Goodbye Terry
Terry Schiavo died yesterday, 13 days after her life support was withdrawn, after spending 15 years in a vegetative state. Her husband fought for years to give a dignified end to her life while facing fierce opposition from her parents and supporters. Her story sparked of a worldwide debate on the right to die.
Everybody has a right to live with dignity, there is no argument on this, but does one have the right to die with dignity? Terry was kept on life support for 15 years. All this time, she was just a vegetable, not showing any signs of conscious awareness or any signs of improvements. Is it ethical to keep a person in this state? A living dead? Not letting the poor person to pass on with dignity, keeping her alive in this pathetic state, an object of everyone’s pity. Do you not amputate a gangrene infected limb? Or do you let the gangrene spread all over because you really loved the leg? It’s not just a question of ethics. Any kind of medical treatment costs money. Keeping one artificially alive would be a significant economic burden on the guardians. It’s like investing in a lost cause. From the emotionally tinted perception, this might look like a heartless argument but think about it, how long can you keep someone alive artificially? Till your money runs out? Then what, do you go and arrange for more? Run round and round in this insane dance? Yes, you should, if there is significant hope that the person would be cured in the near future. But if it is established with a high degree of certainty that there are no signs of a miracle, there is just so long you can stretch it. So when the end comes, you are on the same base and a lot lighter in the pocket.
Michael is dubbed the villain of the story but it takes courage to let go of somebody you love so much. His fight was for giving Terry a dignified passage to the other side. His courage and conviction is admirable. Bravo Michael! In this hour of grief, there are some who stand by you. She is gone, but the debate on ethics and euthanasia would carry on.
RIP Terry.
Everybody has a right to live with dignity, there is no argument on this, but does one have the right to die with dignity? Terry was kept on life support for 15 years. All this time, she was just a vegetable, not showing any signs of conscious awareness or any signs of improvements. Is it ethical to keep a person in this state? A living dead? Not letting the poor person to pass on with dignity, keeping her alive in this pathetic state, an object of everyone’s pity. Do you not amputate a gangrene infected limb? Or do you let the gangrene spread all over because you really loved the leg? It’s not just a question of ethics. Any kind of medical treatment costs money. Keeping one artificially alive would be a significant economic burden on the guardians. It’s like investing in a lost cause. From the emotionally tinted perception, this might look like a heartless argument but think about it, how long can you keep someone alive artificially? Till your money runs out? Then what, do you go and arrange for more? Run round and round in this insane dance? Yes, you should, if there is significant hope that the person would be cured in the near future. But if it is established with a high degree of certainty that there are no signs of a miracle, there is just so long you can stretch it. So when the end comes, you are on the same base and a lot lighter in the pocket.
Michael is dubbed the villain of the story but it takes courage to let go of somebody you love so much. His fight was for giving Terry a dignified passage to the other side. His courage and conviction is admirable. Bravo Michael! In this hour of grief, there are some who stand by you. She is gone, but the debate on ethics and euthanasia would carry on.
RIP Terry.
Terry Shiavo on Wiki
posted by The Soulforged @ 4/01/2005
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