Posted on 09/04/2003 12:14:25 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
What do you call a country that sentences its prisoners to death by starvation and dehydration?
Barbaric, inhumane perhaps?
Fasts, even hunger strikes, often are self-imposed for periods of time. However, no one in his right mind passes up fluids.
Death by dehydration is a painful, agonizing and arduous process that takes 10 to 14 days.
In addition to feeling the pangs of hunger and thirst, the skin, lips and tongue crack. The nose bleeds because of the drying of the mucus membranes. Heaving and vomiting may ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining. The victim may experience seizures.
As the fluid level in the body goes down, the blood pressure goes down and the heart rate goes up. Respiration often increases as blood is shunted from the periphery to the central part of the body in a desperate attempt to sustain the primary organs. The hands and feet become extremely cold.
Compared to starvation and dehydration, death by hanging, firing squad, even the electric chair seems humane.
What kind of country imposes such a death, even on those guilty of the most heinous crimes?
Look in the mirror! We the people of the United States of America now are guilty of allowing this kind of death sentence to be carried out – not against murders, rapists and child molesters, but on some of the most disabled in our midst.
One week from today, on Sept. 11, 2003, as we observe the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed over 3,000 innocent people in New York and Washington, D.C., a circuit judge in Florida will hold a hearing to decide when to remove the tube that is used to bring food and fluid to 39-year-old Terri Schiavo, who is slated to become the latest death-by-dehydration victim.
We call those people, who programmed and sent the terrorists into our country, barbarians. However, if we stand by and allow the state to kill an innocent woman like Terri Schiavo, whose only crime is being severely disabled, are we any better?
Terri is not on a respirator or any artificial life-support equipment. Any reasonable person who sees this woman reacting to her parents will realize she is not in a coma or, as it is sometimes called, a "persistent vegetative state." You can view the evidence for yourself.
In 1990, Terri Schiavo collapsed and suffered brain damage under unexplained circumstances. Having no durable power of attorney for health care, her husband, Michael Schiavo, became her guardian. He filed a malpractice lawsuit against the doctors who attended her and was awarded $1.3 million.
The bulk of the award was placed in a trust fund for her care and rehabilitation. However, in the last 10 years, she has received no meaningful rehabilitation treatment. Instead, her guardian husband hired a right-to-die advocate, George Felos, as his lawyer and began petitioning the courts to have her feeding tube removed, which, of course, will kill her.
Would a jury have set aside this money for her care if it had known that her guardian had planned to ask the court to end her life? Of course not!
Does the fact that Michael Schiavo would inherit any money left in her trust or is living with another woman – with whom he has had a child and plans to marry once Terri is out of the way – a conflict of interest? You bet it is!
Recently, Terri developed a serious infection, but Michael Schiavo refuses to allow doctors to treat her.
If a child is mistreated or denied proper care or medical treatment by a parent or guardian, the state will step in and place that child in the hands of someone who will protect the child from harm. Why should a disabled person be denied this protection?
Have we, as a nation, become so callous that we have bought into the "quality of life" argument that some people simply are not worth the effort to protect or rehabilitate?
Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, wrote a letter to the judge in charge of the case asking him to delay the removal of Terri's feeding tube – stay her execution – until her case could be investigated. He was ignored.
What Gov. Bush should do is have his attorney general bring an action by the state on Terri's behalf.
There has been a federal court hearing, but time is running out.
To date 27,000 people have petitioned Gov. Bush to save Terri Schiavo. That leaves 281,395,000 who should.
But of course the key is to teach all of our children what marital love really is. We try to make this an active discussion in our home when we can, particularly with our 15 year old daughter. Real love, we point out to her, is when you give up sleep, the last brownie, make a sacrifice and never complain about it, forgive, apologize, whatever the occasion brings us the opportunity to point out.
Most of us who say this are referring to a ventilator. I doubt that any of us would be watching TV and say, sure, go ahead and starve me to death if I am in anyway incapable of caring for myself.
I love your tagline!
These people mouthing 'death with dignity' slogans remind me of a recent news article about Terri Schiavo, wherein the patently biased reporter characterized Terri's parents as 'insisting on keeping her alive,' while her husband was described as 'willing to let go.'
Such pretty phrases, 'death with dignity' and 'willing to let go' !! Why, you'd think the fourteen day ordeal of dying from dehydration was a gentle slipping away into oblivion! You'd think the 'letting go' would not mean forcing a living, sentient being to die a slow and agonizing death, but would simply be a passive act, noble, even virtuous!
As you point out, nothing could be further from the truth.
Mr. Schiavo simply wants to let his wife die with dignity THE WAY SHE WANTED. That is what he promised her when she was still alive and well. He is only carrying out his promise.
There is a sworn affidavit from a nurse who formerly cared for Terri, who stated that Michael Schiavo used the word "bitch" when referring to when was Terri finally going to die. He wants her to die before she uses up any more of "his money". You know what's funny? Terri's folks offered what was left of Terri's medical trust fund if Michael would only divorce her and let them take over.
Let's hope that you have an ironclad "directive" in the event that you can't speak for yourself. Otherwise someone might just figure you'd want to die from dehydration and starvation while fully conscious.
Have a nice day...
Great points. Now how do you sort out a normal person from someone who is pathological? Most are accomplished liars, who actually believe their own lies. If they are not completely estranged from their families, the family members you'll meet are enmeshed in their own psycodrama and will support this emotional vampire.
A young person, who perhaps has had an unhealthy role growing up, such as emotional caretaker for a parent, is at high risk. Your internal warning system goes off and you heed it. You instinctively avoid them as "not quite right". Not always with people conditioned at an early age to having their boundaries violated. They are insidious and will find your buttons and push them.
Avoiding them can be impossible. Terri had a weight problem through high school that damaged her self asteem. No doubt Michael zeroed in on it. I don't think in this instance it has to do with reforming bad boys, or girls for that matter; the perpetrator creates the role that they can provide the missing piece in their victim's lives.
JMO
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