Changed My Mind
I changed my mind today about the Terri Schiavo “right to die” case. Originally, I sided squarely with the husband. Then I saw video footage of his wife.
I respect an individual’s stated intentions to avoid a feeding tube, but in this case, Ms. Schiavo left no written record of her intentions. In absence of such a living will, the family must make this painful decision with guidelines established by the state. Those guidelines are what I am primarily interested in, although I also find the posturing and grandstanding of the two sides in this case fascinating and disturbing.
Laws and legal precedents are all about drawing a line. Before today, I thought the line that needed to be drawn was between a spouse and other family members. I believe that a spouse has more legal say than a parent.
But after seeing the video footage of Terri Schiavo today, I thought she looked pretty alive to me. In bad, bad shape for sure, but still alive. She almost even looked to be smiling, so I can see why her parents would think she responds to them. I now think the line that needs to be drawn is between a respirator and a feeding tube. I think it’s reasonable to say that if you are in a vegetative state and you can’t breathe on your own or if you can’t pump your own blood, then you’re not living. But Terri Schiavo appears to breathe just fine. She just doesn’t have the mental capacity to eat. That seems different to me.
I’d like to know how complicated a feeding tube is. Is it expensive to operate, or is it just a tube that you dump some nutrition into? Does it require electricity or is it mechanical? If I were a judge, these would be the things I’d want to consider in drawing a line between what constitutes keeping somebody alive artificially and merely assisting someone to function. It will be interesting to see how the next judge rules on this situation. I am thankful I am not a judge and I can think about these things without any consequences.