I am confused myself about Teron. I guess since a ventilator is not comparable to a feeding tube (nourishment), it would be a case by case decision ethically. However, I trust blogsforterri.com, but yet, they could be mistaken.
I guess one would have to know more about his case, but at this point, what is needed are prayers for him and all concerned.
There's information on end-of-life care issues and euthanasia, if you visit www.priestsforlife.org/euthanasia/euthanasia.html.
"Brain dead" can be difficult to determine.
Here's a story that I have posted before:
It was in a real newspaper, so I don't have a link, "Our Sunday Visitor," the April 10, 2005 edition, & the author is Lori Hadacek Chaplin.
It was suggested to a doctor that they pull the plug of a little baby's ventilator, because he had flat brain waves. The doctor did not, and little Joseph went on to receive straight A's in school, run track and play baseball.
STRAIGHT A's. Now can you imagine how smart he would have been if he HAD brain waves when he was an infant? :)
The doctor, Dr. Byrne, is now a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Ohio and HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT VOICE against using brain-wave criteria for DETERMINING DEATH.
I think we all better think twice when allowing the doctors to give our loved ones' organs, because they are declared "brain dead."
Also, organs are more valuable when the patient is alive, but declared "brain dead?"
True Sun, I do agree. I have just seen a person who was brain dead before and it was pretty obvious there was no life there unfortunately for the family. Teenager was hunting and he accidentally shot himself right between the eyes. He was rushed to the hospital locally where my sister was in ICU for a car accident she had been in. He was in the room next to her and I was there when they brought him in. They had him on ventilator, but he was gone. His family was devastated! I even hugged his grandmother cause she obviously needed a hug. I saw the father sign the papers for organ donation and the order to remove the ventilator. It was so sad. But honestly, if multiple doctors(and i mean multiple) do testing and find that someone is brain dead, than I think it is time to let them go. Turn the machine off. If they keep breathing on their own than they are not brain dead, if they stop breathing, and die, than I think a family can know the doctor's knew and can be sure that they were right that their loved one is in fact gone. It isn't easy to do. I support life completely. But there is a big difference between feeding tubes/brain damaged and ventilators/brain dead.
Sun, you are so correct about the Brain dead diagnosis. My sister-in-law was on a repirator for several months, due to a motor cycle accident. The doctors used the *brain dead* words about her. The Doctors were totally WRONG.
She recovered significantly. I swear she was much worse off than Terri, but had years of treatment. Her brain even swelled up and they had to put a drainage tube right in the top of her skull. She was in a coma for so long and etc. Couldn't talk or eat and on and on, just like Terri. That's why I always was so sure Terri could have recovered so much if she only had treatment and therapy.
Terri was abused over and over again, just because of the denial of therapy. How the heck did that jerk get by with withholding treatment and therapy? I get so angry everytime I think of that ghoul Felos getting so much of Terri's therapy trust funds. Talk about a travesty of justice. I'm sure she would have been speaking and eating without a feeding tube, if ONLY SHE HAD THERAPY.
Doctors do NOT know everything and I think originally they were in a big hurry to remove Teron's respirator. I hope the family had good doctors to advise them and NOT some of those hedious ones we've all heard LYING about Terri. As we know, all doctors and bio-ethics people are NOT the same. Some care about life and some don't. It is as simple as that. The big problem is knowing the difference. I hope the family wasn't pressured by anyone. What a horrible ordeal for them all.
Prayers for Teron and his family.
This is WHY I don't believe we should be pulling ANY persons from machines whether they show flat brain waves or not. There are just too many stories of miracles. Because of these miracles maybe "man" ought to get the idea that they are NOT in control of life and death!! What happened with Terri Schiavo is going to be a very very difficult precedent to undo. The only thing that can be done is to force those who oppose life OUT OF OFFICE. Let them know that they are not welcome in ANY state.