I reject the premise of your question. Any mentally retarded person would far exceed the capabilities of Terri Schiavo. Mentally retarded people are aware of their existence, they know what they want and dont want, and they likely know who their caregivers are. You cant honestly say that about Terri. You feel that she may be but your are not absolutely positive so you drape it in making a presumption for life.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about with that statement. There are varying degrees of mental retardation, some have low IQs with limited independent living skills while others are perpetually bedridden and completely unaware of their surroundings.
I've seen those videos of Terri and her brain was functioning, if only in a limited way.
Before you make such comments go to an institution for mentally handicapped people and get an education.
A few brain function tests, when Terri was still alive, might have supported your point somewhat.
But, alas, the tests were never run.
What level of retardation are you talking about? Are you aware that retarded people range in ability from almost normal to no ability at all? Severely retarded people may NEVER show signs of being aware of their surroundings. The mental state in which they are born is the mental state in which they die. You almost never see them out in public, because most of them are confined to institutions. I've seen them because my mother worked at one of those institutions when I was a child. In the Terri videos, she showed far more awareness and understanding of her surroundings than many of the retarded I have seen.
(Would you advocate killing the more severely retarded, those whose abilities are comparable to or less than Terri's?)
Yeah--if Terri wasn't "aware of ..existence...and ...caregivers..." then what's she doing smiling at her mom after watching the balloon?