O/T Should Terry Schiavo be made to live or die?

O/T Should Terry Schiavo be made to live or die?


  • Total voters
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I agree it would be mentally easier to handle if she could just be given a lethal injection. But, the only thing that every doctor agrees on is that she will not suffer by having the feeding tube removed.
 
My opinion: The "plug" is a feeding tube. If they pull that, she will starve to death. She is breathing on her own and not with help from a respirator.
If her parents want to keep her alive and care for her, let them. If her husband doesn't want that responsibility, well, he can always go away and never come back.

Shirley
 
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=574270

I need to refute something that was stated in prior thread. The ABC National news yesterday evening stated that the Schiavo's and the Schindlers were a team on caring for Terri until Schiavo won a approx $1M malpractice suit at the beginning of Terri's ordeal. Evidentely, the Schindler's were upset and this is when the rift began. The news also stated that since the money was awarded, most if not all of it has gone the the care of his wife and legal expenses. Also, I've attached a news thread that states Michael Schiavo was offered money from a few people to just turn away from the Schiavo case and hand her over to the parents. He refused every amount of money offered saying HE PROMISED HER he would not let her stay in a vegatative state and he was going to fight this to the end. DH and I have made each other the same promise and have a Living Will and other documents stating what we want.

Anyway, every medical expert I have heard on the news states that her brain is LIQUIFIED. She will starve to death but will not suffer. The reason there isn't a more humane means is because there are laws against murder. If they gave her an injection, it would be killing her and not letting her die by natural means. It's the law.

Shame on her parents for letting this poor girl stay in limbo for so many years. Yes, if it were my daughter, I would have let her go when I learned her brain was mush.
 
I don't care much about the husbands motivation. If she had wanted the plug pulled, then by all means pull the plug. I have this in place ifanything should ever happen to me and I want it honored.

As for her starving to death, sounds like a cruel way to die if you had brain brain function. Her brain is continuing to shrink and it seems she should be let go.
 
In the early 1990s my father honored my grandmother's living will when she had a brain-destroying stroke that left her in a vegetative state. Her feeding tube was removed and the doctors gave her regular doses of morphine, on the off chance that she would feel any pain or discomfort as her body shut down. She died within a few days. It's not true that removal of a feeding tube means the medical professionals discontinue all medications. Doctors will continue to provide palliative care until death. The idea that Terri will starve to death brings to mind the horrific pictures of Ethiopian famine victims. The reality in a hospital or hospice is much different.

I find it appalling that the government has tried to interject itself into this decision.

Allison
 
I was intrigued by Elaine Kweller's post so I looked up the doctor who thinks Terri Schiavo can be rehabilitated. I found this article: http://www.lifenews.com/bio748.html .

The doctor said: "...he believed that she could eventually eat and drink on her own. He also said he believes Terri would be able to talk and have good use of one arm and one hand should be given proper rehabilitative treatment."

(I'm not trying to convince anybody one way or the other. I am currently a "not sure" person.)


Shelley
 
If I were Terry I'd want my husband to pull the plug. That's not a life. That is merely existing. Not to mention all the grief that family is going through (for 15 years!!!!). I wouldn't want my family to go through that.
 
Livenews.com is a website that is dedicated to pro-life, anti-euthanasia, anti-assisted suicide issues. I don't think they or this doctor are especially unbiased. The doctors that examined her were court-ordered, without an agenda. Sad state of affairs for everyone involved. The Catholic church has taken a very strong stand on this case. I wish everyone (media, government, groups with an agenda, etc.)would butt out.
 
It troubles me that Michael (her husband) has refused treatment for her since 1993. 12 years? Why would he do that?

I've heard a few times now that they cannot do an MRI because of some tubes that were surgically inserted years ago. They could do a petscan (sp?) but haven't, but can't do an MRI.

There is a lot of information coming out today that I've not heard before -- some of it from nurses who cared for Terri and say they fed her with food in baby bottles when her feeding tube was pulled in the past (and Michael was furious). They also said that Michael would ask the medical board, "When is this b**ch going to die?" ... and that he attempted to kill her with an insulin overdose. They found the concealed needles and the injection marks under her breast.

It's really emotionally exhausting.

Starving someone to death is horrible. I don't know if you've heard of Kate Adamson. Check her out. Her feeding tube was pulled when she was completely unresponsive, and she felt everything. She, however, was rehabilitated and is alive to talk about it.

Lord help us. I hope the correct decision is made. It's so terrible.
 
Marla, I would assume if he had tried to kill her with an insulin overdose, he would have been arrested & charged with attempted murder. Where did you get this information?

Marla
 
At first, I thought the best thing to do was let her die(I wouldn't want to burden my family this way), but I can't help thinking that not giving somebody food or water is a very cruel way to do it. Would they do that to prisoners in U.S. prisons?
It's one thing to pull the plug when a machine is doing the breathing for you, but she is breathing. Not giving somebody water seems extremely cruel. I wish there was another way.

Best thing would be to give Terri over to her family. They seem to want to care for her and don't mind the burden.

Namita
 
Marla, would you mind telling us where you got that information. I had not heard anything like what you mentioned so I'd like to read about it.
 
It was on TV today, on Fox News. The nurse who discovered the insulin over dose said that Michael had been with Terri in her hospital room for about 20 minutes with the door shut. When he left and the nurse came in Terri was sweating and crying. She found the needles concealed in the waste basket and found injection marks under Terri's breast and somewhere on one of her arms. She did tell her supervisors and went to the police. She was fired. Maybe it's on the Fox News channel web site -- not sure.
 
This is such a sad sad story!! Last night my husband asked me what I would do and I said (rather quickly) that I would probably pull the plug because I wouldn't want him suffering. He told me he could NEVER do that to me. I told him but the man (now I am referring to Terri's husband and then I put it back to my husband) saying that that would not be fair to him (or you, in regards to my hubby). I said, you would get lonely and deserve to live your life. He said it wouldn't matter, he could not do that too me. He got very emotional and started crying. He said, just to be able to see me everyday would be enough for him. gulp, gosh, that is just such a tough call to make. I guess unless one is walking in those shoes, we truly (or at least not me) can't really say for sure what I would do!!

My heart goes out to her family. :(

Also, do you know 'why' she is in the coma? My husband thought he heard somewhere it had to do with her trying to lose weight. I told him no way but to be honest, I can't remember what happened to her!!
 
She had bulima. When she was in high school she was 250lbs. at 5'3".

From another forum, I thought I'd pass this along:
This thread is about what a piece of crap Michael Shiavo is.
http://physicsgeek.mu.nu/archives/071849.php

Susan C.M.
Nothing should be jiggling, unless it's jiggling off. - Cathe in HSC
 
I believe that some people could not let their loved ones go because they could not take on this responsibility live with it the rest of their life.

My sister had the life support plug pulled from her 16 year old daughter last year but not until her eyes were filling with blood because her brain was hemmoraging (sp). It was horrible for her to have to make that decision but she knew she had to let Jessica go. My sister is still suffering one and a half years later and will be for the rest of her life. But it was a decision based on the love she felt for her daughter, not a decision based on her own selfish need to keep her daughter alive.
 
With all due respect, Susan, that information you posted about Michael Schiavo is emotional propaganda and not from a newsworthy source.
 

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