Alphecca

A Few Thoughts on Terri Schiavo

Regulars know that I am pro-life. I'm not rabidly so, I don't picket or march on the issue and I don't write about it much here, but I am. I don't buy the argument that it's simply a "woman's right to her own reproductive decisions". The baby might not have been born yet but it is still alive. Certainly by 4-5 months the nervous system is developed enough that the fetus can feel things. Certainly the fact that mothers can feel the child moving or "kicking" is proof that there are nerve synapses firing. That unborn child can also feel it's own death if aborted.

I have no argument with what a woman chooses to do with her own body. My concern is for the body within her body.

Now, I believe that an adult, for whatever reason, has the right to take their own life. Maybe they're in excruciating pain. Maybe they just hate the hand they've been dealt and want to fold. I don't care. I do not attach any stigmata to suicide. That's not inconsistant with my pro-life position because in my case, neither are predicated on any religious teachings. They are simply what seems logical to me.

An adult can make decisions for him/herself. In fact, I have no problem with doctor assisted suicide, either. A youngster isn't emotionally stable enough -- mature enough if you will -- to do that and so they should be prevented from taking their own life. An unborn child is at the mercy of a woman practicing "reproductive health".

This brings me to Terri Schiavo. I won't recount the details because you all know them already. Let me just say that if she had penned a living-will, or had said in front of many people that she would not want to be kept alive by extraordinary means then I would be all for removing her feeding tube. I would not want to be kept alive if I was in a years-long coma, with no detectable brain activity.

Unfortunately, no such document was made. Her husband Michael claims she said she wouldn't want to be kept alive by a feeding tube but we have only his word for it.

There's one other concern of mine: There have been a few instances where people in long-term comas, believed to be "brain dead" did in fact "wake up" one day and many have gone on to lead wonderful lives. I won't list them here but a quick search on Google will show you that. Sometimes brains can take a very long time to heal, to build new pathways for messages to travel by. Perhaps the brain is simply hiding in shock from the initial incident.

So, Terri can't speak for herself and her husband has been granted a divorce, I believe? I read that he has a fiance. Or maybe he's waiting for her to die so he can remarry. I don't know but I do not believe he has Terri's best interests in mind.

Without specific knowledge that Terri would want to end her life, I believe she should be kept alive. I am saddened that for all the political and legal contortions, the feeding tube has been removed. Death by starvation cannot be pleasant. But would she feel anything? Oh yes, I think she will. I believe there is still some dream activity going on within her mind, at a level that might not be able to be recorded.

Sometimes, when I'm sleeping, I dream of thirst or hunger, and seeking water or food. I would imagine that Terri Schiavo will unfortunately experience days or weeks of such nightmares.

Lastly, again -- without any real proof that she approves of being allowed to die -- a civilization is judged by how it cares for those who are least able to care for themselves, be it an unborn child or a comatose woman.

America seems to fail at both.

My prayers are with Terri Schiavo and my hope is that God will work a miracle.