[Diamond]

But a bigger tragedy is to make someone live in a way they would not want to live.

How about the State, in a civil proceeding, (not criminal) forcing someone to die in a way that they would not want to die?

It is my view that the State has no obligation or authority in the first place to carry out someone's death wish via a civil proceeding. That usurpation of power inexorably leads to involuntary killing, as history teaches. But maybe Henry Ford was right; history teaches us that history teaches us nothing.

Maybe God had bigger things for Terry in mind and the machine was keeping her from him. But I guess God would have killed her anyway, right.

A feeding tube is not really a machine; it has no moving parts. A tube that conveys food by gravity is an implement, a relatively simple device for performing work, not unlike, say, a spoon.

After pondering it for a while, I still have no idea what you mean by "God would have killed her anyway."

...when is the natural process of life and death allowed to take over.

I don't know - is starving a "natural process"? No one has any objection to allowing someone to die who is dying. What is objectionable is the act of starving someone to death who is not dying on the rationale that she has an incurable condition. I tell you, when the State gets involved in imposing its will to kill people in civil proceedings, and empowers doctors to kill people without any proceedings at all, you are in civilizational quicksand.

Cordially,

[commonerX]

I think that you read too much into the event around Terry's death. Impact on society and government? That this whole thing is going to make the courts kill people is absurd.
This story has been made into a public spectacle when it should have been just between the people directly involved. As I believe it should be in most all cases like this. You didn't know Terry and neither did I. You don't know that she would have wanted to live in such a state either, and the old saying to error on the side of life doesn't cut it in this case.
Living in a mental torture or death isn't much of an option, but I would take death. And I don't too many people that would choose living under Terry's condition and believe me I asked and haven't yet found one person who said they would.
Most people don't think the way you want them to about this.
Most people understand that there is a point at which there is no life even if the heart is still pumping away.
You will have to accept it or keep beating your head against a wall.