Respecting one's opinion means little...in his own report, he agrees with the conclusion that Terri is PVS. Read his report and then get back to me (no conspiracy theories, please).
In any case, the diagnosis of "PVS" is extremely difficult to make with accuracy. All doctors I've seen on both sides of the argument stress that proper diagnosis takes many, many hours of clinical observation.
The only doctor who spent many hours observing Terri in person was Dr. Hammesfahr.
Please read
New York Times Magazine: What if there IS something going on in there?
This is a fascinating and revealing article about new research regarding patients diagnosed to be in "PVS" -- in a newspaper that is not known to be a conservative or pro-life bastion.
You may be surprised at the new MRI evidence of complex thinking activity going on in the minds of severely brain-damaged PVS patients.
The doctors in the study were shocked and have had to revise their thinking about PVS.