>> I must conclude that [hope colors perception] for those around Terri Schiavo, based on the CT scan and autopsy report
Hope certainly colored perception on this CT scan. (This is the one that was all over the Internet.) Have you seen some other scan?
Left: Scan of normal 25-year-old's brain; Right: Schiavo's 2002 CT scan at age 38 showing the massive loss of brain tissue.
No, it’s the only one I’ve seen, and looking at that scan tells me there’s very little cortex left. To believe that this is the scan of someone who speaks meaningful words is to allow hope to color perception.