More Questions
I posted some questions earlier this week about the Schiavo matter. I don’t have adequate answers to any of them yet and I suspect I never will. All I come up with are additional questions, and thoughts, like the ones below.
How can this be called a “right to die” case? Terri was not dying until food and water were withheld from her. This is a right to life case, as in “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
If Michael felt so strongly about Terri’s wishes to die rather than live in the state she is in, then why did he wait seven years to make those wishes known? Either he was betraying Terri’s wishes then, or he is doing so now.
Why was money awarded to Michael for Terri’s rehabilitation and therapy if she was diagnosed as being in a PVS? Did something happen to her between that time and now that caused her to become not worthy of therapy?
Is it possible for a person who wants to commit suicide to change their mind? If a person attempts to kill himself by jumping off of a building, but he fails and ends up in a full body cast and is unable to feed himself, would it be a crime to deny him food and water? He has already demonstrated by his actions his desire to die.
This has been compared to the Elian Gonzalez case. Both in Florida, both fights over the government’s role in protecting an individual vs. a family’s rights, both coming to a head on Easter weekend, both the polls showed the public siding with the side other than the one I chose. Both with a horrible ending.
Where is the line? How much of a brain would Terri have to have to be allowed to live? Is it okay for a person with a disability to commit suicide? If it is not legal for a person with a terminal illness to commit suicide, then why is it okay for someone with a mental disability?
If death by dehydration and starvation is so painless, then why can’t we employ this method in administering capital punishment?
Why is it okay to deny a person who cannot feed herself food and water, but it is a crime to deny a dog or cat that can’t feed themselves food and water? Is it a crime to deny a late stage Alzheimers patient food and water?
How can a judge elected by a few thousand votes in central Florida have more power than the governor of the state of Florida and the President of the country who was elected with over sixty million votes? (This question was asked by Joe Scarborough Friday night.)
Some Democrats on the chat shows have been absolutely gleeful at the thought that Republicans might pay a political price for their vote on Terri’s bill. Do they not realize that half of the Democrats that voted in the house voted with Republicans in favor of the bill and that many Senators were also in favor of the bill? Do they not remember how the polls swung back and forth on the issue of the war in Iraq? First they accused Bush of going to war to score political points, then when the polls changed they accused him of prosecuting an unpopular war that no on wanted. After the Iraqi elections they swung again. Shouldn’t Dems at least wait long enough to see what their precious polls show after Terri dies of dehydration? The public might not answer the pollsters’ loaded questions quite the same way then.
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July 21st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
“If death by dehydration and starvation is so painless, then why can’t we employ this method in administering capital punishment?” – you dont know what you’re talking about
December 26th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I am not sure if I agree with what you’re saying, but it is an interesting perspective on it.