Conservatives were on the wrong side of this issue. Because of Terri Shaivo my wife has told me that she doesn't want to be kept alive in a PVS. But our marriage bonds apparantly don't mean anything to conservatives. The state should be the ones to decide, not me.
We were told that about abortion at one time also......
Only if you completely misunderstand or misrepresent everything conservatives were saying.
What we all pointed out was that:
1. the person who had the most to gain from her death was the only person to have heard her utter the "don't want to live" statement.
2. There was no written declaration of her wish, and we all doubted that she'd have wanted to be dehydrated to death.
3. the parents were denied access and answers.
4. the parents offered to care for her themselves - so why not let them ? What did the husband lose by it ? Why didn't he just get a divorce and marry the woman he'd lived with for 10 years ?
Suppose your wife started living with another man when you fell into a PVS. Would you want your estranged wife to be the only spokesman for your death wishes, especially if your estranged wife would profit from your death is a variety of ways ?
If your wife was taking steps to divorce you at the time of your "fall", you may wish ANYbody but her was doing the decision making!
What??????? The state should decide your life not you???
Please tell me you are not stupid and simply mistyped your comments.
Some husbands, and Michael was an estranged husband with a mistress, have serious conflicts of interest and should not be appointed guardians. Take the van Klaus case, he was removed as her guardian and replaced with her children.
In this day and age, a wife is not the property of her husband and where there is even a suspicion of attempted murder (van Klaus's conviction was overturned or was it that another jury disagreed?)
In Terri's case, Michael was caught in numerous lies, did not act in her best interest, and showed his sadistic nature by, among many others misdeeds, not wanting her parents to know where she is buried.
So you would dehydrate and starve your wife over a period of several days, killing her in a way sane people would never even consider putting down their dogs?
Please do a search on misdiagnosis PVS and be careful of wording of any documents to be sure what you want is what you are actually asking for. A diagnosis of PVS is really only an opinion of the particular Dr who may have his own agenda. Diagnosing PVS is not like a Dr saying you have a broken arm or tests show you are diabetic. It is a very subjective diagnosis.
The issues around the Terri situation are so much more complicated than just the issue of husband/wife or even PVS. Like any other issue that attracts a lot of attention there are some who are "out there" who were involved on both sides.
Ideally these choices should remain with the family; the problem arises when the family can not work it out. I have told my husband if I am ever in the same condition Terri was to please keep away anyone with an agenda of death, get me the best possible care and do whatever he feels is right under the circumstances-including removal of life support. but under NO condition is he to ever allow me to dehydrate to death.
What a lot of people missed was the fear this brought out in disabled people, that a probate judge could make a decision to end their life...until I found out about Terri I did NOT realize that type of decision could be made by others without the patient having a signed legal document saying that was their wish. I had a big problem with the verbal, she said she didn't want to live like this...I had a lot of other issues but that one is front and center with me.
I will have to disagree when you say Republicans were on the wrong side of this issue- which Republicans? Judge Greer is a Republican as is Senator King and many others who fought against saving Terri. Some Republicans fought to save her but so did some Democrats.
We will have to disagree on this, but that's ok- I do think the Politicians and officials who tried to stop this were right to do so and I hope they would do the same for me.
Perhaps this has been answered. . .but you are mixing your issues here. Terri had no written Will. . .the 'State' will respedt your wife's decision - if she puts it in writing ie 'get a Will'. Sign a 'Living Will, as well. . .
I don't care what you and your wife decide to do but I don't want anyone starving/dehydrating me or my husband to death under any circumstances.