Jim, I can understand that your experience with your father shapes your opinion in this case. I watched my father die as well. Laryngeal cancer was his disease. My father, like yours, was a vet, a hardworking man, as decent as they can come and he starved/dehydrated to death. His tumor grew that is pressed his esophogus closed and he could not consume liquids. His death was absolutely horrible. I too remember the look on my father's face when he would try to swallow a small portion of water and it would come out of his nose. He would cry silent tears and beg God for a drop to quench his thirst.
Jim, one thing you may not be understanding is the questionable circumstances of the case as a whole. In our cases our fathers were terminal. Terri is not. Court testimony by those better to judge than you and I states that she would live a long life and that therapy would help her. Her husband decided that she would want to die only after he received a monetary reward. Prior to his getting the money he vowed to use it to care for her. To take her home. How much he loved her, after all, she was his life.
He has refused to do any of the things he swore in court to do. He has not even been at her bedside as a caring husband. He has been living with a woman for 7 years and has a child with her and is expecting another. They are engaged to be married. His future MIL is the representative that he chose to be with Terri at this time. Is that not a slap in the face to his present inlaws? They have to be monitored by the mother of his "fiance".
Jim, I am emotional about this having a relative in Terri's condition. I will admit to that. But I am also able to see that there are some serious problems surrounding Terri's care, the court'd decisions, and his motives.
Thank you and I'm sorry you had to go though a loss similar to mine...
This family deserves all our prayers. All the ugliness around the court system and money has opened a lot of eyes. I think the media is playing the public on all sides of this. It truly is a family matter. It's sad to see the courts had to get involved from the start. This seems to all come down to money and it's sad to see a family torn apart by it. The truth is that this happens everyday in contested wills all over the US. It's exposing a very ugly side of people and everyone wants to not air their dirty laundry.
Please read my previous posts before blasting me about pro-life issues. I don't want to repeat everything I posted on this thread today.