Last weekend, The Talking Dog who is an attorney (I'm pretty sure) had a post on the case in Florida of Teri Schiavo, who has been in a strange sort of coma for about a decade. Her husband has for whatever reason has moved on with his life, her parents for a lot of reasons have not, and being a parent I can understand that. Apparently Ms. Schiavo left no instructions as to what to do in the event something tragically unforseen happened to her. How many of us do?
But just so that their hard-core republican base would get the idea that they were not doing something to "protect" Ms. Schiavo, the Floridat Lege and Jeb! have imposed their collective will in the matter. Good or bad, not really for me to decide. I'm not really in favor of a legislative body or a politician getting involved...is their involvement out of genuine concern, or is it (more likely in my opinion) Grandstanding?
Although the Legislature acted swiftly, even some who supported the bill expressed concern about it.
"I hope, I really do hope we've done the right thing," said Senate President Jim King, a Republican. "I keep on thinking 'What if Terri didn't really want this done at all?' May God have mercy on all of us."
Florida's Jim King is not (to me) the sharpest tool in Jebs! shed, but even he seems to be wondering if interference is the best policy here. If Ms. Schiavo has a prolonged, and obviously painful death as a result of the decisions made, who wins?
I think it's time to go see an attorney and get a living will made out. This is a special kind of hell no family needs to go through. And my familiy needs no legislative intervention to guess my intention.
posted by Jo Fish on 10.22.03 at 12:27 AM
Comments:
I guess this is a pretty good idea as long as JEB! and his Fascist fellow-cabalists are gonna continue to foot the bill to pay for this care for a body that could live another 30 or 40 years. Right now, the Mr. is paying the bills. I wonder what will happen if he dies, or moves away, maybe to another country where there's still personal freedom, and decisions aren't made on the basis of what someone thinks the Invisible Cloud Being wants.
I've noted the parents haven't stepped forward to pick up any of the hills, though. Maybe they're just like those Xtian Fascists we talked about up above. "I just wanna demand you do what I want you to do with that woman's body, but I ain't about to pay for it!"
I can understand a parent's reluctance to let go. No one wants to see a child die before they do. That's a natural state of affairs. But it does happen. Ten or 11 years is a long time to be in denial. I feel bad for them.
posted by: Lurch on 10.22.03 at 05:40 AM [permalink]
If she were in a coma, this might make a particle of sense because people in comas have come out after years.
She is in a permanent vegetative state with no higher brain function. She has only her brain stem still working. Her brain was destroyed by oxygen starvation.
The hospital bills have been paid by the proceeds from two malpractice suits.
If researchers were allowed to really carry out stem cell research, there might be some hope in 20 years for the situation, but the same people who voted for this blatant violation of Florida's constitution oppose such research.
posted by: Bryan on 10.23.03 at 12:03 PM [permalink]
