Reply #11: I respectfully (and strongly) disagree

[etherealtruth]

Your thoughts are expressed very eloquently; they are obviously deeply felt and borne of great reflection.

Both my education and experience lead me to very different conclusions than the ones you have reached.

I spent years working as a hospice nurse. It is notable that many on staff at our large organization were deeply religious (with a prominent Catholic presence as well as a significant fundamental Christian presence); the physician I worked with was a member of a Catholic religious order. The situation discussed here was not rare and was one we were all ethically in agreement with (it must be noted that the circumstances must be a persistent vegetative state with brain scans consistent with Ms.Schiavos).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

NO ONE is advocating euthanasia ... at some point there needs to be the right to refuse medical treatment (or have our advocates refuse if we are unable) and to allow natural processes (no intake of food or fluids) to take over, allowing the body to die. This is the general process that occurs when an individual dies of cancer, AIDS, emphysema... Why would one assume it is more cruel to halt the medical intervention (feeding tube) than it is to not initiate it? Sometimes it take time for the recognition of how grave a loved one's condition actually is. This is actually a very peaceful and natural process:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-me...

There is NOT a lot of disagreement within the medical community regarding Terri's condition; there are a few who disagree and insinuate that there is some "hope" or some mental or emoting processes going on. These had to be aggressively sought out by those wishing Terri to continue receiving the tube feeding.

These people are doing a horrific DISSERVICE to the parents of Terri Schiavo, they are preying on their grief and desperation in order to use them as pawns, promoting a particular ideology. I have no hostility toward the parents (as sometimes expressed on the DU) as they are unwittingly being used to promote someone else's agenda!

While the facts you give related to Michael Schiavo are true, they are presented in a distorted manner. Michael waited years before moving on, would it have been healthy for him to not to work through the grief and eventually move on? I would want my husband to, my brother to ...

It is reported that when questioned, 83% of the population unequivocally state that they would NOT want to be kept alive in Terri's situation, what are the odds Terri was in the 17%?

I have never met a person who has been involved in a situation like this, who has not STRONGLY expressed the wishes that this (prolonged intervention to be kept alive) NOT be done to them.

Whether you agree or disagree, are young or old, healthy or infirm ... make your wishes known (preferably in writing) to all the people who have a strong emotional stake in your life. ALSO, be positive the person you choose to advocate for you is willing to carry out your wishes (vs. their own beliefs or agenda).