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To try to pour water down the throat of a person who is at best barely cognitive, let alone someone who is completely vegetative and shown not to be able to handle it is the utmost in irresponsible grandstanding.

I'm not talking about the people in the crowd and I'm not talking about pouring it down her throat. I'm talking about her mother who was not even allowed to try it let her sip water or allowed to wet her lips.

That was pointless cruelty to the mother, and I believe to Terri as well.

If Shiavo was certain his wife was vegetative and wanted death he could have allowed that out of simple kindness to the mother and he still would have gotten what he wanted. He could have asked a nurse to supervise it.

But he didn't. Why? Suppose Terri actually drank the water? Some nurses apparently think she would have. But we will never know.