretations when it comes to others and what this girl has is a disability that has disabled her from pretty much interacting even remotely normal in society without the use of feeding tubes as though she's a Chia Pet or Hydroponic grow system or something to keep her going.. She's a human being that clearly should be left in God's care and her organs dispersed to others who could have a better than significant chance at a healthy life.. It's hard, hard, hard.. I know the parents must being feeling awful, but in the end and through the course of time, they'll realize it was for the best to let her go in peace.. Christopher Reeve passed away ironically from infection caused by bedsores.. This is exactly what will happen if they continue to keep her on life support..

I bet they blame Clint Eastwood. hehe.

Fear. Fear. Fear. Fear. Fear. Fear. Fear. That's all the Religious Right seems able to produce in abundance. They will go to any length to simplify an endlessly complex issue, turn it into a soundbyte, regardless of other people. Larry King should have immediately challenged his guests on that statement and clarified the issue.

There is a great fear out there of people having control over their own lives. First it was the fictional Maggie in Million Dollar Baby then it is the real life example presented here.

I respect disabled people, I respect what they go through on a daily basis in order to get around, survive, etc. There are some disabilities one can live with. But then there are others (for me it is blindness) that I would probably just not want to be around to experience. It may be selfish or... whatever. But there are a lot of people out there that will do anything to take away my choice to take a final solution.

Apparently the parents have accepted the fact that their daughter will die and have given up their legal challenges. And for those that consider this a "humane" death, consider the fact that she now is bleeding from her eyes and mouth and her skin is flaking off.

Originally I was in favor of allowing her to die, but I have quickly changed my mind. I have stated reasons earlier, and it is not from a purely religious view.

At this point, Terri has no hope as she will most likely die even if the tube was re-inserted now. I have compassion for her family and wish them the best.