The swine ought to roast in hell for all eternity. I couldn't imagine wanting my wife to be starved to death under any circumstance. A husband is supposed to be a PROTECTOR to his spouse, not her executioner. The spirit of Jack "the dripper" Kevorkian is alive and well and walks to and fro upon the land, looking to devour all who do not measure up to the minimum "quality of life" standard.
West Michigan widow can relate to Terri Schiavo situation http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3098336&nav=0RceXfuU
(Allegan County, March 18, 2005, 7:16 p.m.) The Terri Schiavo case in Florida is very familiar to one West Michigan woman, as she faced a similar court battle 18 years ago.
From Mary Martin's perspective, there was no gray area to her case. Her husband Michael told her he didn't want to be kept alive by a feeding tube. But to others involved with the care of patients, the answers aren't as black and white.
A train crash in January 1987 in Allegan County tore Mary Martin's family and life apart.
"We were pushed 986 feet down the track. That killed my seven-year-old daughter, Melanie, and severely brain-injured Michael," she told 24 Hour News 8.
For the next eight years, Mary battled to have the feeding tube that kept her husband alive removed. "We had talked about it many times. It was really his decision and I was trying to fulfill a promise that I made to him," she said.
The battle pitted Martin and her children against her husband's sister and parents who fought to keep the feeding tube in.
The state Supreme Court eventually decided the feeding tube could not be removed, as Michael Martin hadn't expressed his desires in writing.
Michael died in 2001, the result of an infection.
In Florida, Michael Schiavo's efforts to remove his wife's feeding tube have reopened some old wounds for Mary Martin. "I know what this man is going through. And until people have walked in our shoes, they should not judge," she said.
But to others who play a role in the lives of patients - like doctors - these cases present a modern day dilemma.
"It really isn't that easy, because medicine is dedicated to preserving life," Dr. James Applegate, a family physician, told 24 Hour News 8.
In both of these cases, Michael remained in at least a semi conscious state, as is Terri. But whether their reactions to voices and other stimuli was conscious or unconscious, is hard to know.
"In cases that sort of lie in this gray area, we never want to make an error. The analogy I use is with the death penalty - you never want to make a mistake because you can't get it back," adds Dr. Applegate.
Both Mary Martin and Dr. Applegate agree on one thing - people need to sit down with family members and their doctors to discuss their wishes early on, and avoid having those decisions end up in the hands of a judge.