Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer has issued an emergency stay in the case of Terry Schiavo. I have not blogged this in the past because I know so little about what has been going on and I don't want to make a fool of myself. But then I read this.
It seems to me that if Michael Schiavo wants to be freed of his obligation to Terri then he can simply divorce her. Am I being naive or is there something more here? I know that there is the matter of a million-dollar malpractice award. But if Terri is as responsive as her family says (and why shouldn't we believe them?) shouldn't erring on the side of caution prevail here?
As you can see, I have more questions than answers here. And I'm a little ashamed that I have come to this so awfully late. Surely there can be some agreement where a woman's life isn't taken without every alternative having been explored.
I am not so sure that if I were in that bed that I wouldn't want to be released from my misery. But as I understand it Terri is a devout Catholic. It strikes me that her prior wishes should come into play here.
What am I missing?
This is a very emotional issue ... it is hard to know how any of us would react if we were in her place...especially since the medical authorities seem to be in disagreement about exactly what her condition is at the moment.
The blogstream (I hate blogosphere so I created a new term) is flowing with so many diverse opinions.
But, if Michael Schiavo is free to live his life as he wishes, why can't he return Terri to her parents? The cynic in me says that he is afraid...afraid that she will someday come out of her current state and will testify to what actually happened the day of her injury. A case in point happened just this week...a woman returning from a 20-year coma to her family.
I heard somewhere that the settlement money Schiavo received is long gone. He had petitioned to have Terri removed from life-support almost immediately after receiving the check...but medical expenses ate it up quickly.
So why we ask...vindictiveness...that's alot of money in lawyer's fees to be spending on anger..
Nope, I cast my vote for fear...fear of the truth coming to light.
I believe this - something is wrong in a country where we have people screaming about how we slaughter our chickens for market or passing laws about the types of accommodations our dogs have (San Fran, of course). Then they remain silent when the human population least able to speak for themselves always seem to lose out.
As a mom all I can say is heaven help Michael Schiavo if he had married one of MY daughters.
Posted by: Maggie | February 22, 2005 at 06:34 PM
Maggie presents one theory.
A possibility that I find more likely is that Michael Schiavo loves his wife, and is capable of dealing with reality. She did not wish to have extraordinary means keeping her body alive in a living death.
I sympathize with Terri's parents. They have lost a daughter, and they cannot accept that loss. They are still in denial. Because they do not have a medical background, they do not recognize Terri's actions on the video tape for what they are - unthinking reflexs typical of such catastrophically brain-damaged patients.
Terri is no longer there. I pray that she is with God. Her mind and soul are no longer connected to this world through the brain. The one comfort is that Terri is not suffering in some well-meaning medically-induced agonizing torture.
Terri did not wish to have a life extended by extreme medical intervention when there was no hope of recovery. Her husband documented this for the courts, but her parents, in their grief, do not care about anyone's desires but their own.
Posted by: Rob | February 22, 2005 at 07:42 PM
Rob, how did "her husband document this for the courts"?
Posted by: Maggie | February 23, 2005 at 11:43 AM