Repeating 113 above ... quoting peach, and then a paragraph from the link peach provided ...
For those interested, this is the official position of the Unitd States Conference of Catholic Bishops. There are a great many instances, including Terri's, where death by starvation is permitted within church doctrine.
When a patient is not competent to make his or her own decisions, a proxy decisionmaker who shares the patient's moral convictions, such as a family member or guardian, may be designated to represent the patient's interests and interpret his or her wishes. Here, too, moral limits remain relevant -- that is, morally the proxy may not deliberately cause a patient's death or refuse what is clearly ordinary means, even if he or she believes the patient would have made such a decision.
I'm not inclined to think that MSchiavo's moral convictions are demonstrably common enough with her's so as to speak on her behalf. If it was an issue of property or child custody, his wildcatting would be more than enough to disqualify his speaking on her behalf.
Yeah, I posted that last night but I suppose people have lost interest in the thread (or the truth).