She could swallow on her own. Chewing is irrelevant.
She died because she was deliberately and methodically dehydrated for 13 days.
She was not terminal in that her disease would cause her death. If that were the case, she would not have lived at the hospice for 5 years. Michael would not have had to procure a court order to remove her PEG and to simultaneously forbid any hydration by "natural means."
You were lied to. The judge ignored evidence in fact and manipulated the definition of "experimental" and "medical evaluation" to include holding spoonsful of ice chips and water to Terri's lips.
Be outraged at the liars and the unjust. The fact that fair and just courts make these judgements in good faith every day makes the betrayal of the courts in this case more heinous. The fact that hospices all over the country provide the blessing of needed comfort and care for truly terminal patients makes the nurses who stood by while Terri's mouth and nose bled from dehydration more unforgivable.
What is so horrible, that the choices weren't that MS has to kill her or forever be "saddled by Terri" -- Terri's parents begged to be able to take Terri and take care of her, and MS and the judge denied this option.
As I occasionally say, even animal shelters that are about to destroy stray animals allow them to live, if there is someone willing to adopt them. Terri's life was considered to be worth less than that of a stray animal. She was deliberately, brutally put to death, instead of allowing to live out her natural life among her loving family.
You can't get any more cruel than this.