Posted on 02/01/2006 7:29:10 AM PST by Ohioan from Florida
In the court (and courts) of life and death, a little 11-year-old Massachusetts girl named Haleigh Poutre could be the next Terri Schiavo. For those who have not heard the tragic story, Haleigh was beaten nearly to death last September, allegedly by her adoptive mother and stepfather. The beating left her unconscious and barely clinging to life.
Within a week or so of the beating, her doctors had written her off. They apparently told Haleigh's court-appointed guardian, Harry Spence, that she was "virtually brain dead." Even though he had never visited her, Spence quickly went to court seeking permission to remove her respirator and feeding tube. The court agreed, a decision affirmed recently by the supreme court of Massachusetts.
And so, no doubt with the best of intentions, a little girl who had already suffered so much was stripped by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of even the chance to fight to stay alive. If she didn't stop breathing when the respirator was removed, which doctors expected, she would slowly dehydrate to death.
Close Call
Then came the unexpected:
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
That medpundit link was a good read. Thanks for including that.
I watched a bit of a movie with my daughter the other day. It was called "Contact" and starred Jodie Foster and Matthew McConahey (sp?), and was made around 1997. It was very interesting in that there was a part where Jodie Foster's character launched out to space to make contact with 'aliens'. When she got back to earth, no one believed what she had experienced, because on earth it looked like she hadn't launched at all.
Even though she insisted that she was 'gone' for about 18 hours, the other scientists insisted that they only lost contact with her for about 45 seconds. While they had no contact with her, it was recorded as static on the monitors. One scientist, who didn't refute the possibility of her experiencing *something* during that time, had observed that when they looked at the amount of time that the static was recorded, she kept coming up with 18 hours of elapsed recorded time. The scientists finally realized that they didn't have the empirical information that could "explain" the difference between what they *thought* she experienced and what she insisted she experienced.
To me, it's the same with way Terri and many other brain-injured patients. We don't *know* what they experience, yet. Our science isn't good enough to explain it, yet. We know so little about the way the human body works, yet some of us are willing to put someone to death because we can't explain what is going on with that person.
Diane Coleman and Not Dead Yet are spot on. There is a segment of the society that has become just too impatient about cessation of care for people it deems "hopeless". It's worse treatment than convicted murderers get.
I watched Diane Coleman in action. Wow.
They are tough customers and fearlessly vocal. I am glad they are on our side!! What makes it better is their support removes any of the false claims we are all maniac religious fanatics.
While most of the notes at the fence are folded and nearly impossible to read, one letter stands out. Penned on white lined paper and placed in a clear plastic bag attached to the front of the gate with guardian angel clips, it requests prayers for Haleigh Poutre, an 11-year-old Westfield girl who suffered brain damage after a beating. ''Please help Haleigh Poutre," the note reads. ''Let everyone pray for Haleigh and have a Christmas miracle. Let her live and let all her wounds heal and that someone loving will take care of her."
I pray that these prayers are being heard and answered.
Looks like some are.
Deo gratias.
You are mistaken, I'm sure. The posters here are gentle folk, courteous, respectful of others' views and unusually well versed in the facts of the case.
To be sure, we have our share of would-be disruptors. One of those dropped in here on Jan. 25 and made a vicious unprovoked attack on Floriduh Voter. The rule is, "no personal attacks." This attack was so nasty that the moderator had to remove it. Below are the thread and the post in question. Do you remember who made the post? I do.
Scott Thomas update: mom's guardianship continued!
Comment #612 Removed by Moderator
Great posts, this one and the one just previous!
In my mind, if the government can't recover the $$ from Woodside, then Medicare should not reimburse any money to Woodside until they even out. I know it doesn't work that way, but sometimes I think it should.
The driver did not look drunk to me. But, remember that they said he was plastered?
What a great way to look at this!
DSS sought permission to let brain injured girl die eight days after hospitalization
There is a lot in the news on this today. Seems this is one time the government moved fast.
8mm
Thanks for your ping to the above
Now it is youth in Asia, reporting from India on EU thanasia in EU.
This coverage shows the vigil outside the Hospice. In the first pic, (I am not in any of the pics.) I had just repaired the banner pic of Terri earlier. Shows a pic of my friend with his crucifix (below), many other poignant pics.
Euthanasia plagued Belgium in 2005: Report
8mm
Brussels: Some 400 cases of euthanasia were reported in Belgium last year, up from 200 cases four years ago when the practice was first legalised, according to figures published on Tuesday.
About one third of assisted suicides are the result of a surgical procedure. In some cases, medical treatment is stopped or not started at all, said Wim Distelmans, chairman of Belgium's euthanasia evaluation committee.
Images:
Good pics with that link, but a poignant reminder of America's darkest days.
Daughter’s Suicide After Secret Abortion Leads Father to Activism
8mm
And the first thing you learn is that they don't tell their stories. They all seem to refuse to take any credit for acts that leave the rest of us breathless. What they say is, "Aw, shucks, anybody would have done it." It gets to be a sort of red flag: the ones who DO brag turn out not to have done anything heroic.
I can't prove it, of course, but I came away with the strongest feeling that God speaks directly to the hero: "Do this." It is a thing neither more nor less nor other than to be done, and it is done. He doesn't promise success. You just do it. It happens to people of any faith or none.
We may properly speculate from these experiences that God has His own communication channel to each of us. It cannot conceivably depend on the condition of our brain or any other organ.
Euthanists are materialists. To them it's all brain function, so they all dress up in white coats and play neurologist in order to discuss Terri. (What they will say, in whatever words, is: "This is a tragedy for all concerned. She should die.")
The rest of us are not obliged by our worldview to shut our minds tight and rule out God's channel to us. It's nice to think that regardless of the condition of her brain, God could speak to and comfort Terri as she was slowly and cruelly put to death.
Huh? Have we reached the point where patients say, "Cut me up and sell the parts"? Or do the doctors, so-called, simply infer it from the need to raise funds for the hospital and start carving?
Hey Mikey, if you're lurking, try Preparation H for those baggy eyes. That's what models and actors use ;-)
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