March 24, 2005
By John Stemberger, President and General Counsel Florida Family Policy Council
www.FloridaFamilyAction.org
Radiers News Update
THE FACTS:
Terri is not "brain dead" or comatose. She is awake and aware.
Terri collapsed in February 1990 in her home due to a chemical imbalance in her system which caused her to pass out. The lack of oxygen to her system resulted in damage to certain parts of her brain.
Terri receives ordinary care of food and fluids through a feeding tube and her body benefits from these daily
Terri is NOT on artificial (or extraordinary) life support such as a ventilator, pacemaker, dialyses machine, or other device which would keep her major organs running artificially.
Terri is living and healthy. She is not terminally ill and she is not in a dying process.
Terri is a person with a cognitive disability not unlike many other handicapped and disabled members of our society.
Terri did not have a living will or a health care surrogate expressing what she would have wanted in a situation like this. There is no clear and convincing evidence of what Terri would have wanted. Her husband wants to remove her feeding tube but her parents strongly disagree and are willing to care for her for the rest of her life.
Terri's husband has been living with another woman who he has also had children with. He can not marry this other woman unless Terri dies. The husband will also receive a great deal of money if Terri dies.
Terri is able to see, hear and she is often alert and interacts with her environment. She laughs, cries and expresses voluntary and cognitive emotions with her parents including trying to verbally communicate.
THE MYTHS:
MYTH: Terri is in a persistent vegetative state (PVS).
FACT: People who are PVS have suffered severe and irreversible brain injury and have no awareness of themselves or others. The definition of PVS in 2003-Ch0765-Section 101 Florida Statue 765.101: "Persistent vegetative state means a permanent and irreversible condition of unconsciousness in which there is: (a) The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of ANY kind. (b) An inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment." In contrast to this definition, Terri can laugh, cry and meaningfully interact with her environment and those around her. Medically speaking some doctors have said she is PVS. Many others disagree and are hopeful she may be improving with time. Unfortunately the very therapy and rehabilitation which could help her is being withheld from her.
MYTH: Many doctors have said that there is no hope for Terri.
FACT: Dr. Victor Gambone testified that he visited Terri 3 times each year. His visits are for approximately ten minutes. He testified, after viewing the court videos at a recent trial, that he was surprised to see Terri's level of awareness. This doctor was hand-picked by her husband, Michael Schiavo, right before he filed to have Terri's feeding tube removed. To the contrary, fourteen independent medical professionals (with 6 neurologists) have given statements or testimony that Terri is NOT in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). Further, there has never been any medical dispute of Terri's ability to swallow. Yet, even with this compelling evidence, Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, has denied allowing Terri any form of therapy for her in over ten years.
CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES:
The Pro-Life Spectrum
Life is a continuum from conception to natural death. This is not a right to die case. This is a right to life case. Terri is living, not dying. There is no "right to die" under the constitution or under any moral claim. Life is a gift given by God and should only be taken by God or his naturally ordained process of death. As obvious as it may seem, one needs to look no further then the ten commandments for the timeless and controlling moral principle to guide the outcome of this case: "Thou shall not kill."
Euthanasia
This word "Euthanasia" comes from the Greek, meaning "good death." It involves something one does or fails to do which is intended to cause death with the motivation to help someone experiencing pain by ending their life. Sometimes called mercy killing, this practice involves ending the life of a person prematurely before the time of their natural death. Euthanasia is the moral equivalent of abortion at the other end of life.
Quality of Life
Secular and humanistic views are obsessed with "quality of life" issues. While this term can be helpful in some contexts, it should not be the sole or the primary focus in end of life issues. So called, quality of life advocates believe that if any person can not enjoy or appreciate certain aspects of life, then that life is not worth living. Terri Schiavo currently has the best quality of life she can have under the circumstances and it appears from observing her that she may actually enjoy her life even though it is limited and unfortunate. Seventeen national disability rights groups in the nation have weighed into the court proceedings for Terri and have argued that in the absence of clear and convincing evidence, Terri's life should not end. This case has profound consequences for the future of all handicapped persons with similar disabilities. For the Christian, we know that God determines who lives and who dies. Any life- born or unborn; black or white; rich or poor; handicapped or whole is valuable and precious because we are the crown point of creation. We are made in the image and likeness of God and therefore human life is worthy of protection even if it suffers from a so called defect or disability.
Natural Death
There is a difference between prolonging life and prolonging death. If a person is dying naturally, there is nothing immoral or unethical about allowing death to occur and not halting or prolonging the natural process of dying. However, Terri is not dying. She is living and it is morally wrong to end her life by removing food and water. Dying is a natural part of life. God has ordained that all men shall die once. The Christian should not fear death for we know there is a greater place waiting for those who know God.
Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Care
The vast majority of Christian medical ethicists view food and water as ordinary care. Even if given by a feeding tube, nutrition and hydration are still ordinary, natural and necessary care needed to sustain any life. Babies are fed in their mother's wombs by "tubes" called umbilical cords. Patients everyday in hospitals are fed from tubes for various periods of time while recovering from injuries to the throat, esophagus or mouth. The presence of these tubes delivering food and water do not make babies or hospital patients less than human. Extraordinary care on the other hand is optional care. Ventilators, pacemakers, dialyses machines, or other devices which would keep major organs running artificially are considered extraordinary. These devices could be ethically removed by a patient or by a health care surrogate to allow a person to die naturally. A person at the end of life can refuse extraordinary care and die naturally as a legitimate expression of their confidence in the life to come.
Dehydration and Starvation
Death from dehydration and starvation is a brutal and gruesome form of death. The tongue and lips crack and bleed. The eyes recede into their orbits. The skin becomes so sensitive it peels off upon firm contact. The lining of the nose can crack and bleed. Dried brain cells can cause convulsions. There is nothing necessarily dignified about dying from the slow and torturous process of being starved to death.
Right to Counsel
The constitution of the United States guarantees the right to something called "due process" to all those who face a potential loss of life, liberty or property. Due process involves having the right to be heard; to have a lawyer represent your interests; and the right to a trial by jury. In fact, this right is so strong under our system it is given to rapists, murders and the worst serial killers. Some times their appeals go on for years and decades and at great cost to tax payers. Yet while Ted Bundy has a right to counsel, the state is about to sentence a totally innocent woman to die and yet she does not even have the right to an independent lawyer. In essence, a capital criminal has more rights and protections than Terri Schiavo. This is a legal and constitutional travesty.
LINKS:
Official Website of Terri's Parents
http://www.terrisfight.org
Florida Family Policy Council
http://www.FloridaFamilyAction.org
Website © 2005 Family Research Council
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