[Wolfstar]

I'm with you, Hildy -- and I'd venture to say so are most human beings on the planet.

Not terribly long ago, the Terri Schiavos of the world would have died within minutes or, at best, within hours of their collapse/injury. That's God's way -- the genuinely natural way in the sense that God designed our bodies to die comparatively quickly from severe brain injury.

So I wonder whether or not it is vanity or mercy that makes us keep someone like Terri Schiavo nominally alive year after year, when God's natural way would have given her a quick death 15 years ago.

[E-Mat]

Do I really need to specify my wishes in a will?
I thought that if I just posted them here you would all come and save me as soon as you heard Hildy saying, "When is that bastard gonna die?"

[Hildy]

Thank you for your eloquent response. So true.

[Hildy]

I love the way you said that. Unfortunately, I no longer am allowed to post on Terri threads so you're going to have to keep saying that!

[Zeppelin]

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Not terribly long ago, the Terri Schiavos of the world would have died within minutes or, at best, within hours of their collapse/injury. That's God's way -- the genuinely natural way in the sense that God designed our bodies to die comparatively quickly from severe brain injury.

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So if you're in a terrible accident and bleeding all over the road, are you going to tell the paramedics to leave you alone?

You know, the traveler would have died a natural death had it not been for the good Samaritan.....

[socialismisinsidious]

I was thinking about this very same thing today.

The flip side is medical advances..think premature babies; just 40 years ago babies that today are routinely saved, (and not even considered as extremely premature), often died. Should we not have tried to save them?

We push the medical envelope and gain knowledge and advances..some good, but some very bad.

But if we stop trying, or for example..decide like the Peter Singers of the world that all spina bifida babies should die....how will we ever cure spina bifida?

We can pray. and hope that our men and women in medicine do the same.

[BykrBayb]

Not terribly long ago, the Terri Schiavos of the world would have died within minutes or, at best, within hours of their collapse/injury.

What exactly do you consider "not terribly long ago?" Feeding tubes have been around a lot longer than 15 years.

Tube Feeding: A Historical Perspective