Terri Schiavo again

[pegkerr]

Excellent entries on the biomedical ethics of the case by rivka here at Respectful of Otters and especially by Hilzoy here.

jemyl, I'd particularly be interested in your thoughts on these entries, since we seem to be on opposite sides on these questions.

Comments

Re: Not as opposite as you think!

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

Her brain stem--that which controls the most rudimentary tasks of a living organism, such as breathing--is still intact. It could atrophy, causing her body to shut down, as you said, or she could go on like she is for quite a while. There's no way to tell. What seems clear is this: despite her parents' beliefs, she isn't going to get better (and as a side note, I think her parents must be feeling awfully guilty about something, such as not recognizing her illness, and are operating out of that guilt rather than what Terri herself would have wanted) and so to let her go on as she is does seem rather cruel. Several courts have found her parents' testimony to be unreliable (memory plays strange tricks on people and statements her parents have attributed to her as an adult were actually said when she was much younger but you often remember what you want to remember). I wish there were some way to just let her go, quietly, and let nature take its course. I do not know the easiest way to accomplish that. Perhaps you and I disagree, but I think we can both agree that this is a tragedy for everyone concerned, and certainly not a clear-cut issue in any way.