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A decision to let someone go should be made in a timely manner. The time to have made a decision like this would have been after the doctors determined that her brain function was irreversibly devastated by the lack of oxygen. At that point, if she had been on a ventilator, which I believe she was, she should have been taken off the vent. If she survived that, fluids and nourishment should not have been withheld. To starve someone and dehydrate them, even if they are not aware, is inhumane and I believe it is against God's will. In my few years practicing in a hospital as an R.N. in the early 1980's, I never saw a patient denied fluids or nourishment. There were plenty of Do Not Resuscitate orders for those who were terminal and resuscitating would serve no purpose other than to prolong their suffering. Teri should have also had a DNR order. I don't know if she ever had to be resuscitated after hospitalization, but that should have been done once it was determined that to bring her back would not enrich her life.

I'm not saying mistakes were not made. in fact I agree with allot of what you say.
My wife is also an RN who has worked in a convalescent home her entire career. I have worked in the field for 23 years army reserve medic, x ray tech ans field surgeons assistant myself, and have seen probably much more gore than you can imagine. Terri was dead, but she was revived, enough to keep the medulla oblongata alive, which in turn maintained her body function. looking at the case, We see Micheal didn't give up on her for 8 years, the records and court docs show he sent her for any hopefull treament he could, what was available, including that stimulator implant which was experimental, and not cheap as you know. It was only after he was told that there was no hope, that he put it in the courts hands for them to decide. I've seen quite a few vegetive people myself, most don't live as long as Terri did. Looking at her files, reading the Me report, there is no doubt in my mind she was long gone. Being a RN, you have enough training to know that white matter is the first to die from 02 deprivation. The other damage we see in her ME report is prolonged 02 deprivation,very complete, and the hydrocephalus ex vasuo, well that tells the tale. He brain wasn't "shrunken" it was empty, with 8 times the cerebrospinal fluid, and only 1/3 the weight. massive tissue death, I don't need to explain it all I'm sure. Suffice it to say the damage was complete. She died feb 25 1990, no doubt in my mind. I also agree that it wasn't really nessesary to pull the tube out, After all, she had outlived every other case, so she didn't have a whole lot of time left anyways, and degradation was starting to takes it's toll according to the ME report. But, you can't "murder" a dead person. That's what I disagree with, people making that accusation. You- everything that is you, is your mind. Once that's dead, your dead, even if the body is kept alive. In fact, bodies are kept alive all the time, sometimes for days. Longer for organ donor co-ordination. I'm also a little religious, and don't like seeing people becomming heratics over the issue. God forgives ALL sin, and HE is the judge of it. We are supposed to follow in his footsteps, and forgive as well. right EternalVigilance? take it easy, I need to go make breaky