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If I were sure that Terri had said she wanted to die, then I would deplore her decision and say it was wrong, but I would not deny her legal right to do so.

But there are several problems in this case. Most important, we have only the husband's word that she wanted to die, and he is not necessarily to be trusted. Second, there's a big difference between being taken off life support and being starved to death. Most doctors would make a distinction.

Another problem is that the abortion issue looms behind this case. The right to day is tied into the right to abort, and liberal judges are VERY reluctant to give an inch on these issues.

Finally, you say that the legislature has no right to go against the courts. That's just not true. The constitution--state and federal--has a balance of powers. Activist judges in recent years have overstepped the bounds, but that doesn't mean that executives and legislatures no longer have any constitutional rights to change or to execute the law as they think best.