Terri Schiavo - Live or die?

[ZZ4_Camaro]

Do you think she should live or die?

Personally, I think her "husband" is a cold killer. It just doesn't make sense why he insists on letting, no MAKING her die. Her family and probably 100s of others are compeletly willing to take care of her. All she needs is a food tube supplied and maybe a little extra care each day - no expensive medication or treatments or anything. It's not even like she would be sucking down medicare money from tax payers. Basically, it would not be hurting ANYBODY if she lives.

Now I know there is the side that says, "oh she would never want it this way." But hey that was 15+ years ago. I just can't imagine wanting death more than everyday life - sure we all say things sometimes, but once you're dead, you are dead.

When I stand back and look at this situation, it really scares me - "Judge allows innocent person to starve to death in Florida." What's next in the domino effect? Retarded people, alzheimer's patients, people in comas, downsyndrome babies, blind babies??? Unless congress can come up with a law shortly to prevent Schiavo from dying, we will be a society with a government that puts innocent people to death because they cannot speak for themselves!!! Now that's scary.

[Ashley]

heh.. and congress coming up with a law quickly is kind of.. close to impossible.

[melhoneybee]

i guess i dont know the situation... this is the first i have heard about it i think..

[lil krumm]

this has been going on a long time, family wants to keep her alive, husband want to let her die, doesnt want to see her suffer any more. i think, am i right? or did i get somethin confused?

[ZZ4_Camaro]

this has been going on a long time, family wants to keep her alive, husband want to let her die, doesnt want to see her suffer any more. i think, am i right? or did i get somethin confused?

Ya that's it. Watch or listen to the news tomorrow. It's been the top story since yesterday....

[melhoneybee]

is she in a coma or brain dead?

[lil krumm]

i use to watch but now i leave to early in the morning to catch GMA.

[Ashley]

The Terri Schiavo Case
PINELLAS PARK - Terri Schiavo suffered heart failure in 1990, when she was 26 years old, lapsing into a persistent vegetative state. For years, Michael Schiavo, her husband, has fought to have the feeding tube keeping his wife alive, removed. He says his wife told him she would not want to live like this. Schiavo's parents want their daughter to remain alive. The battle has involved the courts, and now the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush.


that's the jist of it.. the feeding tube was removed yesterday by order of the court. basically, she's going to starve to death now. the whole controversy is because it deals with euthenasia and assisted suicide type issues.

[melhoneybee]

i guess i woudln't want to live like that... but now after so many years... it would seem a waste to remove it... hmm who knows..

I can see how starving her is kinda cruel and unusual... it is one of those gray area cases... starving to death would suck... but its not like she can feel anything..

[lil krumm]

the guy wants to move on with his life, i say let him. whats the point of having a wife that you cant even talk to.

[ZZ4_Camaro]

the guy wants to move on with his life, i say let him. whats the point of having a wife that you cant even talk to.

But that's the whole thing - he totally can. He has his own wife and kids to live with and Schaivo's parents are more than willing to take care of her. It's not like she would be sitting in the guys house all day long. He and his family would never have to look at her again.

[Ashley]

my cousin was born physically disabled and with brain damage. basically.. he's in a vegetative state, like terri schiavo. he's in a wheelchair and my aunt feeds him through a feeding tube. he's now 26 years old. honestly.. i love the guy to death. regardless of his condition, he still responds. most people in this state can still respond to things that move them emotionally to one extreme or the other, in a good or bad way. you can tell when he's happy, which is usually when the chicago bears are playing, they're his favorite team. you can also tell when he's upset, which is when he has to watch baseball - he hates baseball. he can't talk and he can't move, but that doesn't mean he's not a person. i just watched a video report on some news station online of terri and her husband.. and she's responsive. you can see her facial expressions and the noises she makes. honestly.. if someone said they wanted to remove my cousins feeding tube, i would probably freak out. it's basically flat out killing someone. i think if there's someone out there who is willing to care for her, or even put her in a nursing home if no one will care for her.. there's no need to remove her feeding tube. yeah, i wouldn't want to be brain damaged.. but if it came down to having constant care or dying, i'd choose having constant care.

[melhoneybee]

i didn't know she was responsive... i thought she was just laying there... that changes it alot actually.. if they are able to show emotion.. then let them... i thought she was like just there...

i change my vote!

Specially if there are people out there wanting to take the task of taking care of her.... let her husband divoice her is he wants to move on... i wouldn't blame him.... i bet he just wants to life insurance money@!

[melhoneybee]

He has his own wife and kids to live with and Schaivo's parents are more than willing to take care of her. .

hes already married again? im starting to hate this guy even more

[Ashley]

well let me clarify before people jump all over me. she's not responsive as in she can wave her arms all over the place or something. like with my cousin.. you can tell he's happy by the kinds of noises he makes or sometimes he can crinkle his nose if he's mad. nothing huge. i read something terri's husband wrote and it was saying how she's unresponsive.. i dont know. maybe he doesn't accept little things as responses, or maybe i'm too oversensitive when my cousin does things.

[lil krumm]

i didnt know she was responsive. before she was basically just a body lying in a bed.

i stick with my vote, its gotta be gard for the guy to move on with his life knowing he left his wife lying there in a bed. Esecialy now that hes all over the news, hes prolly getting tons of hate mail, but if it ends eventually so will the hate mail and his life can go back to some what normal

[ZacFields]

You guys all remember Steve....and I know we're all trying to heal from his unfortunate death.

Steve went on Hospice before he died. In fact, if I'm correct, there are things that could have been done that would make it possible for Steve to be alive right now. Steve went on Hospice because he didn't want to have to lay in a hospital bed forever with tubes sticking in his body all the time. Hell...who would blame him? Steve could probably be alive right now...but at what cost? To live for maybe a couple years longer and be miserable the whole time. I have more respect for Steve than I have for anyone in this entire world. He made the noble choice of death over living in misery. He didn't want to put himself, his family, and his friends through the torture of wondering every single day for years if Steve was going to wake up the next morning. Hospice gave Steve medication that kept him comfortable during his last couple months of life. He had a rough last few days...but his parents told us how he died while we were at his wake...and I couldn't have pictured a better way to die. Steve made the right choice.

Notice though, how I said that STEVE made the right choice. Steve made his own decision. It wasn't his parents, his sister, or his friends...steve made that decision.

It's a really difficult situation guys...I think it would suck to make the decision to kill her. She can probably hear and process in her mind what people are telling her about how they are going to let her die...just think about that. She might be screaming inside her head "NO! DONT DO IT! I WANT TO LIVE!" Which would make me feel so horrible about ordering her to die.

Then again...you could make the decision to let her live and she could be wishing she was dead every second of every day. She could be completely miserable and hate life for the 10....20....30 or more years that she lives.

I can't really say what I would do. I guess I would just let her live...because hating life is a lot better than letting her die if she didn't want to die.

Zac

[babygrlkw04]

making the decision would be very hard for anyone. i think that they should take the feeding tube out. i understand how her parents are willing to take care of her but they aren't going to be around forever and some day this would probably come up agian. after her parents die then who will take care of her? i don't know, but i wouldn't want to live that way, i already told my mom if i end up that way for some reason just pull the plug i don't want to live that way.