Terri Schiavo Should Die in Peace

College Confidential Community
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<p>Terri Schiavo should die in peace. There's no chance she will ever regain consciousness. Her husband has the right, since he's her legal guardian, to do what is best for her. Her parents, the federal government and other bystanders should be ashamed of themselves for letting something like this grow leaps and bounds. Since when did the GOP become the savior for the lives of people? Why not commit to this same role for other people whom hospitals daily pull the plug? Why not ban the death penalty since that's outright murder of another person? There are so many starving children in the world yet they want to save a 41-year old bulimic who has been in a vegetative state for nearly 15 years. Talk about a waste of taxpayers' money. </p>

<p>"Since 1990, Theresa has lived in nursing homes with constant care. She is fed and hydrated by tubes. The staff changes her diapers regularly. She has had numerous health problems, but none have been life threatening. </p>

<p>Over the span of this last decade, Theresa's brain has deteriorated because of the lack of oxygen it suffered at the time of the heart attack. By mid 1996, the CAT scans of her brain showed a severely abnormal structure. At this point, much of her cerebral cortex is simply gone and has been replaced by cerebral spinal fluid. Medicine cannot cure this condition. Unless an act of God, a true miracle, were to recreate her brain, Theresa will always remain in an unconscious, reflexive state, totally dependent upon others to feed her and care for her most private needs." </p>

<p>End her suffering NOW.</p>

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<p>I agree. However, I don't think starvation over the course of two weeks constitutes dying in "peace".</p>

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<p>Unlucky, do you prefer Kervokian style? lol</p>

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<p>"Unless an act of God, a true miracle, were to recreate her brain"</p>

<p>Perhaps that is what her parents are waiting for.</p>

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<p>Actually I believe that this is one of the cases that "Kervokian style suicide" should be premitted. I think starvation is somewhat cruel, even if she likely will not realize she is being starved.</p>

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<p>I have a hard time supporting her husband just based on his actions during this whole ordeal, and I have an even bigger problem starving her to death. Personally, I do not think you should deny a person care unless they have explicitly, either in writing or to the doctors themselves, said that they don't want such-and-such care if they become comatose. I do not want to base life or death on a conversation that only one, less than belivable (at least based on appearances) person claims to have had with her. </p>

<p>If one good thing comes out of this, it will be that people will learn the importance of a living will.</p>

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<p>End suffering!!! That man who calls himself her husband is a monster. There have been people who have had worse injuries that have recovered; and by the was she is not in a comma she is conscious. The man you say has the right to kill her has been locking her in a hospital room and not allowing her to recieve any medical care. She hasn't recieved a day of physical therapy are any treatment for that matter. No one knows whether or not she can recover because her HUSBAND won't allow any doctors to treat her. By the way the other illnessed you were talking about were her husbands doing as well. She got several mouth infections because he wouldn't allow the doctors to brush her teeth. And then he goes on and on about how he needs money and stuff and when he gets it not a dime goes to takeing care of Terri. Last week at the court hearing Terri's brother begged the judge to let him feed Terri, and yes she can swallow and chew, but the judge told him he wasn't allowed to touch her. I mean come on, your 100 year old grandmother needs help eating. I was very offended by your bulimic comment. Several people both close to Terri and her husband have said that she was never like that until she married him. After they got married and she gained a couple pounds he kept callign her fat. Even girlfriends of her HUSBAND, that he had after Terri's accident have come out and said that he is an insane man. Several of them have restraining orders out against this man. </p>

<p>Well I guess my point is is that you need to get yoru facts streight. No one knows how Terri can recover until someone steps in and actually gives her medical care.</p>

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<p>She. Has. No. Cerebral. Cortex.</p>

<p>She cannot recover. She's done. Game over.</p>

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<p>I think it's just cruel and selfish to force her to live like she does. People die. It's unfortunate, but a fact of life. You can't always play God.</p>

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<p>"You can't always play God."</p>

<p>By playing God, do you mean keeping someone alive? If so, should we do away with medical care?</p>

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<p>There is a difference between caring for treatable medical conditions in individuals that will clearly benefit, and creating an artificial life for a woman who has been more a less a vegetable for 15 years, and whose prospects of recovery are seriously questionable at best.</p>

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<p>People, she HAS NO CEREBRAL CORTEX like the article stated. Doctors found out back in 1996 that permanent brain damage has taken its toll. This was 1996, people. It's 2005 now. She WILL NOT RECOVER. She won't be a productive member in society anymore. A person cannot recover if they have SPINAL FLUID in their brain.</p>

<p>Jordana, stop being sexist and spreading lies. Terri's husband sued the doctors years ago for not diagnosing correctly that she had bulimia which caused her cardiac arrest and her current sistuation. The doctors afterward told the family that she had permanent brain damage. The parents refused to believe their daughter <em>died</em> after her cardiac arrest. Michael, as her husband and legal guardian, wanted her to be in a better resting place and not trapped in some living corpse with no cognitive abilities. </p>

<p>The GOP and bystanders are making political grandstanding by getting involved in this case. We already know that the GOP are hypocrites. Now they want to support her parents when the GOP are usually pro-states' rights, pro-HMOs and pro-capital punishment (a.k.a. murder). They should respect the Florida court decisdion to carry out Terri's husband wishes by ending her suffering and rising medical costs. She will NOT RECOVER. She has PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE. </p>

<p>Dying by starvation is not as bad as you think about it:</p>

<hr>

<p>Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death </p>

<p>By JOHN SCHWARTZ </p>

<p>Published: March 20, 2005 </p>

<p>To many people, death by removing a feeding tube brings to mind the agony of starvation. But medical experts say that the process of dying that begins when food and fluids cease is relatively straightforward, and can cause little discomfort. </p>

<p>"From the data that is available, it is not a horrific thing at all," said Dr. Linda Emanuel, the founder of the Education for Physicians in End-of-Life Care Project at Northwestern University. </p>

<p>In fact, declining food and water is a common way that terminally ill patients end their lives, because it is less painful than violent suicide and requires no help from doctors. </p>

<p>Terri Schiavo, who is in a persistent vegetative state, is "probably not experiencing anything at all subjectively," said Dr. Emanuel, and so the question of discomfort, from a scientific point of view, is not in dispute. </p>

<p>Patients who are terminally ill and conscious and refuse food and drink at the end of life say that they do not generally experience pangs of hunger, since their bodies do not need much food. But they can suffer from dry mouth and other symptoms of dehydration that can be treated effectively. </p>

<p>Once food and water stop, death usually comes in about two weeks, and is caused by effects of dehydration, not the loss of nutrition, said Dr. Sean Morrison, a professor of geriatrics and palliative care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "They generally slip into a peaceful coma," he said. "It's very quiet, it's very dignified - it's very gentle." </p>

<p>The process of dying begins in the kidneys, which filter toxins from the body's fluids. Without new fluids entering the body, the kidneys produce less and less urine, and the urine becomes darker and more concentrated until production stops entirely. </p>

<p>Toxins build up in the body, and the delicate balance of chemicals like potassium, sodium and calcium is disrupted, said Deborah Volker, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Texas who has written extensively on end-of-life issues. </p>

<p>This electrolyte imbalance disrupts the electrical system that triggers the action of muscles, including the heart, and eventually the heart stops beating. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/national/20death.html?oref=login%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/national/20death.html?oref=login&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>"There's no chance she will ever regain consciousness. "</p>

<p>Actually she's completely conscious and responding, the only way her life is in any way being helped is by being fed.</p>

<p>Also, tenisghs, retired people aren't being productive members of society either, should we kill them too? Why don't we just kill of everyone in the hospitals, mental institutions, nursing homes, and let's not forget the jails. If you oppose the death penalty when obviously those people aren't being productive members of society aren't you just being a hypocrite?</p>

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<p>JaneGalt, yes they are being productive members of society by being grandparents and elders to their children and nieces and nephews. They also help the tourism economy.</p>

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<p>Jane Gault, the death penalty is just plain murder. As society builds more prisons, the people at the top are getting rich off this prison-industrial complex. Terri Schiavo's situation is not murder. She has been <em>dead</em> for quite some time now. Being conscious does not mean she can speak and think rationally. Her brain is dead.</p>

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<p>Starving her is cruel and unusual punishment, which our constitution prohibits. Let me see them starve somebody like scott peterson, but no an innocent person. Terry's husband has his own new wife, and kids with her. He just wants Terry gone because she is a burden to him. He has not had rehabilitation for her. If her parents and siblings are willing to take care of her, he should let them. Have you heard about the people waking up from comas after 20 years? There is ALWAYS hope.</p>

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<p>no,she should be allowed to die, there will be no pain involved and she should just be allowed to pass instead of the government interfering in a private matter</p>

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<p>Habla ingles? She. Has. No. Cerebral. Cortex.</p>

<p>I don't know how to drill this into people's heads. Look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about. She's gone. Toast. No more.</p>

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<p>Her parents need to let go at this point. The fact that they are invoking Congress on this issue is truly ridiculous. There have been over 25 decisions in this case. Just let the poor woman die. She can't feel anything, she can't do anything, she just lies there. She hasn't spoken a word or moved in over 15 years.</p>

<p>This is truly a religious family, and while I completely respect their faith and beliefs, God put Terri in this position. They need to let her pass in peace. The government has no right debating and controlling a state's rights issue. Let the state judges end this thing once and for all, and let Terri Schiavo die.</p>

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<p>Then lets put this case in Gods hands. In this country everyone is entitled to food, water, and a bed, no matter who you are or what you are. So then that is exactly what she should get. Then she can past in her own sweet time. However, it would be nice if her husband would allow the nurses to open the curtains every now and then to give her some varity.</p>