The Next Schaivo Battle

[Azred]

The news story is to be found here.

from the article.... CLEARWATER, Fla. - It's been 15 years since Terri Schiavo's heart stopped beating for several minutes, causing severe brain damage that put her into what doctors call a persistent vegetative state. For almost seven of those years, her husband Michael has been fighting to stop her feedings, arguing that she didn't want to be kept alive artificially. Terri Schiavo is now 41 and still in a hospice after myriad twists and turns in a dramatic legal and ideological battle that has pitted her parents against their son-in-law. Whether there's an end in sight is anybody's guess. "It seems like the same news over and over," acknowledged Pat Anderson, a former lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents. "It must be quite incomprehensible (to the public) that she is still alive." There have been countless lawsuits, court hearings, appeals, news conferences and tears shed by her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, who promise to keep fighting. The case file at the Pinellas County Courthouse now fills 45 volumes. ...(the article continues)....

I cannot believe they are still fighting over this. Listen up, folks: she...is...not...alive. Period. Her biological functions are being articially prolonged, yes, but that is not life; rather, it is only the delay of death. Put in another light this could almost be the plot of a twisted Gothic horror movie....

Ms. Schaivo's parents are incredibly selfish--they want to keep her alive only because they cannot face the grief of losing their daughter. News flash--you already lost her! Get some serious grief counseling, not another lawyer.

The only person whose wishes should be obeyed here is Mr. Schaivo's, her legal husband. Pull the plug and let her go; it is the only sane and emotionally mature decision to make.

[Sir Degrader]

Just a reminder to stay out of religion and keep this civil...

[Dace De'Briago]

*nods*

7 years is long enough. Time to pull the plug and say goodbye.

Originally posted by Azred: The news story is to be found here. quote: from the article.... CLEARWATER, Fla. - It's been 15 years since Terri Schiavo's heart stopped beating for several minutes, causing severe brain damage that put her into what doctors call a persistent vegetative state. For almost seven of those years, her husband Michael has been fighting to stop her feedings, arguing that she didn't want to be kept alive artificially. Terri Schiavo is now 41 and still in a hospice after myriad twists and turns in a dramatic legal and ideological battle that has pitted her parents against their son-in-law. Whether there's an end in sight is anybody's guess. "It seems like the same news over and over," acknowledged Pat Anderson, a former lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents. "It must be quite incomprehensible (to the public) that she is still alive." There have been countless lawsuits, court hearings, appeals, news conferences and tears shed by her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, who promise to keep fighting. The case file at the Pinellas County Courthouse now fills 45 volumes. ...(the article continues)....

I cannot believe they are still fighting over this. Listen up, folks: she...is...not...alive. Period. Her biological functions are being articially prolonged, yes, but that is not life; rather, it is only the delay of death. Put in another light this could almost be the plot of a twisted Gothic horror movie....

Ms. Schaivo's parents are incredibly selfish--they want to keep her alive only because they cannot face the grief of losing their daughter. News flash--you already lost her! Get some serious grief counseling, not another lawyer.

The only person whose wishes should be obeyed here is Mr. Schaivo's, her legal husband. Pull the plug and let her go; it is the only sane and emotionally mature decision to make. [/QUOTE]Hear, hear! Especially the bit about "...it is the only sane and emotionally mature decision to make."
If only this were the basis upon which our society determined our policies on life and liberty, we might actually have a government which respected the basic freedoms of the individual.


And congratulations to Degrader on your elevation to Mod! I must have missed the announcement...

[shamrock_uk]

Originally posted by Azred: that is not life; rather, it is only the delay of death

What a wonderfully succinct way to put it - for once, you and I are in total agreement.

Imagine how much the husband is suffering through all of this, having to watch his nearest and dearest be 'animated' by a machine indefinitely.

Is there any chance of a debate taking place in the US about this re. changing the law? I understand the pro-life lobby is pretty strong and the issue is an emotional one but perhaps a time limit of a year could be set before ventilation can be switched off? That would surely allow enough time to see whether nature has run its course and at least allow closure to happen for the husband in this case.

Originally posted by Absynthe: And congratulations to Degrader on your elevation to Mod! I must have missed the announcement...

Now now Mr. Absynthe [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 02-27-2005, 08:24 AM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Azred]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: What a wonderfully succinct way to put it - for once, you and I are in total agreement.

We have been in agreement before...but who's counting? [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Is there any chance of a debate taking place in the US about this re. changing the law? I understand the pro-life lobby is pretty strong and the issue is an emotional one but perhaps a time limit of a year could be set before ventilation can be switched off? That would surely allow enough time to see whether nature has run its course and at least allow closure to happen for the husband in this case.

Unfortunately, no there is no chance of that. The current legalities surrounding life support and the Hippocratic Oath prevent more cases of stopping life support measures. That being said, many doctors probably would recommend to the family that breathing machines (for example) be turned off, but they face too much potential for liability suits; the hospital administration would probably also fire them for even suggesting it.

The only hope of making sure you don't wind up in a similar position is to consult with your lawyer and have a "do not revive" statement drawn up (which will cover the legal arses of the doctor and hospital) and a living will in place.

[VulcanRider]

Parents ask judge to let Schiavo divorce her husband

Read all about it

A couple of quotes from the article:
The Schindlers' attorney, David Gibbs, said the divorce effort is unprecedented, and would allow Terri Schiavo to end her marriage to Michael even after she dies.

"I think everyone knows the parents are going to try anything, including throwing in the kitchen sink, to frustrate the court's final judgment and Terri's wishes," [Michael Schiavo's attorney] Felos said.

[Morgeruat]

I had heard that Jeb Bush was trying to push through an exception to policy in this case to allow her to be taken off of life support, probably a link to the story somewhere on Google, but I heard it on the radio, so I don't have a link now.

[VulcanRider]

Originally posted by Morgeruat: I had heard that Jeb Bush was trying to push through an exception to policy in this case to allow her to be taken off of life support, probably a link to the story somewhere on Google, but I heard it on the radio, so I don't have a link now.

Again??? He signed a "special exemption" bill once already, maybe a year ago, that was promptly declared unconstitutional by the state supreme court. Please, Jeb, say it ain't so!!!

[Cerek]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: What a wonderfully succinct way to put it - for once, you and I are in total agreement. Imagine how much the husband is suffering through all of this, having to watch his nearest and dearest be 'animated' by a machine indefinitely. Is there any chance of a debate taking place in the US about this re. changing the law? I understand the pro-life lobby is pretty strong and the issue is an emotional one but perhaps a time limit of a year could be set before ventilation can be switched off? That would surely allow enough time to see whether nature has run its course and at least allow closure to happen for the husband in this case.

It isn't an issue for the "pro-life lobby", shamrock. It is a personal fight between the husband and the parents of the lady in question. From what I know of the case, the husband insists that his wife did NOT want her life prolonged in such a manner. The parents are apparantly accusing the husband of wanting to "kill off" their baby girl so he won't be burdened by her anymore.

There are two steps that can be taken to legally cover the individual's wishes and relieve the medical facility of any liability. One is called a Living Will. It is a form you can fill out yourself and give to your local hospital (or wherever you may receive treatment - I personally had to make 4 copies of my Living Will because I've actually received treatment at 3 different facilities and I visited the 4th facility to see my current gastro-doc). Also, if a person is put into a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility, they or their guardian can sign a "Do Not Resuscitate" order. That means that the nurses and doctors are NOT supposed to perform CPR in the event of a heart attack or other life-threatening condition.

Unfortunately, neither of these documents are as "iron clad" as they should be. Both can be contested - as is apparantly happening in this case. And hospitals have been known to ignore a "DNR" request for fear of future litigation.

Personally, I tend to side with the husband in this case. I have seen some video of his wife in which she appears to be "responsive" to those giving her care and attention, but I don't know how old that video is. I don't know all the details of the case, but it certainly does seem to be a case of the parents simply being unable to "let their daughter go".