Posted by AuntieMel on March 22, 2005, at 12:17:42
In reply to Re: Terri Schiavo - what do you think?, posted by Miss Honeychurch on March 21, 2005, at 12:12:11
I admire you greatly for being such a caring person.
But there are a few details missing from your account. Probably because the Schindler website left them out, too - and goodness knows the media is only going to play the sensational.
The University of Miami has a pretty good unbiased accounting of things:
http://www.miami.edu/ethics/schiavo_project.htm
From here and other places (I don't remember them, but I can look them up for you if you like) are a few details:
The malpractice award was granted in November 1992. The first petition to remove the tube was in May 1998 - six years later. Most of the award was put in a trust fund to care for her - and has been exhausted. Claims of her husband wanting to keep that money for himself are clearly exagerated.
Five people testified at first that she would not want measures taken to keep her alive - including her brother and sister.
The CT scan shows a large portion of the cerebral cortex missing, replaced by cerebral spinal fluid. This is the area of the brain that controls everything but the 'automatic pilot' functions, like wake, sleep, breathing, heart beating, etc. EEGs show the same thing.
The longer a person stays in this state the greater the odds are of never recovering. For someone to recover after this long would truly require a 'loaves and fishes' type of miracle.
A pretty unbiased report is in http://www.miami.edu/ethics/schiavo/wolfson%27s%20report.pdf, written by a guardian appointed by the courts.
And about withholding feeding and hydration - it is actually a pretty calm, painless way to go.
But to PC's original question - I don't think this was a place for congress to step in. Someone emailed in to CNN yesterday saying (paraphrased) that the Pres thinks he's congress - declaring war - and now the congress thinks they are the justice department. Someone should teach these folks their job descriptions.
poster:AuntieMel
thread:473481
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050122/msgs/473997.html