Terri Schiavo's Family Concerned About Italian Woman and Euthanasia Fight

Life News ^ | 7/10/08 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- The family of Terri Schiavo is concerned about an Italian woman whose father has won the right form a court to subject her to a painful euthanasia death. They fear Eluana Englaro will be dehydrated and starved to death in the same way Terri's husband forced her to endure.

Englaro has been in what doctors term a vegetative state for 16 years and has received food and water through a feeding tube.

Beppino Englaro, Eluana's father, has been seeking the right to remove the feeding tube and starve and dehydrate Eluana to death in the same way as Schiavo.

Schiavo's husband won that right after a years-long legal battle that made its way to the Supreme Court. Though she was able to interact with her parents and siblings, Schiavo died after a painful starvation death that covered nearly two weeks.

On Wednesday, Terri's brother Bobby Schindler talked with LifeNews.com about the situation.

He said that if Eluana is ultimately starved to death it would be a "barbaric and inhumane death."

“This court's ruling seems to indicate that American ‘medical ethics’ are spreading like a virus among the international community, threatening countless numbers of elderly, ailing and disabled persons in an increasing and alarming way,” he said.

“Our heart goes out to this family as we know very well the profound affect that these types of injuries can have on loved ones. However, we must remember that we have a grave obligation to do all we can to protect those with disabilities, recognizing that a person with a brain injury is a human being with an inherent dignity and a right to life," he added.

"This young girl needs only food and water and her family’s love to survive. At the very least this should be provided to her," Schindler concluded.

[wagglebee]

“Our heart goes out to this family as we know very well the profound affect that these types of injuries can have on loved ones. However, we must remember that we have a grave obligation to do all we can to protect those with disabilities, recognizing that a person with a brain injury is a human being with an inherent dignity and a right to life," he added.

And that is the problem, the culture of death DOES NOT want us to think of the disabled as human beings.

[wagglebee]

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[mainestategop]

God... I hope I die young and whole. I cannot imagine being subjugated to the culture of deaths inhumane treatment of the weak.

[isrul]

Does daddyo get anything by snuffing the girl?

[isrul]

All you need to do is put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Problem solved. You're in control.

[isrul]

If feeding and hydrating a human being were a legitimate reason for snuffing a human being, all infants would be gone by sun down.

[mainestategop]

All you need to do is put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Problem solved. You're in control.

Heh! No thanks! I just hope that I never end up like Schiavo or that other woman. I pray to God I die before anything like that happens or that I remain sane and in control throughout my twilight years.

[Hildy]

See, it’s comments like yours that make the extreme pro-life people look ridiculous. It has nothing to do with the subject...but you know that.

[TKDietz]

How far do we go with all this keeping people alive by artificial means? Is it now our obligation to keep people alive as long as possible, whether they are brain dead or not? What is this, the “culture of keeping people alive by artificial means even if there isn’t a snow ball’s chance in Hell that they’ll ever wake up?” Who is supposed to pay for all of this? I sure hope I’m not kept alive for months or years after it’s clear I’m not waking up.

[wagglebee]

How far do we go with all this keeping people alive by artificial means? Is it now our obligation to keep people alive as long as possible, whether they are brain dead or not?

Civilized people have NEVER deprived people of food and water because food and water have NEVER been considered "artificial means."

The woman in question IS NOT brain dead, she IS NOT on ANY type of life support.

[TKDietz]

She’s been in a vegetative state for 16 years. Since Italy has socialized medicine, taxpayers are paying to keep this lady alive. It’s probably extremely expensive to do this. If somebody wants to keep somebody who is never going to wake up alive in perpetuity, that’s fine by me. But the person who seeks to do that ought to have to pick up the tab.

[wagglebee]

The cost of a feeding tube is about $30K per year.

Are you suggesting that a dollar amount should be specified and once a person reaches that they are left to die?

You need to remember that when socialized medicine was forced on these countries, their was no caveat about how it would be okay to kill them if it’s too expensive.

[duckman]

“They fear Eluana Englaro will be dehydrated and starved to death in the same way Terri’s husband forced her to endure.”

They should call Jeb Bush. He’ll know what to do. /sarc off

[TKDietz]

I'm suggesting that if the doctors are saying the person is a vegetable and they'll never wake up that no one should be forced to pay to keep them alive.

[isrul]

It has everything to do with the subject. It speaks to motive. Unless you're a homicidal maniac, you need some reason or rationalization to snuff your kid. Just want to know what it is.

[isrul]

We may remain sane. But I doubt we will be in control. Not by then. Even if then is not that far off.

[Sun]

Food and water are ordinary means; not extraordinary means. To deny a person of food and water, is just plain murder.

[TKDietz]

To keep a vegetable alive forever is just plain pointless, and in a way maybe cruel. I sure wouldn't want that for myself. Let me pass with some dignity when my time has come. Let my loved ones move on with their lives when it is apparent I am not coming back. There is just nothing natural about keeping someone in a vegetative state alive for years and years and years on end.

I've touched a nerve here. I should have never posted on this thread. Really what gets me is that I know there are a lot of people here who would go way beyond getting upset about letting someone in a vegetative state go. And I personally think you can take this “culture of life” too far. But hey, I know I'm not going to get much agreement on this thread, and you darned sure won't change my mind either. So maybe it's best if I just called it a day on this thread and stopped responding to any further posts.