I remember the same friend on LJ mentioning this a few weeks ago while they were still trying to get this order stopped. The whole situation sickens me and the actions of the husband are disgusting.

It's absolutely appalling to think that this man could be so blatantly, well, evil (can't think of a better way to put it, really) in that he has denied Terri treatment, denied basic medical information to her family, won't let doctors besides those he's handpicked, and now won't allow any visitors in altogether.

Not to mention the details of the lawsuit make for pretty sickening reading.

(Edited by Alan 16/10/2003 11:26)

Terrible though the situation is it must be remembered that the husband has stated his wife had previously said she wouldn't want to be kept alive artificially (obviously the active/passive distinctions need making, but that's another issue) and that multiple doctors, including ones appointed by the court, have said that her apparent responses are reflex, and that there is no chance of rehabilitation or recovery.

A lot of the material which has been published (by both sides) has been biased and inflamatory, and care must be taken with evaluating it.

This is a terrible situation, one to which there is probably not a "right" answer, only a choice between wrong ones. Certainly this isn't as simple as is being portrayed here.

Just pulling up a post from the past as there are more developments in the case.

Latest news:

news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20050324/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman&sid=84439559

story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20050323/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman_69

story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20050323/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman_69

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by Callum
multiple doctors, including ones appointed by the court, have said that her apparent responses are reflex, and that there is no chance of rehabilitation or recovery.

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What also needs to be kept in mind that this poor woman has been in this state for the last 15 years. 15 years is a very long time... especially if it comes to coma's. Of which the last 7 have been in a fierce legal battle.
I know some people will think I'm a horrible person for saying it but enough is enough. You have to draw the line somewhere. And I know that for the parents it must be very hard because while she is still kept alive there is still hope for "their little girl" that maybe by a miracle or a new development in the *cough* near future *cough* she might possibly be able to "come back" to them.

What I think is the worst bit of it all that this case is milked by prolife & prochoice activists, the government etc for all that it is worth. I find it disgraceful to say the least to advocate your (political) agenda over the back of this poor woman not to mention her husband and family.

I want it to be known if I ever (God forbid) get into this sort of state that I want the plug to be pulled. Get them to poke me first 'tho 'cos if it's up to my boy he'll pull the plug as soon as I close my eyes (not making a joke out of Terris case, but ya know.....)

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by Teresa
To be honest IÂ’d never even heard of this case until a couple of days ago and that was through a friends Live Journal.

Terri Schindler-Schiavo does not want to die. She was court-ordered to be killed via starvation/dehydration today at 2PM. She would like to go home. And she tried to convey this to her father in no uncertain terms by sitting bolt upright and trying to get out of her chair when told she might be killed, her family has revealed.

The back ground to the story is here. Basically her husband has guardianship of her after her parents signed her over to him. Now he wants her to die.

Her tube was removed this afternoon. It's very sad

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That link doesn't work, but this one does, hopefully. It's to the original article, which is on WorldNetDaily, a first stop site for anyone who wants a Judao/Christian fundamentalist slant to their news.

This is one of those cases where opinion is naturally divided. If Christopher Reeve could contemplate suicide with complete possession of his mental faculties, it's arguable that Schiavo has considerably less to live for, and that the last fifteen years have been a living hell for her that she just doesn't have the ability to communicate to her parents. Or the doctors are right and she's too far gone to suffer, in which case what's the point in maintaining a breathing corpse? On the other hand, her family and friends believe she is aware of her surroundings. They say that she wanted a divorce, and that her husband should have no say about her well-being.

It's a mess.



(Edited by The_Host 24/03/2005 05:06)

I just want to say that I've revised my opinon since my first post on this thread because I've read some more balenced reporting on the case.

I hope this time the feeding tube is left out and she's allowed to die peacefully.

This is a sad case because what should have been left a completely private matter dealt with among family members has been dragged through the public arena so that the Republicans in Congress and George Bush can make political hay with their fundamentalist Christian supporters by saying they've stood up for this woman's right to life. The intervention of Congress and Bush is cynical and beyond disgusting.

Personally, I believe this is her husband's call. And the law seems to agree. He knows her wishes and she apparently had told him in the past that she would not want to be kept alive in this state--and neither would I, by the way. She should have the right to die in dignity and not be made a worldwide spectacle or political pawn.

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by Sandia
This is a sad case because what should have been left a completely private matter dealt with among family members has been dragged through the public arena so that the Republicans in Congress and George Bush can make political hay with their fundamentalist Christian supporters by saying they've stood up for this woman's right to life. The intervention of Congress and Bush is cynical and beyond disgusting.

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Ding ding ding, we have a winner.

I've been following this on other boards - wow, there are some scary Republicans out there, comparing this to the beginnings of the Holocaust among other things.

Firstly, the husband has the right to decide, not the parents as he is her legal guardian. Some of the stuff the family has come out with (heavily edited video footage, smears against the husband's name) is pretty disgusting. Don't get me wrong, he's no angel (he has children with another partner now) but to coin a phrase he's the lesser of two evils here.

Secondly, the courts, which have all the information available to them, have refused requests to re-insert the tube. This would seem to suggest that learned, well-educated judges have considered what evidence there is and have come to this conclusion, not because of their beliefs or for political reasons, but because they believe it is the correct course of action.

Third, she has been diagnosed by multiple doctors (court-appointed, in some cases) as being in a persistant vegetative state. She in not completely brain-dead, but for all intents and purposes she may as well be. Far as I can recall her brain and/or brain stem is basically liquid.

Lastly it's pretty hilarious to hear all the religious fundamentalists thanking God (when the bill was first passed through Congress) for granting her more life, when she's being kept alive by a variety of machines. "God works in mysterious ways" indeed.

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by me
It's absolutely appalling to think that this man could be so blatantly, well, evil (can't think of a better way to put it, really) in that he has denied Terri treatment, denied basic medical information to her family, won't let doctors besides those he's handpicked, and now won't allow any visitors in altogether.

Not to mention the details of the lawsuit make for pretty sickening reading.

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*ahem* In the light of a slightly more balanced argument, I'd like to humbly withdraw my earlier rant...

According to Breaking News on the Guardian website. Terri is now dead. Finally she can rest in piece.

I hope this means that this dreadfull case is finally over.

When reading back on the articles I notice that there were a lot of "right to live" activists which are very much against her dying / being "killed". But if you don't have the right to die... (read not live) doesn't that make "life" mandetory and therefore it isn't a right but a duty... So didn't they kinda pick a wrong name there.... or is that just me.