Should She Be Kept Alive? or Should She Be Allowed To Die"
She is unable to eat by herself. All nutrition and liquids are administered to her by others. Without it, she will die. She lies in a bed, able to move her arms and legs, but unable to walk or stand. Even sitting in a chair requires her to be strapped up. Otherwise her body will slump in a heap to the floor.
She is unable to communicate her thoughts. Indeed, it is not really clear that she even has thoughts at all. Her brain clearly does not function the way a normal adult brain functions. There is little or no hand-eye coordination, either. She drools and, on occasion, must be suctioned to prevent her from suffocating from throat and nasal congestion.
She must be diapered and requires around the clock, 24-hour, 7 day a week care. She cannot bathe herself. Her eyes frequently appear to stare blankly into space. She cannot read or write or even respond to the simplest direction. It is not even clear whether or not she can distinguish between colors or differentiate between one person's voice and another.
She is not ill, or diseased and is in relatively good health. There is no reason to believe that she will not live out her full adult life. Neither Social Security nor Medicare are able to cover the ongoing costs of her long-term extended care requirements.
Some say that she should be allowed the right to die, even if it means withholding the food and water that keeps her alive. Her parents are more than willing to bear the full cost of her care and have repeatedly offered to take her home.
But, because of a myriad of legal complications, she has been declared a ward of the court. And now the judge who oversees her case has determined that there is compelling evidence to order that all food and liquid be withheld from her until she dies of starvation and dehydration. The judge, by the way, has never visited her in person, but has relied only on information provided to him by the ones who feel she should be allowed to die.
Her parents have filed appeals seeking a second medical examination of her condition or a new legal review by another judge or a different judicial venue. All such requests have been turned down repeatedly.
Somewhere in Florida, a young woman named Terri Schiavo is dying. But this is not the person I have been describing in this essay. Instead, I have been describing a scenario involving a perfectly healthy 3-month old infant girl.
But the law's the law. "If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, "the law is a ass, a idiot."
She is unable to communicate her thoughts. Indeed, it is not really clear that she even has thoughts at all. Her brain clearly does not function the way a normal adult brain functions. There is little or no hand-eye coordination, either. She drools and, on occasion, must be suctioned to prevent her from suffocating from throat and nasal congestion.
She must be diapered and requires around the clock, 24-hour, 7 day a week care. She cannot bathe herself. Her eyes frequently appear to stare blankly into space. She cannot read or write or even respond to the simplest direction. It is not even clear whether or not she can distinguish between colors or differentiate between one person's voice and another.
She is not ill, or diseased and is in relatively good health. There is no reason to believe that she will not live out her full adult life. Neither Social Security nor Medicare are able to cover the ongoing costs of her long-term extended care requirements.
Some say that she should be allowed the right to die, even if it means withholding the food and water that keeps her alive. Her parents are more than willing to bear the full cost of her care and have repeatedly offered to take her home.
But, because of a myriad of legal complications, she has been declared a ward of the court. And now the judge who oversees her case has determined that there is compelling evidence to order that all food and liquid be withheld from her until she dies of starvation and dehydration. The judge, by the way, has never visited her in person, but has relied only on information provided to him by the ones who feel she should be allowed to die.
Her parents have filed appeals seeking a second medical examination of her condition or a new legal review by another judge or a different judicial venue. All such requests have been turned down repeatedly.
Somewhere in Florida, a young woman named Terri Schiavo is dying. But this is not the person I have been describing in this essay. Instead, I have been describing a scenario involving a perfectly healthy 3-month old infant girl.
But the law's the law. "If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, "the law is a ass, a idiot."
posted by Bird of Paradise at 8:53 PM
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