Comments on: Terri Schiavo’s Feeding Tube Removed

By: Smoothingplane

Smoothingplane — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 01:54:23 +0000

A Question re: Terri Schiavo
Posts at Patterico’s Pontifications are more complete than anything needed here. But I have a question or two. Suppose, as now, absent any written expressions of her wishes,

By: Dafydd

Dafydd — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 02:00:57 +0000

Patterico, this case is the most befuddling I’ve ever seen. I have no difficulty understand people who want to save Terri Schiavo’s life; I can sort-of understand people who are simply indifferent to her fate.

But I literally cannot understand the almost cultic frenzy of those who seem obsessed with killing her, and by the most inhumane way imaginable.

The only way I can understand her husband Michael is by the most discreditable motive… that he simply wants that cool million. If she dies while they’re still legally married, he inherits it all. But if they divorce, I doubt he would see a penny of it, since it’s intended for Terri’s care. And while she’s still alive, I suspect the money is in a medical trust. Thus, the only way he can get his hands on the million dollars is by killing her.

But if he’s not just in it for the money, I cannot for the life of me imagine what other reason he could have to go on a fifteen-year jihad to kill his wife. How could even he be sure that’s what she wanted? He testified, I believe, that she told him once, while discussing another case, years before her terrible accident.

If my wife, Sachi, said such a thing to me in passing, then (God forbid) ended up in a situation like Terri Schiavo, that one reference just would not be sufficient in my mind to set me on such a deadly quest… particularly if there were plenty of money to pay for her care.

I don’t understand the trial judge. I don’t understand the see-no, hear-no, speak-no appellate-court monkeys who wouldn’t even examine the fact situation to see whether it was sufficiently clear to justify a death sentence. I sure as hell don’t understand the protesters demanding she be starved to death.

This is just so wrong. I don’t get it. I really don’t.

Dafydd

By: LTEC

LTEC — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:48:49 +0000

The link I gave above didn’t work. Let me try again. I meant here.
That is:
http://icouldbewrong.blogspot.com/2004/10/does-anyone-want-to-starve-terri.html

By: LTEC

LTEC — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:41:25 +0000

I do not know whether or not it is right to kill Terri Schiavo. But as I say here, we should not distinguish between killing her by inaction and killing her by action. If we decide to kill her, then we should not pretend we are doing otherwise and we should kill her in as painless a way as possible. If Terri’s death is painful, then people on both sides of this issue are to blame.

By: john

john — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:16:16 +0000

Paterrico-I agree with the thrust of your argument.My father-in-law died two years ago from terminal cancer. He wanted to fight to the very end and when he could no longer stand the pain we took him to his home where he died. He had decided when he found he had cancer that he would end his life by shooting himself with his beloved hand gun “bessie” when the pain was too great and he could no longer do the things he loved to do in this life. My wife told him that he wouldn’t half to do that; that he could take enough pain medicine to end his life. Fortunately he and we did not half to make that decision. The police arrived shortly after his death and asked if we had given him any medicine. We hadn’t. Since the paramedics who transported him home were there all the time and were present at the Officers interview, there were no problems. I believe that unless the patient clearly desires death (and is not mentally ill) every effort should be made to save the person’s life. All close decisions should be in favor of life. But I’m not sure the government should be involved. It starts to be an indictment of the medical profession that we have to worry about a physicians adivice and actions.

By: Michael O'Rourke

Michael O'Rourke — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:11:34 +0000

The media reports fail to point out also that the Judge has ordered that no attempts can be made to feed Terri by mouth. I suppose she could choke and die!

By: Conservative Friends

Conservative Friends — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:35:08 +0000

Terri Roundup
As you can guess, there’s plenty of buzz this morning about Terri’s case. I’ve personally spent most of the night (other than the hour I spent ranting at my best friend about the case) contemplating anything that I can do. I feel helpless on this. J…