OT: Game, Set, Match--Legal murder by starvation

[Grandpa Kim]

I agree with Cherry: My convenience does take precedence over the convenience of a still warm corpse.

[Krsqk]

Terri is not brain-dead, and she is not in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). Seven doctors have presented sworn affidavits stating as much, and the judge admitted in his written report that he only looked at one of them. Terri responds to her mother, her father, her siblings, her friends, and her nurses; but when her husband comes in, she closes up. Try this page, which links to a video showing Terri during one of her examinations to determine her mental state. The doctor performing the examination later testified that Terri wasn't really following his instructions; she just "looked like" she was.

The immediate issue is that Terri has normal physical functions, except that she has lost the ability to swallow. She requires a gastrotomy for her nutrition and hydration (a "feeding tube"). Several doctors have indicated that Terri is an excellent candidate for therapy to help her regain the ability to swallow; but Michael Schiavo and the courts have refused to even allow a trial period to see if she would benefit.

Regarding the money, it's not Michael's. The money was awarded to Terri and put in trust for her medical treatment in a malpractice lawsuit in 1993. The money wasn't even the problem: immediately after the trust was established, Michael instructed the care facility not to treat a potentially fatal infection and gave Do Not Resuscitate orders for his wife. The facility refused and notified the family. After a court battle, Michael simply moved Terri to a new facility without telling the family and repeated the move. Oh, and Terri has no will--if she dies, her husband would receive everything in the fund.

Regarding his fitness for guardianship, evidence was presented (and summarily rejected in a bench ruling) demonstrating multiple breaches of Florida guardianship statutes (as many as one dozen in a single guardianship report). Second, there's a definite conflict of interest when Michael has been engaged to another woman for seven years (while his wife is still living), has one child already and another on the way, and only needs his wife to die so they can officially marry. Does anyone else see a problem with appointing this man to control his wife's medical care?

[ October 15, 2003, 22:44: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

But let's pretend that brain-dead lumps of human flesh are actually people. Then I would say, the family of the lump of flesh has a right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, and being saddled with high medical bills that serve no purpose is a violation of their rights.

it was this qoute i found offensive. my following comment was just a logical extension.

but in this case, she doesn't sound brain-dead. personally, i'm not sure about the truly brain-dead. or how you would be sure someone is truly brain-dead.

[Puke]

Gramps and Cherry have it. Its ugly, sure. The husband sounds awfully self serving. But spending resources on people that can no longer contribute to society, on the off hand chance that they might rehabilitate? on the same token, im not a big proponent of life terms in prision.

The thing that bothers me the most, is that they are going to euthanize her through starvation. at least make it lethal injection - starvations a cold, cold, way to go.

which isnt to say that there are not enough resources to care for her, and the homeless, and the hungry. there definitly ARE. we have just made a consious decision as a society not to use those resources towards those ends. and with good reason.

Though by "wasting" resources on the infirm (instead of throwing inferior babies in ditches, like the Spartans...) we DO help develop more advanced medical procedures that we would not otherwise develop. but is the medical effort worth the backwards evolutionary steps?

OH NO! the Meaning of Life! Another Philosophy Thread! Socialists vs Capitalist Pigs! Run! Euthanasia! Value of life! Devolution! we'll be talking about forign policy, next! DOOM! DOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOM! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

one esseintial trait of civilization is the ability and will to care for others.

don't support ideas that might later be applied to you unless you want them to be applied to you.

[Saber Cherry]

I can't say that I know the details of this case, since any link I follow seems to be biased, and doctors are testifying both ways. If Terri had her own money in a trust fund, then based on property rights, she should be allowed to remain comatose and fed until the money runs out - even though I feel that it is a waste of resources. And yes, it seems like her husband may be an evil person who is preventing this from happening, for his own profit. But, that's based on biased testimony. And if he has to "kill" his "wife" to remarry, that's the fault of the state and its ill-considered, intrusive laws.

I've seen a family destroyed by forced, government-mandated (but not funded) care for a "person" who was born without enough brainpower to chew or swallow. It's sickening; they had to sell their house and move into a rental, and etc. In fact, the daughter (my connection to the family) will never have children because she's so scared of ending up in that situation again.

At any rate... I can't say that I'm bothered if she (Terri) "dies", because there is no evidence that she cares whether she dies, or knows whether she is "alive". It seemed from the CNN article that brain scans dectected no activity associated with thought.

-Cherry

[ October 15, 2003, 23:08: Message edited by: Saber Cherry ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

well, your off the sniper list.

[tesco samoa]

is it not his right. He is the husband. As she cannot think for herself.

It is just messy and all parties involved are hurt.

I think I can understand his wishing to end this.

I hope I never do understand.

[primitive]

Narfster:
Sniper rifle
What kind of problems can be solved by running around with a sniper rifle ?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

i had to let off some steam.