Feeding tube removed from woman after 13 years

[Pam]

Is anyone familiar with the story of Terry Schiavo? She had a massive heart attack 13 years ago which temporarily cut off oxygen to her brain and she has been in a semi-vegetative state ever since. Story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/15/coma.woman/index.html

I think what bothers me the most is the little video snippets that I have seen of her on TV. She certainly does seem to have awareness of her surroundings regardless of what is being said. Somehow the idea of pulling a plug on a person on a respirator with a flat EEG seems to be in a different realm than what we have here although both are dreadful thoughts. Gosh this whole idea of making these types of life and death decisions just makes me shudder. In essence this girl will be starving to death. :(

I have spent much time in convalescent centers for the past two years and can attest to the fact that there are at least 2 people whom I have seen who might fall into Terry's category. It makes one wonder, who is next?

The dilemma is that we have made so many advances and are able to keep people alive who otherwise might have passed on their own away in times past.

Your thoughts?

[captain]

I am really not certain what I would do. I do know that I would NOT want to be kept alive this way, my parents and my husband know that too......... but when I look at the reverse happening, what if I had to make the decision concerning one of them ......... I might put my own selfish wants and hopes in front of their wishes.

I would really, really need to be sure that there was NO HOPE at all ...... and that everything I could possibly do was done, before I decided ........ but I would not let anyone starve to death ...

Of course, I am going to have a good think about this know, and will probably come back and edit this ......

[Twisterdog]

I know if that were me, lying there for thirteen years, I would not want to do it any longer. You can't even really call that "life" ... how very sad.

I don't think she should be kept alive any longer. It's not life, it's existance, and barely at that. However, I think it's terribly sad that she also has to starve to death over a period of weeks. That's the best we can come up with? And we like to think of ourselves as so civilized and advanced ... and the best we can do for a comotose woman is to let her starve to death? That is even more sad.

[CathyBogart]

Let her STARVE?! How horrible! While I agree that I would not want to be kept alive in such a state, an overdose of anesthetic is MUCH preferable to STARVING to death! :(

[curiosityrats]

Originally posted by WolfChan
an overdose of anesthetic is MUCH preferable to STARVING to death! :(

Ah, but in the realm of humans, the former is murder and the latter is just taking away "life support." In our warped little world, the former is "unethical" while the latter is "okay."

The opposite holds true when dealing with our pets... I wonder which set of ethics are actually "ethical..."

[Tonya]

I believe that it should be up to God. If he wants the person to stay alive, they'll survive when the feeding tubes are removed.

Thirteen years is far to long. If there is hope right around the corner, that is a different story.

My biological father was on life support in 1979. My poor mom was only 22 years old and had to make that decision. My grandmother wanted to keep him alive, but my mom chose to take him off. I think it was a good decision. My dad wouldn't want to be a vegetable the rest of his life.

[stacwase]

I don't know a whole lot about this lady you're talking about, but I do have a lot of experience with people dying. I hope you don't mind if I put in my two-cents worth.

There was a study recently done on people who starve themselves, instead of participating in physician-assisted suicide.

These were people who were terminally ill and ready to go. Surprisingly enough, they had extremely peaceful and good deaths compared to people who passed in other ways.

I'm an ICU nurse, so I've seen many, many people die. I've watched people die from lack of food and water, because they refused to eat and refused a feeding tube. They just sort of gradually slipped away and didn't appear to suffer.

There is a law in medicine which says that we can give as much anesthetic as is necessary to relieve a person's suffering, even if it hastens the person's death. For example, if a person is dying from lung problems, we can give enough morphine to ease their respirations so they don't feel like they're suffocating. The morphine reduces their desire to breathe and theoretically can cause them to die. That's perfectly legal. So physician and nurse assisted suicide actually occurs quite regularly and is legal.

Anyway - the people I've seen die through anesthetics haven't died any more peacefully than the people I've seen starve themselves to death, although I know that sounds unlikely.

It's not like it is with you and I - we have such a strong desire to live, and we have healthy bodies with normal appetites. If you don't have a strong appetite then starving is not bad at all, from what I've seen. I fully intend to go that way if I'm ill for a long time before I die.

[2kitties]

I wouldn't want to live that way and I wouldn't want any of my loved ones to live that way. Keeping her alive would be just plain selfishness. I think she deserves the dignity of death. Sometimes, science can be as cruel as it is merciful.

[ramanth]

I neither do not want to live that way if anything were to happen to me. I actually plan to have it put in writing that if I were in a vegetable state, to just let me go.

That way there would have to be no court battles.

I hope she goes soon and peacefully.

Thanks for the explination Stacey. It's good to hear opinions of those that have been there.

[curiosityrats]

Originally posted by Tonya
I believe that it should be up to God. If he wants the person to stay alive, they'll survive when the feeding tubes are removed.

Yes, God can do anything, BUT if someone gets no food they will die... If you stop feeding a baby or a housecat (or anything/anyone that cannot get food on their own), they will die...

Not saying that is bad in this particular case, but she's not going to survive without food.

[Denyce]

Except for the fact that when her parents told her what her husband was attempting to do in the courts...to pull her feeding tube she made an attempt to get out of bed. She is aware...perhaps not enough to be able to feed herself or to speak but she is aware. And her actions on face value seem to warrent that she does NOT want to die. There was also reports that she had injuries at the time of her "heart attack" that were consistant with strangulation. There is also the matter of the life insurance policy that her husband has on her along with the fact that he started dating almost immediatly and is now living with a woman and the two children he has had with her. I find his motives to be EXTREMELY suspect and I think this is nothing more than court sanctioned murder.

If she had NO awareness and was unable to even breath on her own it would be a different matter entirely. But then did anyone read about the man who was in a coma for over 20 years and managed to come out of it?? It was in People a few months or so ago.

Denyce

[captain]

WOW Denyce ....... didn't know that!!! How awful.

I agree with you, it does sound suspect ...... :confused:

[micki76]

Everything that I've heard or read states that the woman has been certified as having virtually no brain function. There is no evidence to indicate that any of her responses are any more than the body's reactions to stimuli. She doesn't react (with respect to brain function) in anyway when presented with any of her family members. Her physical reactions to people are that of a newborn infant. The doctors think that she doesn't even know that she's looking at people, just like a newborn.

She told numerous friends and family members that she would never want to live her life that way, and to disrespect her wishes is disgusting to me. I don't care if her husband did it to her; she didn't want to live in a vegetative state and expressed that, just as I have. She's not in a coma and is not going to improve. She hasn't in almost 13 years. She irreparable brain damage. It cannot be reversed. And even if there was a discovery, she'll likely be to old to be a viable candidate for it in the far distant future when it would be available.

I pray that my family would never allow me to exist in that way and would do the right thing and let me die.

[Cookiebaker]

I JUST barely saw this on CNN.com and Mark & I were talking about it. I am so very horrified by this whole deal, at least from the slant of the news cast that I saw.

They said that it could take up to two weeks for her to die. How is that not MURDER any more than giving an overdose on a pain killer. That sounds very slow and painful. Furthermore, they said they would give pain killers if she was in pain. But they won't give food.

I'm just burning up inside over this news item. I agree with Pam, " Somehow the idea of pulling a plug on a person on a respirator with a flat EEG seems to be in a different realm than what we have here although both are dreadful thoughts."

All I can think is what if, just WHAT IF she does have awareness of what going on, and her whole brain is screaming out to make them stop, but she can't communicate her will to live.

And one other thing....according to the news, her husband is the one who really wants to end this ordeal. Who's to say that he doesn't have ulterior motives?? Such as just wanting to get on with his life, or get remarried??

I'm going to be praying for her parents that they might find peace through this whole ordeal. It just doesn't seem fair that they have no say in what happens to their daughter, but that somebody else is going to try and end their daughter's life.

It's all so upsetting!

[wolfsoul]

We were talking about this in my psychology class yesterday. Everyone explained that if something were to happened, and we were left as a "vegetable," then we would just want to be let go. I don't think anyone would want to live like that. Your family has to pay for you to be kept alive, and people have to change you, and turn you over so your back doesn't get sore, etc.


She told numerous friends and family members that she would never want to live her life that way, and to disrespect her wishes is disgusting to me. I don't care if her husband did it to her; she didn't want to live in a vegetative state and expressed that, just as I have. She's not in a coma and is not going to improve. She hasn't in almost 13 years. She irreparable brain damage. It cannot be reversed. And even if there was a discovery, she'll likely be to old to be a viable candidate for it in the far distant future when it would be available.
I agree.

[catland]

Just over a year ago my husband and I lost a friend to lung cancer. The cancer had spread throughout his body and was unmerciful. Finally, they had to crank up the pain medication so high that he just spent his last days drifting in and out of conciousness. He no longer ate, and he wasn't given a feeding tube so he did starve himself to death while the cancer ate away at him.

In his case though, he had many coherent months to plan this. He made the choice to not receive a feeding tube. The only liquids that he received were in the form of the liquids in his pain medication IV.

In his case, there really was no reason to live any longer. A feeding tube would have been cruel, not kind. I'm glad he made the decision that he did and that his family members respected his decision when he was helpless to their whims.
:(

[stacwase]

Catland, do you think he suffered from the starvation or that it helped him to pass peacefully?

[Soledad]

I suggest everyone who's interested in this case go here (http://www.terrisfight.org/downloads/index.html) to see video of Terri reacting and interacting.

It seems to me that she is aware of her surroundings and not totally braindead or a complete vegetable.

[catland]

Thank-you Soledad - that does change things. How tragic for her and her parents. How awful that she's been denied therapy that could improve her quality of life.:mad:

Stacwase - in my friends case, he knew he was dying. He had gone through radiation and chemo and it extended his life but never eradicated the cancer. (unfortunately, he was not diagnosed with cancer until it had already spread) He had developed a new tumor on his spine which could not receive radiation treatement, and that was when they had to increase his pain medication to a staggering degree because he was suffering so much. When they did this he lost his appetite, but it was the first time he had been truely pain-free in months, so yes, I think the trade-off was worth it.

[2kitties]

But if she is aware, then doesn't that make it even worse to go on living? I'm certain that I would not want to live and be aware inside a body that is vegetative. To me, the fact that she is aware and can comprehend makes it all the more reasonable to allow her to pass.

But that is my opinion for how I would want MYSELF treated. It doesn't mean I project my opinion on her. But in my heart, my own personal opinion is that the idea to keep her alive like this is selfish of her parents. They may not see it that way, but I believe they are keeping her alive for them, not for her.

And they keep bringing up the man's girlfriend.... well, he's been a "widower" for 13 years. I don't think a girfriend is out of the question.

[Soledad]

Look at the video and tell me that she seems unresponsive.

I'm for allowing people the right to die, don't get me wrong, but this particular case is so odd. Keep in mind that when Theresa said she didn't want life support she was referring to a family member who was hooked up to a ventilator, motionless and asleep the whole time. She only uses a feeding tube and could have learned how to swallow if her husband had paid for therapy.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by 2kitties
But if she is aware, then doesn't that make it even worse to go on living? I'm certain that I would not want to live and be aware inside a body that is vegetative. To me, the fact that she is aware and can comprehend makes it all the more reasonable to allow her to pass.

That's what I'd think too. It would be terrible to be stuck in a body that couldn't respond to anything. You'd have to endure people bathing you, people cleaning up after you. I would be mortified.

[micki76]

I'm sorry, but watching those videos is extremely depressing. After watching them, I am certian that if I am EVER in any state similar to this that I want to be killed/starved/murdered/put out of my misery.

No one in my family had better allow me to exist like that. That is no where near living. Hell, thats barely an existance. And though I don't believe it's possible, I would find a way to haunt my family if they did that to me for 13 years.

I am making an appointment with an attoney for the week that I'm on vacation. I don't intend for this to ever be my "life".

[Soledad]

I can certainly understand wanting that. I wouldn't want that life for myself, either.

But the court is euthanizing her based on the fact that she is supposedly "unresponsive to her environment." Clearly, that is not the case.

It's a very tough call.

[2kitties]

Originally posted by Soledad
Look at the video and tell me that she seems unresponsive.

I'm for allowing people the right to die, don't get me wrong, but this particular case is so odd. Keep in mind that when Theresa said she didn't want life support she was referring to a family member who was hooked up to a ventilator, motionless and asleep the whole time. She only uses a feeding tube and could have learned how to swallow if her husband had paid for therapy.

I understand your point Soledad. But would you really want to be kept alive inside your body because you can swallow? I mean, doesn't the fact that she is awake inside there mean she is living in a tormenting limbo. It would for me. I just find it so very sad.

[Soledad]

I'm looking at it from a legal standpoint. I think the parents have a point.

Their point is that her quality of life could have and still might possibly change if she's allowed actual care and rehabilitation. Is it not suspect that her husband refused it from day one??

[2kitties]

Originally posted by Soledad
Is it not suspect that her husband refused it from day one??
sadly, that is true.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

We went through something similar with my father in 1999. He had Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. After a series of strokes, he was taken from the hospital back to his nursing home. My step mother made the decision to take him off the feeding tube. I had a hard time accepting that they were going to let him starve to death. He was in a coma but would move and mumble. He had always recovered before. He seemed to respond to my voice where he wouldn't to others. If I had been allowed to have anything to say, I would have given him longer to recover from his stroke. It was only a matter of days for him before they took him off life support. He was able to swallow jello if someone fed him. My step mother said he had signed a no life support form. I really don't know if he did or not. I just feel that blood kin deserve some say in these matters. We've known them and loved them a lot longer than a wife or husband. Blood is thicker than ink on a document.

For myself, I don't want to be kept alive on life support either but do want a reasonable chance to recover.

[2kitties]

This is completely unrelated, I know. But I will share that my family (my mother and her brothers particularly) have made the decision to allow my grandmother to starve when the time comes. She hs dementia in the advanced stages and will no longer eat. The alternative is a feeding tube and they have decided a feeding tube is something my grandmother would never want. They feel is compromises her dignity. Why did they make that difficult decision? Because she has been a prisoner over teh past decade of her body. Her mind is gone and her body continues to survive. She is aware of her surrounding and can communicate- but she has no mental function in terms of recognizing, knowing herself or others, etc. It is in its most advanced stages now.
So, in the coming year, she will litterally not be able to eat. She will be medicated so that her death will be peaceful and painless. But, yes, it will be essentially starvation. Sad, but she would never have wanted a feeding tube. I've seen it in her sister, and it was awful.

My grandmother is and was a strong and dignified woman. She would want the same for her death. Anything else, my mother believes, would be selfish and wrong.

[catland]

moff - that's so sad. I'm so sorry for your loss. My parents are still alive and married to each other. I honestly cannot imagine what it would be like to have my dad marry another woman only to have her have the final say. Although I also cannot imagine what it would be like if something were to happen to my husband and his relatives were to try to get me to make decisions that I didn't want. It sounds like a terrible situation.


2k - what we sometimes forget is that dying is a part of living and that when a person stops eating it can be their way of telling the world "I'm done, I'm tired, and its time for me to go". I think your family is doing the right thing. People have been allowed to die without feeding tubes all this time. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do something.

[Twisterdog]

But if she is aware, then doesn't that make it even worse to go on living? I'm certain that I would not want to live and be aware inside a body that is vegetative. To me, the fact that she is aware and can comprehend makes it all the more reasonable to allow her to pass.

I agree. I think being completely physically impared and mentally aware must be the most horrible way to live ever. I wouldn't want it ... and for thirteen years? Hell on earth.

[aly]

They transported her from hospice to a hospital so doctors can rehydrate her and put her back on a feeding tube.

I think it just happened today .. err, last night. Sorry, I don't know my days because I'm up around the clock feeding my pups!

[Logan]

I think the most important message to come out of this whole thing is to remind each and every one of us of the importance of having a living will that spells out exactly how we want to be treated in situations like this. That way, there is no question when something like this happens. Had she completed one, this would have never gotten to the point it has. It was one person's word against another in this situation, and I'm sure that poor woman would not have wanted it to be handled in the manner it has been.

My living will is signed and witnessed. I do not want to be kept alive artificially and everyone who needs to know that does.

I do not feel sorry for the husband in this situation. My heart has been with these parents who were willing to go to all measures to care for this girl. He has put them through a living hell, keeping them from her, making these decisions based on what he "thought" she wanted. My view of "til death do us part" is a little different than his, for sure. What a selfish man he is.

[2kitties]

Originally posted by Logan
What a selfish man he is.

I respectfully disagree Logan. I find this very selfish on the part of her parents. I feel the Governor made a big mistake in this one. Where does medicine cross the line from "prolonging life" to "stopping death". Her time is come, she's a prisoner of her body, and the merciful thing to do is to allow her to pass naturally.

[moosmom]

I agree with 2Kitties. The government has no business interfering in ANYONE'S constitutional rights. It may not say it in the Constitution, but it is MY right to decide whether I want to live in a vegitative state or end my life.

She HAS become a prisoner in her own body. It's time to let her go. 13 years??? That's a bunch of crap.

As far as her husband is concerned, I read in one article that he is living with his long-time PREGNANT girlfriend. Um, excuse me but don't sacred marriage vows count for anything, regardless??? He IS a very selfish man. He should be at his wife's side, not boffing some other woman.

[2kitties]

Well, I will state right here in this forum in writing that if I am ever in this situation and, for some ungodly reason, some body keeps me alive on some feeding tube for 13 years...

I WANT MY HUSBAND TO MOVE ON. My husband has the right to a vital life. He is neither dead or in a coma with me. I hope he finds love, has children, raises them, finds happiness, etc. I NEVER would expect him to sit by my vegetative bedside an nurse me for 13 years.

[Kfamr]

I'm not sure what you all are talking aobut now, or even what the story is as of now, but -- "living" 13 years with a feeding tube is no life at all. 13 years is 3 years short of how logn i've been alive, there is no way I would have wanted to "live" 13 years with a feeding tube not being able to do the things I do now. I don't see why they didn't pull it years ago, as there is no life in it for staying in a bed with a feeding tube.

[Logan]

If this lady had done a "written" living will, these arguments would have never started, and her husband could have moved on. Fact of the matter is that she didn't, and it is his word against her parent's word at this point. Would I want to sit there in a vegetative state for that many years? NO!!! But, her family was denied access to her to help with her physical therapy because of the husband.....that's why I think he is selfish. I just hope that Governor Bush's intervention isn't too late for this lady, but she went six days with no food or water......:(.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

One of the things that bothers me is she seems to be aware of what's going on around her. So, doesn't that make with holding a feeding tube murder? If not, why not just be more humane and give her a shot of something to stop her heart like they do animals?
NOTE: I'm not saying they should do that, it's just a question of who has the right to decide these things.
One thing I do know, if my dad had been that aware when they stopped feeding him, I would have moved heaven and earth to give him a chance to recover. We all have our ideas of what we would do but until we are faced with it personally, you don't really know what it's like.

Since her family are denied access to her, don't be surprised if she 'suddenly' dies before they get to see her again.

[Pam]

Originally posted by Logan
I think the most important message to come out of this whole thing is to remind each and every one of us of the importance of having a living will that spells out exactly how we want to be treated in situations like this. That way, there is no question when something like this happens.

Once again Logan and I are thinking alike. My brother-in-law suffered two strokes, two days apart, in 1993. He was only 41 years old at the time. He spent a month in ICU and then another month hospitalized in another part of the hospital receiving therapy. He was then discharged and sent to a regular rehab facility as an in-patient and then gradually weaned himself to visiting there on an out-patient basis. From the night of his stroke to his return home, six months had gone by! He had to be taught everything, but at 41 he was able to do it. He told me shortly after all of this that, should he ever have another stroke, we all should just "let him go." He wanted to make sure that someone other than his wife was aware, lest we feel she acted hastily or inhumanely in case something happened. He said he simply could not go through it all again - he had no fight left. By the way, he is now divorced from his wife and he lives alone in the Florida Keys in a handicapped fashion but is doing OK under the circumstances. The memory of what he went through will never leave him though and he e-mailed me today to say he hopes the woman gets to die. We all have a different slant on this and it will take the wisdom of a Solomon to sort it all out.

I say all of that just to say this - we don't know Terry's wishes and that may be the saddest part of this story. She may want to be released from this her non-functioning body but I don't see how ethically and morally it can be done by withholding food. My gosh that sounds barbaric!

[Cookiebaker]

Originally posted by Pam
I say all of that just to say this - we don't know Terry's wishes and that may be the saddest part of this story. She may want to be released from this her non-functioning body but I don't see how ethically and morally it can be done by withholding food. My gosh that sounds barbaric!

This is EXACTLY how I feel. Who's to say that the courts won't start ordering anybody who is not mentally competant to feed themselves to be starved until they die??? It just doesn't seem right.

On the flip side, I do not feel this way about those who have no brain activity, or are in a true vegatative state.

[My Peanuts]

This is an issue that I feel very strongly about. My grandma, which passed away recently, had a feeding tube. She had it for about a year and a half. I agree that a person with some quality of life should have a feeding tube. However, I cannot make an educated decision about Terri because I have not seen her. If there is no quality of life then I think the tube should NOT have been reinserted. This woman is pretty young and could live several more years in the state that she is already in. I know that if that was me, I would not want the feeding tube back. In my grandma's case she was more or less fine. She could hold conversations and liked doing things, but she couldn't swallow. No one would have considered my grandma to be in a vegetative state. However, if Terri is in a vegetative state, and has been for over 12 years, I think it is time to let her be at peace. I think is some cases the families are thinking about what they want as opposed to what their loved one would want.

If Terri cannot express her feelings, and has not been able to for over 12 years, then she has no quality of life. If the tube was removed her organs would systematically shut down; she would not starve to death.

[My Peanuts]

Oh and here is another possibility. The part of her brain that is damaged may only be for motor skills. Her brain may be active in the way she thinks, but cannot move. She could be a prisoner in her own body. I think that that would be worst than death. Lying there year after year, unable to express yourself, terrible. :( If the media is right about her situation, then I think the tube should be removed. I think it would barbaric not to remove it. My opinions are based on how the media is showing the situation. A few minor changes in her situation and then my opinion completely changes.

[Soledad]

But what if she is immobile and wanting to LIVE!! She's trapped in her body with people wanting to kill her. Sounds just as bad, if not worse, to me....

[My Peanuts]

That is very true, but I don't see why she would want to live. I read something that said she hadn't left the hospice room in over three years until all this started happening. I am not trying to change anyone's mind, and certainly don't know Terri's wishes, but I would not want that for myself.

[Soledad]

Her family and friends still visit her and I have seen pictures of her in the gardens around the facilities. Obviously, this isn't the ideal life...but it is a life.

[sammi]

Everyone over 18 should have a living will made out - I did it years ago. http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com/

[Logan]

Amen, Sammi.......that's exactly what I was trying to say.

[DeniseLloyd]

:confused: I think this is a very hard decision from all point of views.

If I were the husband of this woman and I had thought, "Okay, it's been 13 yrs., nothing's changed, would she have wanted it this way?" etc. I'm sure the questions in this man must go on for miles.

If I were the family of this woman, I think all I could think, is one day she will return to us. Unfortunately, I feel this is false hope however, miracles do happen.

The Governor who's hands this lie in. "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't." "Please God, could you answer this one for me?"

The way I feel about it. If it were me. Yes, I would want my husband to give me time to see if there was any chance of recovery. However, for myself I would have limited this to maybe at most a year. I truly can't belive this has gone on for 13 yrs. I think her family is delusional(sp) in thinking thier daughter may ever recover and I'm sure that is a painful fact to accept. However there has to come a time where enough is enough! Just curious but what have her doctors said about her chances of ever recovering? I can't imagine that they have been too optimistic.

[2kitties]

Thanks Sammi! I'm going there now!!

[tatsxxx11]

Very thoughtful remarks, Denise! It's a very complex subject that has confounded ethicists and philosophers for centuries. I can say that as a nurse, my feelings on this toipc have run the gamut. Bottom line for me, each case needs to be taken individually. Most important is that each of us makes clear to those we love and who will be in a position to make decisions for us, our feelings and wishes.

What precious pups, Denise! Welcome to Pet Talk!:)

[DeniseLloyd]

:D Thanks for the warm welcome!

[Logan]

Denise, you picked a whooper to join us. :eek: But your thoughts were so "right on". I think we have all looked at this situation from every angle. It is horrible, no other words to describe it. :( I think we have all learned a very valuable lesson here about communicating our wishes to everyone who would be involved if by chance something similar were to happen to us.

Welcome to Pet Talk......we need to talk pets!!! :)

[Logan]

Read this on FOX News a little while ago..............

Schiavo Says In-Laws Motivated by Money







Tuesday, October 28, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. — A man involved in a bitter dispute with his in-laws over whether his brain-damaged wife should be kept alive says money and the influence of conservative political causes motivates her parents to block his battle to let her die.





In his first interview since the latest round of legal fighting in the highly publicized case, Michael Schiavo (search) said Monday during a television interview that he continues to fight to end his wife's life because her wishes were not to be kept alive artificially.

"This is Terri's wish," he said of the removal of her feeding tube. "And I am going to follow that if this is the last thing I can do for Terri."

Terri Schiavo (search), 39, has been in a persistent vegetative state since 1990 when a chemical imbalance, brought on by an eating disorder, caused her heart to stop and deprived her brain of oxygen.

Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, believe their daughter could be rehabilitated and dispute the husband's contention that she did not want to be kept alive artificially.

Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed for six days earlier this month before the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush (search) enacted a special law to have it reinserted. The move touched off an international debate over the Schiavo case and right-to-die issues.

Terri Schiavo is being treated at a Pinellas Park hospice while her husband's attorney and the American Civil Liberties Union prepare to challenge the constitutionality of "Terri's Law." The first filings in that legal fight are due Wednesday.

Appearing less than an hour later on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta Van Sustern," the attorney for the Schindlers countered that

Schiavo knew his wife never had end-of-life wishes.

"It's hard to know what to believe with him because he says whatever the occasion demands or what is in his financial interests," said the attorney, Pat Anderson.

Schiavo said his relationship with the Schindlers soured after he was awarded a 1993 medical malpractice claim of about $1 million. Schiavo says the settlement was awarded because doctors misdiagnosed Terri Schiavo's health problems.

He said after that, his father-in-law asked him for a share of the money, and he refused to give him any.

[clara4457]

Boy this story just gets messier and messier. And the one that is really suffering is poor Terri. :D

[Soledad]

I thought this press release was interesting.

October 22, 2003

For Immediate Release:



AAPS Doctors: Schindler-Schiavo is NOT a “death with dignity” issue


The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) issued this statement from Jane M. Orient, M.D. in response to the emergency action of the Florida legislature to reinstate feeding and hydration of Terri Schindler-Schiavo:


“Terri Schindler-Schiavo has won a temporary stay from execution by a method too cruel to be used for convicted criminals. And yet her husband’s attorney is trying to spin it into a “death with dignity issue” with his comments on Tuesday.

“He says it’s cruel to begin rehydration. The opposite is true – dehydration is a cruel, painful death. It is unconscionable that the state would have allowed removal of her feeding tube in the first place—it’s nothing less than state-sponsored euthanasia.

“She is not dependent on advanced medical interventions. Nothing is mechanically beating her heart, or forcing oxygen into her lungs. She is simply being fed through a gastrostomy tube. Would we allow a retarded child to be starved to death?

“Some physicians believe that Terri could be rehabilitated to some
extent, at least so that she would be able to swallow oral feedings and eliminate theneed for the tube. She should be allowed to try, but so far her husband has blocked every attempt to see if she can swallow. Doctors have offered pro bono treatment, if money is the barrier for her husband.

“Although severely disabled, some believe that she does have the capacity to communicate a desire to live. The husband has obstructed efforts atrehabilitation or independent assessments of his wife's true state.

“Where are the “compassionate end-of-life” groups such as the Robert Wood Johnson “Last Acts” initiative, and why aren’t they weighing in on this?

“The ethical question for her nurses and physicians is whether they will cooperate in carrying out a death warrant.

“And the ethical question for all of us is whether we will allow the state to obstruct the efforts of people who want to provide medical care to a patient who wants to receive it.

“If we go down that path, who’s to say what treatment the state will prevent you from getting.”

[2kitties]

Completely outside this issue- I'd just like to say this death is a painless one. The media is making it out to be "starvation" because that makes for good news and public outcry. But in reality, the body is medicated and there is no pain. I know this because it is the method of death my family has chosen for my grandmother when the time comes. In fact, it is very peaceful.

[Pam]

If anyone is still interested in following this story I just saw on TV that Oprah will be dealing with the Schiavo case on her show tomorrow.

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Soledad
Her family and friends still visit her and I have seen pictures of her in the gardens around the facilities. Obviously, this isn't the ideal life...but it is a life.

First, I can accept this as your honest opinion, but is this what
you want for yourself if you were in her situation? I can say for
a fact that I personally would not like to have my body alive
without a functioning brain. I would not consider that a"life"
I'd want to endure. I have expressed my thoughts to
all family members & they agree to honor my wishes & I will
honor theirs. I wish this poor lady a dignified life & a peaceful
passing. :(

[lizbud]

Originally posted by 2kitties
Completely outside this issue- I'd just like to say this death is a painless one. The media is making it out to be "starvation" because that makes for good news and public outcry. But in reality, the body is medicated and there is no pain. I know this because it is the method of death my family has chosen for my grandmother when the time comes. In fact, it is very peaceful.

I've talked to some people in the medical field who say this is
true. I believe them. They know the physical aspects of the body.

[Logan]

I understand from talking with medical people and doing a lot of reading that morphine is used and that this way of passing is painless to the patient. If only she had made her wishes known in a way that would have been recognized by the courts. I wouldn't have wanted to live like that either, but I have made sure that everyone involved knows that, and it is in writing, and witnessed. :(

[Soledad]

Lizbud - It really doesn't matter what kind of life I want or anyone else wants. What we're basically deciding here is whether or not severely disabled people have the right to live. I do not feel as though I'm in a position to tell other people if they have a right to live or not. And until Terri is able to speak for herself, I don't think it's right to assume she wants to die.

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Pam
Is anyone familiar with the story of Terry Schiavo? She had a massive heart attack 13 years ago which temporarily cut off oxygen to her brain and she has been in a semi-vegetative state ever since. Story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/15/coma.woman/index.html

I think what bothers me the most is the little video snippets that I have seen of her on TV. She certainly does seem to have awareness of her surroundings regardless of what is being said. Somehow the idea of pulling a plug on a person on a respirator with a flat EEG seems to be in a different realm than what we have here although both are dreadful thoughts. Gosh this whole idea of making these types of life and death decisions just makes me shudder. In essence this girl will be starving to death. :(

I have spent much time in convalescent centers for the past two years and can attest to the fact that there are at least 2 people whom I have seen who might fall into Terry's category. It makes one wonder, who is next?

The dilemma is that we have made so many advances and are able to keep people alive who otherwise might have passed on their own away in times past.

Your thoughts?

I believe the original post asked for OUR thoughts.Don't think it
asked any of us to DECIDE anything, did it? I would certainly
never want to decide this question for anyone, but myself.

[Soledad]

Lizbud, no need to get snippy.

I was just saying that I'm not comfortable transferring my own preferences onto someone else. I mean, who gets to decide what is having a true "quality of life" anyway??

[lizbud]

Soledad,

Not getting snippy at all. Just pointing out what I thought was
the point of the orginal post.

"I was just saying that I'm not comfortable transferring my own preferences onto someone else. I mean, who gets to decide what is having a true "quality of life" anyway?? "


Seems to me from everyone else's posts on this question that
nobody else would feel comforable making decisions for others
either. As to who gets to decide, unless we do it ourselves with living wills, etc. , the courts will have to decide.