Schiavo Case

[twhfan]

I almost hesitate to post this, knowing what a hotbed of emotions this case has stirred.

For those in the UK who may not be familiar with it, there is a case in the US involving Terri Schiavo, a woman (now 41 years old) who suffered a heart attack in 1990 and as a result has severe brain-damage and been in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) ever since.  Experts agree that her condition is irreversible.

Her husband has been fighting to remove her feeding tube for over 7 years and her parents vehemently disagree with this. This case has been in the courts for more than 7 years.  Her feeding tube was removed last Friday and her parents have been frantically pursuing appeals to get the tube re-inserted.

It's a heart-wrenching case, and I can see both sides of the issue:  on one hand I wouldn't want the government interfering in my family's business, but as a parent I can't imagine watching my child die.

Anybody have any sage thoughts?

[cmeknit]

This is an incredibly sensitive subject, but one with which I have some experience, so here's my take on things.  

My dad was in a somewhat similar state after having a stroke subsequent to bypass surgery.  He was able to communicate with us for a couple of months following his surgery but then deteriorated to a point where he just wasn't "there".  His body was, but his spirit was gone.  

I can certainly understand the Schindler's hope for recovery, but based on what I've read about Ms. Shaivo's condition, that's extremely unlikely.  The pictures I've seen of her are all dated 2002, so I wonder how she's really doing.  When I see her moving her head and blinking her eyes, it makes some sense to me to continue to treat her and hope for the best.  But (again based on my experience with my dad) the likelihood that she's still in the same condition is slim.  At the end of his life, Dad was a shadow of himself and totally uncommunicative.  Every touch, no matter how soft, caused him to grimace.  So we elected to discontinue his treatment and let his body die.  It was wrenching, but necessary.  He didn't want to live like that (and thankfully had made those wishes clear with a living will).  

As a parent, watching one's child die has to be unbelieveably awful.  But in essence they've been watching her die for 7 years now.  Why prolong things?

The only good thing I think may come out of all of this is that folks will have discussions like this one and determine what they would want and not want and then document their wishes.  

I wish the Schiavo and Schindler families peace.  They're going through so much right now.

Edited by cmeknit on 23/03/05 07:14 PM.

[marieh2000]

I agree with most of your comments.  As a parent, I don't know that I could stand watching my child die, but then again, there doesn't seem to be any quality to the life she's leading.  As a spouse, knowing she had said that she never wanted to be kept alive by artificial means, I think I would try to fulfill her wishes.  As for the government's envolvement, I'd much rather see them getting involved  in other issues such as keeping better track of sexual predators (re: Jessica Lumsford case), but then that's a whole other topic.  To me a person's right to die should be a personal issue, not a governmental issue.  
Seems like there's been alot of emotional topics in the news this week, none that seem to have happy endings.

[spitfire78]

I must say I've been divided in my head over this whole issue.  One part of me says that if the husband doesn't want this any more, why doesn't he just divorce her and let her family take over her care.  (and there are questions as to whether Terri really ever said that to him or not and questions about whether their marriage was really solid anyway.)

The other part of me says that she will probably never get any better, and what person would want to be kept alive like that (after all it's just breathing but not really "living").  

And somehow in my mind it seems worse to remove the tube once it is in place than to never have put it in in the first place, which is kind of screwy thinking too, I guess.

I just don't know - as I said my thoughts are really jumbled.  One thing I'm pretty clear on is that I don't like the way the government has become involved in all of this.  I think this should be a personal choice and government should not be involved.  After all, how would our government ever function if other personal decisions made by citizens went through this process?  And yet, if I were the Shindlers and I truly felt it was wrong and that this man was trying to "kill" my daughter/sister, I would certainly try everything I could to save her.

Ahh - I just can't figure out where I stand on this...

[kjorg]

There's a lot of questions concerning this case.
One being, did she really say anything to her husband concerning life-support.
There's also a question about what really happened to her to cause this "damage" in the first place. I've heard of possible foul play from her husband. Also, her husband is currently and has been for a while, been living with another woman and has two children by her. Why not just get a divorce already! Her parents are willing to shoulder all responsibility for her.
There's also some question about exactly how "brain-damaged" she is, if she is.

I found the following article online:

What You Need to Know about Terri Schiavo
March 7, 2005

by Carrie Gordon Earll

Terri Schiavo's fight for life has been widely publicized in the media but do you know the facts?
In 1990 at 26-years of age, Terri collapsed in her home when her heart temporarily stopped, cutting off oxygen to her brain and leaving her severely brain damaged.

Terri is not dying or terminally ill; she is not brain-dead or in a coma. She is an otherwise healthy mentally disabled woman. The diagnosis that she is in a “vegetative state” is disputed by many medical experts, including neurologists. Some neurologists believe it’s possible that Terri is in a “minimally conscious state” (MCS)— a neurological diagnostic criteria first defined in 2002. 1 Researchers are beginning to test this criteria against that of “persistent vegetative state” (PVS) with other patients. 2

Terri breathes on her own without the aid of a ventilator. Her only dependency is on a feeding tube into her stomach for liquids and nourishment. 3 She swallows her own saliva, a fact that leads some experts in speech pathology to believe that with sufficient time and therapy, she could regain her ability to swallow fluids by mouth. 4 As recently as 1997, nursing staff who cared for Terri testified that she could swallow fluids and Jello-O, follow people with her eyes and even speak. 5

An attorney for Terri’s parents, Barbara Weller, has posted narratives on the Internet describing her recent visits with Terri. During these visits, Weller witnessed purposeful interaction between Terri, her parents and other visitors. 6

At the time of her collapse, Terri did not have a written advance medical directive. Since her disability, medical decisions have been made by her husband, Michael Schiavo.

Michael Schiavo won a medical malpractice case on Terri's behalf in 1992, pledging to use the money for Terri’s rehabilitation and care for the rest of her natural life. 7 The court awarded more than $1 million: $300,000 directly to Michael for his loss and additionally, more than $700,000 for Terri’s care. 8 Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, claim that prior to the settlement a neurologist recommended progressive therapy for Terri and that Michael agreed to provide such therapy, only to deny it and confine Terri to a nursing home after receiving the jury award. 9

It was after the settlement that Michael first claimed that Terri had previously stated that she didn’t want to be kept alive by artificial means — a statement he never mentioned during the malpractice trial. 10

As guardian, Michael Schiavo controls the $700,000-plus trust fund awarded for Terri’s care. 11 As of fall of 2003, Michael Schiavo’s attorneys reported that the trust fund was down to $50,000, with more than $430,000 going to “pay for court costs associated with her husband’s legal battle to remove his wife’s feeding tube.” 12 Meanwhile, Medicaid helps to pay Terri’s $5,000-a-month nursing costs at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. 13

Since 1995, Michael Schiavo has lived with a girlfriend, Jodi Centonze, with whom he has two children. 14 Michael remains legally married to Terri, as well as her guardian.

In 1998, Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to have Terri’s feeding tube removed.

Terri’s parents have offered to take care of Terri at their own expense, allowing Michael to keep all money remaining in the trust fund. To date, Michael Schiavo has refused, insisting that Terri die from dehydration.


I, for one, am now planning on making a living will.

[donnap99]

I am constantly flip-flopping on my opinion of this. I completed a living will on Monday. I never want my family to have to make this choice, or to have to possibly fight it out in the courts.

For anyone in the US, you may find paperwork for your state at the following site. For my Maryland the link is to the Maryland Attorney General's office, where free forms are available.

http://uslivingwillregistry.com/forms.shtm

DonnaP99

[patphi]

This is such a hot question both in Florida and the US.  But here is my opinion.

I feel it is less than humane to starve a person to death and that is what they (the husband and his lawyer) are doing to Terry.  This has to be one of the worse deaths imaginable starving her to death.  If she were on life support such as a ventalator when it is disconnected in a short time (minutes) she would die but this way is nothing short of torture.  If I were to treat my dog this way I would be arrested and charged with abuse.  Shouldn't we treat our fellow man better than we do an animal.

In my humble opinion the husband is a scum-bag.  He says he only has Terry wishes the utmost in his mind ----- So what about the girlfriend and two babies he's had with her?  Does he really care about Terry or just want her dead.

There is a lot of dislike on both side but I think he hates the parents so bad that he wants to make them suffer along with Terry.  Oh yes, the proof of that is the fact that he will not allow them to have a photographer come in and take a final picture of Terry with them.

Sorry but that is my opinion.

[kjorg]

patphi - I agree with you.  

Ever watch that show about the animal cops. If a person were to tie up their dog and not give it any water or food for 2-3 weeks, they would be sent to jail.  And yet, the courts are willing to stand by and let this happen!!  There is absolutely no proof that Teri said anything to her husband about life support. Just his word.  No one would want to die by starvation. He says that she's his wife and he's going to honor her wishes. Well, I bet she doesn't wish for him to be living with someone else and have kids. 10 years ago, she could speak a few words and swallow. He stopped all therapy for her, now she can do neither. What's up with that? A doctor had done a bone scan on her after her collapse and was concerned that there might have been abuse, but couldn't prove anything. Makes you wonder.... why does he want her dead? Just divorce her.

This case will become a pivotal point in our history. Someone else will decide for us if our life is worth living or not. If there is no paperwork, it should always err on the side of life. This is what they're trying to pass into law now. Hope it happens.

kjorg

[Susan V]

She passed away this morning a little after 9 a.m.

[semaxwell1]

All I can say is I hope this horrible event will encourage others to write-out living wills so this won't happen again. No family should have to go through something this emotionally horrific.

Sadly, the battle in this case continues even after she died. They're fighting over how to bury her body now.

semaxwell1