Terri is entering her 12th day without food or water, and is still alive. This is a testment to an incredible will to live -- claims to the contrary aside.
It's also proof, to those who are thinking, that she was not on life support beyond the feeding tube.
She is breathing and functioning on her own, even twelve days into her execution by privation.
If she had still been on other life support -- as some continue to insist, she would already have expired.
I still maintain that brain function aside, the death she is being subjected to is cruel and wrong.
There is no consensus in terms of her brain function. Some say she has no higher function at all. Others insist that she does. I would have preferred error on the side of mercy.
I also believe that whereas the letter of the law has been observed in this case, the spirit of justice has been gravely wounded.
I am pleased to see that there will be an autopsy. Some questions may be answered. I hate the fact that it's even necessary.
DeLay and Schiavo = no parallel. Sen. DeLay's father was hooked to respirators. His body couldn't maintain metabolism without them. His kidneys had shut down. Terri, on the other hand, was in perfect health until the courts ordered her starvation unto death. All she needed was the g-tube for liquids and for nutrition. Arguments exist that with proper rehabilitation, she wouldn't even have needed that.
I am still enraged that anyone could be treated in this manner. It is wrong. It is abusive. It is inhumane. It is barbaric.
My protests are logged. Every legislator I can think of has received missives from me to that effect. This blog has served as a further outlet for my outrage.
I shall continue to fight even after poor Terri is gone. I shall fight to overhaul the legal system. I shall fight to make sure that laws are in place to protect the voiceless disabled. I shall fight to make sure that EXPLICIT directives rather than hearsay testimony are honored.
I'll fight to make sure that the inherent rights bestowed upon the living by Nature and Nature's God are upheld.
posted by Linda on March 29, 2005 07:06 PMAs always, very well said. I thought that bringing up DeLay was utter horse shit. Anyone with any semblance of a brain would know the difference.
Posted by: ethne at March 29, 2005 07:47 PMAll of you so obsessed with one American's hospice transition should have a good look at the suffering caused by the War in Iraq, courtesy of hypocrite George W. Bush.
There are over 1500 dead soldiers, 30,000 injured on the U.S. side, 100,000 dead and who knows how many injured on the Iraqi side.
Posted by: Collin Baber at March 30, 2005 05:10 AMOh, blah blah blah. The one thing has nothing to do with the other. Strawman! Strawman! Seriously, we know that there are people that are dying or getting injured, but the war in Iraq isn't all George Bush's doing... see, a lot of people agreed with him and voted yes. Those would be your representatives. But I understand. You believe the Iraqis would be better off with the Sodamn Insane because it is better when there are 30,000 of his own people being murdered every single year just because he feels like it.
Posted by: Ethne at March 30, 2005 12:23 PMOh, and again with the over 100,000 innocent Iraqis killed. I'm still waiting to see where people get that figure, as according to Iraqi body count, there is a maximum of around 20,000 (http://www.iraqbodycount.net/)
Posted by: ethne at March 30, 2005 05:48 PMWell Colin, We are not obsessed with "one Americans hospice transision". We are worried that this might become common place. I wonder, How many could they kill. If we work now, to get some laws changed, maybe we could save more people.
AS far as Iraq goes, Are we supposed to let extremist get there way. I think we have to right to strike back when they come over to our homeland and try to take us out. Do you know how many people were killed in WWII or Vietnam? Way more than have been killed in Iraq. Here you are worried about the people killed in Iraq, but you aren't worried about the most defenseless in our country. Seems a little hard hearted to me! Lucy Stern
Posted by: Lucy Stern at March 31, 2005 02:14 PM