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I am aware that many disabled folks do not have the same views that I do. They have a right, certainly, to their own opinions. I was merely making the point that many of us do indeed require that no one else shall interfere with our end-of-life choices.

I have thought a great deal about this matter, for the palpable fear of those to whom you refer affects me deeply. I have come to the conclusion that these poor folks do not trust the people in their lives who are closest to them, and so have no confidence that anyone would truly act with their best interests at heart. I find that unutterably sad.

For myself, it is not my closest loved ones whom I distrust, it is strangers, Congress, the president--in short, any outsider, no matter how well-meaning, who would intrude into the private decisions being made by myself and my family.

I speak only for myself. I have tried to offer my point of view civilly, and have posted my opinions and observations of life in the hopes of having a dialogue with others who have thought a lot about this issue which is so important to me.

Thanks for your thoughts.

For myself, it is not my closest loved ones whom I distrust, it is strangers, Congress, the president--in short, any outsider, no matter how well-meaning, who would intrude into the private decisions being made by myself and my family.

You are absolutely right, quentin! I am glad you brought this up. That is what happened to poor Terri and her truly loving family until her philandering husband and some strangers, outsiders, with the support of Government, a judge, no less, interferred powerfully and fatally with her desire to live, and sought for her death, only death.

You seem to have only read the Kool Aid side of the story and do not seem aware of the huge volume of facts and evidence that contradict that perspective. I commend to you the book I referenced earlier on this thread, the one by Diana Lynne, and the one by Registered Nurse, Cheryl Ford, "Our Fight 4 Terri" as starters and a source to get you up to speed on what really went down with the Pinellas Park killing. They are chock full of truths, evidence, facts, things that conservatives can digest better than Mantra-flavored Kool Aid.

An immense pile of data is available to truly inform, in contrast to the few tired mantras repeated over and over and supported by the left, the media, the democrats, trolls. (Did I miss anyone?)

>> for the palpable fear of those to whom you refer affects me deeply.

Palpable fear? Where did you read that? Please give me the sources. I've read a lot of the links and didn't see anything of that sort.

On the contrary -- pls. reread 8mmmauser's eyewitness post #875 above -- at the vigil for Terri, the disabled were most courageous and vigorous defenders of Terri's right to live. It wasn't fear they expressed, it was moral outrage at the abuse of an innocent, helpless disabled woman, and prayer for her deliverance.

>> I have come to the conclusion that these poor folks do not trust the people in their lives who are closest to them

Eh? Again, I saw nothing like this. What did you read?

What one sees again and again -- what the disabled very vocally worry about -- is the growing social and legal acceptance of killing them just because they are handicapped. "For those of us in the organized disability rights movement, it looks like Schiavo is being put to death for the crime of being disabled." (Link, #859)

This has nothing to do with mistrusting your loved ones. Rather, the disabled are, with good reason, suspicious of lawyers, bureaucrats, politicians and a corrupt hospice industry. And who wouldn't be?