[kx9088]

Mr. Torres still pulled the plug on her though, but just because he quit his job and stayed with her day and night there is a difference? </playing devil's advocate>


RIP Mrs. Torres.

[WestTexasWend]

...there is a difference?

I'm sure that's what some will say. Susan Torres body was being rapidly overtaken with cancer and could not have lived long in any case. Terri Schiavo could have lived on if only they'd given her food and water.

[krb]

She was brain dead, not just "persistent vegetative state" which was even then only agreed to by a fraction of the people who were seeing her.

[neodad]

I don't recall anyone ever saying that Terri was "brain dead". Just a PVS. Nor did Mrs. Torres take a month to die. Hopefully, they're both in the same place now.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Mr. Torres still pulled the plug on her though, but just because he quit his job and stayed with her day and night there is a difference?

Yes, there is a difference. Mrs. Torres was on true life support and was dying. Teri Schiavo was on a feeding tube and was not dying. The cases are not equivalent. The Catholic Church (of which both Mrs. Torres and Mrs. Schiavo were members) does not consider feeding tubes to be extraordinary means of life support.

[pollywog]

Mr. Torres still pulled the plug on her though,

Yes, but Terri wasn't on life support. She just needed fed. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!She could breathe, laugh, move, wake , sleep........

[rhetorica]

She was BRAIN DEAD!!!!!!

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Nobody pulled the plug on Terri Schiavo. She was not alive due to any machines, she was alive on her own. The only thing that caused her to die was dehydration and starvation.

[trussell]

There is a difference because Susan was braindead, Terry was only brain damaged. Terri's body maintained itself without use of machines (except a feeding tube)...Susan's body was dependant on life support to maintain heart rhythm and brain function. **encouraging your role as devil advocate :)

[CWW]

Big difference -- she was actually brain dead. Her husband kept her body functioning to fulfill her wish for her child to be born.

Unlike the Shiavo case, she was merely allowed to die. No starvation, no removed feeding tubes, just removal of the respirator.

[merry10]

There was no question she was brain dead, from the minute she collapses.

[austinTparty]

Obviously, you are not Catholic. Mrs. Torres and her family are devout Catholics; as such, you refuse "extraordinary means" to keep you alive when you could not remain alive without extraordinary intervention (such as being brain dead and not being able to breathe or have your heart beat without mechanical assistance). However, you are FORBIDDEN (i.e. it is a mortal sin) to deny normal treatment to yourself or others (such as food and/or water) which would CAUSE your death (which was the case with Terri Schiavo).

Her family's sacrifices to keep her alive in order that their baby might live are heroic and tragic and firmly within the sphere of the culture of life. God bless them.

"Playing" devil's advocate is in terribly poor taste.