While some insist the case was all about the right to life, I maintain it was neither a right-to-life nor right-to-die case. Instead, it seems to me that the Schiavo case was all about who speaks for a person when that person cannot speak for herself.
You did not state that this was about her right to life. As a matter of fact, you stated the exact opposite. You did not state that this was about her right decide. You stated that it was about her estranged husband's right to decide for her.
Now you want to pretend that you meant something that is not indicated in your original statement. You claim that you meant the exact opposite of what you said.
Do you think it's even remotely possible that you're wrong about that?
Although the outcome ultimately decided whether she would live or die, the case was not about her right to life or her right to die. The CASE decision had absolutely nothing to do with her right to anything. No one's right to life was either helped or harmed by the decision of the court. No one was arguing in court as to whether or not any person has a right to life or a right to die. Neither of these rights was on trial.
What was on trial -- what this case put before the court -- was simply to determine (a) who speaks for a person when that person is unable to speak for herself and/or whether a verbal living will is a valid living will. Ultimately, the court's objective was to determine what were Terri's wishes in her PVS condition. In other words, did she have a living will, or did she not?
Once the court decided that Terri had a living will, it ordered her wishes as contained in that living will to be carried out. Therefore, her and my and your right to to choose life or death was preserved by virtue of the fact that the court was not deciding whether we have those rights; in fact, it decided because we do have those rights, the only question left was to determine whether and how she wanted to exercise those rights.
I trust you can see now how I have not backed away from or denied anything. My position has not changed. My words mean the same now as they did from the beginning.