I've never posted to you on this topic, although I've noticed you are "on the other side". I can respect that even though I disagree.
I think that if she had been given therapy and stimulation and every avenue of rehabilitation had been pursued, even to the point of doing an MRI for goodness' sake, more people would be willing to support this. We all know it happens frequently, whether voluntary (the patient stops eating) or by agreement of the family when the patient is terminal and all hope has been lost.
For you see, all hope by Terri's family has NOT been lost and she is NOT terminal.
Another thing that many just can't seem to get their minds around is why doesn't this man who has granted himself a de facto divorce by living with another woman and fathering children by her won't divorce Terri and let her parents care for her. Why is he so hell-bent on killing her?
I understand that you've been through this with a family member and I respect that decision. But I'd be interested in why you support terminating her life when she has loved ones who are ready, willing and able to care for her until she does indeed die naturally.
Respectfully, GG
Hi, GG. Thanks for your nice tone, even though we disagree :-)
I'm just going to post some facts and hope I can answer some questions. (Mr. Peach is playing music and waiting to play cribbage).
If you would like links, I can provide them later as I'm kind of rushing right now.
1. In 1993, Terri's doctors recommended to Michael that he remove the tube. This is done all the time in this nation.
He didn't want to do that because he thought it was cruel. He then saw his parents go through it so by 1998(?), he said ok.
But still he didn't want to be the final arbiter of this and went to the court and asked THEM to make the determination. The Courts noted in their decision he didn't have to do this and effectively weakened his own position by doing so. (I have the exact words in the link to the court decision).
2. During the first 3 years of Terri's PVS status, no one argues that she wasn't given the most rigorous therapy. Everything that could be done, was done. He even had electrodes implanted in her brain in an effort to stimulate her brain activity. In the early 90's, the electrodes used make her ineligible to have an MRI. They use different kinds now and there has been some suggestion that doctors recommended those electrodes be removed, although no freper has ever been able to provide me with a link to that.
#3. In the early 90's, MS sued the hospital for malpractice. Terri presented at the hospital with cardiac arrest as the result of being bulimic. The hospital didn't pick up on that and didn't treat her appropriately which in part resulted in her PVS. MS was given $300,000 for loss of consortium; the rest went to Terri's care and is controlled by the court (I think). Mr. Schindler thought he was entitled to some of that $$ and they argued over the $$.
#4. Previous to that, MS and the Schindlers had gotten along fabulously. Schindlers considered him like a son and said they couldn't get through it without him. Then came the $$ problem.
#5. The Schindlers testified under oath the yknew their daughter was PVS. They now act like she isn't, but they've already admitted it.
#6. The Schindlers tried in the early 90's to care for their daughter and returned her to rehab shortly after because they were overwhelmed (their word). There is no reason to believe that 13 years older they are better capable of caring for Terri this time.
#7. The Schindlers testified under oath that they would be willing to see Terri undergo multiple amputations should she get diabetes from loss of circulation. They also said that no matter what she wants, they want to keep her alive.
#8. No honorable man who knows his wife is PVS is going to stand by and watch her get carved up. In my opinion.
#9. Michael became a respiratory therapist in order to better learn to care for Terri. Under oath, the nurses who cared for Terri said his care of her was extraordinary. She never even had a bed sore, nearly unheard of, and that he was very demanding of nursing staff.
#10. Now we have nurses and others coming out of the woodwork saying that they know Terri isn't PVS because (insert blabbering). It's amazing that they never told thsi to the Schindlers! They have written affadavits (if these people are even nurses...most of this is over the internet).
So some freepers think we should believe unsourced material over the internet but not court documents and witnesses that were subject to cross examination under oath.
Anyway, when I first started writing about this last week, I hadn't really made up my mind about this matter. The more I examined it and other freepers started researching it, the more I determined that the Schindlers are not acting out of love, in my opinion.
Have you ever stood at the bedside of anyone on any kind of life support or feeding tube? Nearly every one standing around will say something like "I don't want to ever end up like that." The courts have found Michael believable on this point...that Terri didn't want that after visiting some relatives that were dying and watching a movie about Karen Quinlan (not sure about the name of the movie or what it was about but that's my recollection).
This is probably way more than you wanted to know :-)