Replies

Another thing that really bothers me about this case is where they get off saying that Terri wouldn't want to live like this.

First off, if she left no advance directive, it can't be assumed one way or the other how Terri felt.

Secondly, people change their minds once they're in a given situation. IOW, even IF Terri mentioned (casually) that she wouldn't want to continue under these "circumstances", she might feel differently once she got there.

Finally, and this is really puzzling to me, why don't the "experts" understand that Terri living like this for so long may be TERRI'S WAY of showing that she wants to live! Her will to live is so strong!!

As I've mentioned before, my father passed away in February. Although his situation was very different, there are some similarities. To make a long story short, we had his ventilating tube removed, because he had told us that was what he wanted. He was conscious and could converse a little with us. The important thing we learned from the doctors and nurses was that we would know what he wanted because he would "declare" himself. We didn't know what that meant, and they explained that almost always, the patient's body will show what their wishes are by whether it clings to life and tries to fight for everything it's got, or it will give up. IMHO, Terri has been doing JUST THAT for all these years! She has been "declaring" that she wants to live, by not needing a ventilator, by having stable heart rhythyms, etc. She may not be able to tell us with her mouth, but she is trying to tell us with everything she's got left!

How can these monsters live with themselves?

Finally, and this is really puzzling to me, why don't the "experts" understand that Terri living like this for so long may be TERRI'S WAY of showing that she wants to live! Her will to live is so strong!!

This is something I have been thinking a lot about today. All the judge would have to do is allow Terri to have the therapy she needs. Since the only way someone improves with therapy is if they work at it - and they wouldn't work at it if they wanted to die, would they - then any improvement must mean they want to live. I'm not as "wise" or "well-educated" as "the judge", and even I could figure that one out.

Which just confirms what we all know - that this judge isn't really interested in what's best for Terri.

First off, if she left no advance directive, it can't be assumed one way or the other how Terri felt.

And this is where the courts have overstepped their boundaries, bigtime. They have made choices that I think actually erode the rights of the patients in quite a few instances.

The one guy I posted about on the other thread, he wrote down his sister-in-law for his next of kin, then when it came time for the feeding tube decision, the courts ignored that and said his wife had the first right to decide for him.

But you have to think the man goes into the hospital to have surgery and the unthinkable happens, he codes on the table. Now if he trusts his wife, why did he write down his sister-in-law when he entered the hospital?

And it was, I think, his sister-in-law who fought to keep him alive and his wife who got him killed in the end. Funny thing, that.