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.
What if you don't believe in God? I guess atheists just hang around forever and molder.
I stated in my post that she was based on this article that I read. There is apparently enough doubt among some medical professionals that she actually meets the criteria of PVS that I will retract that statement unless convinced otherwise.
What state is she in, if not PVS? I honestly don't know.
And what a king-hell mess it has caused, eh? I filled out a DNR and Living Will years ago - there are copies all through my personal papers (including a .PDF on the hard drive on my computer), a card in my wallet, reference pointers to all of them in my will, and a copy on file at the courthouse. I can think of nothing more horrible (both for me and for my family) than the situation that Ms. Schiavo is in.
If it ever does, you have my irrevocable permission to blow my head off. If you're squeamish about that, then you have my permission to get my 9MM out of my nightstand, put it in my hands, then leave the room. And I mean that as seriously and as honestly as I can say it. I won't do the Buck Rogers thing and linger in the twilight between life and death like Ms. Schiavo is - I just won't. There's too much fun to have, too many departed friends to meet again, and too much evil to battle in another dimension for me to hang around here in a situation like that.
and you cry for help and call for momma, then , to hell with you, we will say your are in a vegatative state and wanted to die....we will let you!
Good.
God, you do not know the defination of a vegatative state , so just shut up!
I based my statement in a previous post (apparently the one that you're taking me to task over) that Schiavo was in a PVS from a news story I read. I have since retracted that, as there appears to be enough doubt that I'm not sure what state that she IS in.
Do I , go ahead ask me!!!
I would not put you in the position of reliving bad memories. I would not do that to my worst enemy (well, maybe one or two).
Given the doubt, shouldn't she receive the same consideration as an accused criminal and be allowed to live?
I don't believe you have to answer that. Of course she does.
Then I guess you get to conduct both sides of the argument. Feel free.
Irrelevant and a circular response. Atheists don't believe in a Creator.
I'm sorry, I thought your previous postings made it clear that you would not support starving her to death given the lack of a personal DNR request PLUS the medical doubt concerning her condition.
Was I incorrect?
Uh, which atheists are planning to kill anyone?
Atheists should mind their own business instead of spreading their poison on others.
And the state should take no official position on matters best left to one's clergyman (if indeed one even has a clergyman).
I really don't have sufficient facts to make a determination about this at the present time. I am trying to educate myself about the case, but haven't done so to the degree necessary as of yet.
Precisely the point! No one does but they will proceed anyway.
Did he offer any reasoning for not accepting this?
I can't watch any of the video on this dinosaur computer of mine,so I can't judge her reactions for myself, yet from what I've read it seems there's something there and Hubby just seems fishy to me.
Feeding tube or not, when He's ready for her, He'll take her.
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