"Here's what I'm finding. People with money want to leave that money to their families, not to a hospital or a rich doctor, or nursing facility for care that extends a persons misery not their life. They don't see that Terri's situation is different. And if they do see that possibility, they don't want her case to rob them. She becomes a threat to their ability to pass on resources to loved children and grandchildren."
Very well said. I would rather pass on our fairly limited resources to my children than give it to medical devices companies. I am seriously worried about big government bad laws being passed that might limit my freedom of choice.
I have a living will. I have no desire to provide one more vacation home for my doctor. But here's the problem, people like us are put in a spot when dealing with Terri. We fear the unintended consequences of lawmakers generalizing. Disappointing judges made it worse. They're the people who should cut the gordian knot, not wallow in elitist fears. How could they not respect for a woman who easily could have been abused? Can't they see this case is different?
I stand with Terri. Terri, the person. Not "Terri the life at all costs and misery" concept.
I slept on a hospital floor to safeguard my fathers last request not to be hooked to machines to prolong his painful death from cancer. He asked all of us to make sure that didn't happen and we stayed at the hospital in shifts to protect him from overzealous nurses.
Terri's different.
Maybe freepers can figure this problem out -- the judges are an embarrassment- coming across as unthinking control freaks.
Good people will have to solve this. People like you. People like me. The great unwashed. There's a man named Hentoff or something like that who writes for the Village Voice. He seems capable of seeing both sides. I'm sure there are others.
Thanks for your comments. You're a good person -- and honest. Maybe with good people trying, a fair solution can be found.