If you are going to take that view, then you will have to agree that even when someone makes a living will stating they do not wish to live as Terri does, that will is not valid, and the govt. should step in, because the act of complying with the wishes is "Nazi murder." Will you go there??
Senate about to gavel in...............
Senate is in session now.
For the cable-deprived, here's the link to your choice of Windows or RealVideo. It's on C-Span 2.
http://www.c-span.org/watch/index.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2&ShowVidDays=30&ShowVidDesc=&ArchiveDays=30
Of course not. The two situations are readily distinguishable, and obviously so. In one case, the wishes of the person are immutably evident on the face of the document.
The other "Terri" case is heresay from a party with several conflicts of interest.
I do not think anyone is stating that an existing properly executed living will would have solved this. If her living will said it and it had the requisite notarization and two witnesses then there is no debate one way OR the other.
If she had a living will which said keep me alive, then the husband would have had to go into court and provide evidence that 1. it was a fake or 2. she had changed her mind. In that situation he would have lost.
I think there is a valid concern that this not be turned into the first steps towards a policy of "duty to die." I do not think any reasonable person wants that.