What would YOU want?

Euthanasia/Right to Die Forum

There are passionate arguments to either side of this issue. I'm surious to know how everyone weighs in on it if it hit close to home.

What would you want, if you were incapacitated, in a persistant vegitative state, or by all doctor's diagnosis, unable to ever function due to severe brain damage? Would you want to be kept alive by herioic means, feeding tube, intubation or other artificial means? How long would you want to remain that way, if at all?

Personally I would want efforts exhausted to find out if I had any chance of recovery. After that, if there's no hope, pull my plug. I would rather die with dignity than merely exist.

I'd rather be dangled from a helecopter and dropped on a feild of spikes than starved todeath.

# "Hope is a waking dream. "--
Aristotle

# "Hope is the parent of faith. "--
Cyrus A. Bartol

# "If one truly had lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so."--
Eric C. Bentley

# "Hope is a risk that must be run."--
Georges Bernanos

# "We often call a certainty a hope, to bring it luck. "--
Elizabeth Bibesco

# "What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life."--
Emil Brunner

# "When hope is taken away from a people, moral degeneration follows swiftly thereafter."--
Pearl S. Buck

# "To eat bread without hope is still slowly to starve to death. "--
Pearl S. Buck

I don't want any hope taken away from me before God decides! I would want to live.

Try to see if there is anything that can be done... but, don't leave me hanging on for that long. It's not worth it... pull the plug and set me free.

You only live once.

Very well put, mystic Couldn't have said it better myself. Great points you have stated.

I filled out an advanced directive this week. I just need to get my witnesses to sign it.

My wishes in a senario like this are that I would want my husband to consult with several competent specialists. When a consensus is reached that I am no longer there, then I would want ALL methods of life support to be withdrawn including food and hydration. I would want my loved ones to realize that I was going home to God and a better place.

If my brain was destroyed and there was no hope of recovery, I would like to have my body be allowed to cease to function. I am already gone, with no hope of returning to the physical reality again. What is the use to keep my body functioning?

M.

Her brain has kept her alive for 10 days without food or water. I believe that means that she has enough brain function to live. They won't allow anyone to even try to feed her. You see the courts say that she didn't wish to be kept alive artificially. However I don't think that should extend to being denied someone feeding her, which was denied by Michael. In my opinion and in my living will I will make sure that artificially doesn't not include food and water no matter how I receive it. Ok fine that Michael has removed the feeding tube. But should that also include anyone actually trying to feed her or give her food by mouth. He and the courts have also denied that.

My wife and I have talked about this a lot since this has been in the news. Her mother suffered a brain aneurysm and when they pulled the plug she died within minutes. We both agreed that in the case where if you pull the plug and the body can't keep you alive then we would not want to be in that state.

For instance if you remove someone from a ventilator and they start breathing are we now going to take away their oxygen or smother them? I think the court has made that determination with Terri Schiavo.

It reminds me of ancient times, you have the family pleading for mercy and a judge give either a thumb up or a thumb down . In this case she got a thumb down . How barbaric.

I would have rather they given her a lethal injection, at least that is more humaine

Ron it takes between 10 to 14 days to die from this method. The body has to start to break down and certain toxins must build up in the body. It unfortunately takes time.

Well, mystic, fuscia and everyone else involved in this debate. We see things differently when it comes to this issue. I respect everyone's opinion on the matter, and I still stand by what I personally believe.

Terri is in her last hours, and may she rest in peace.

if I am brain-dead... I am dead.

let my body return to dust and stop wasting space.

in fact... if my other organs are healthy, let someone else have them. I don't need them.

That is another moot point Dekka. Terri Schiavo is not technically brain-dead either.

M.

okay "mind-dead"

Death row prisoners get lethal injection. Ok she is not brain dead, and she is not in a PVS. So why deny her food. If she can't eat or drink it then maybe she will die. But at least give her a chance.

I am not a right to life'r, but I'm not for abortion either I stand somewhere in between.

If you were on a ventilator and they took you off and you started breathing oxygen do you say take away the oxygen? What would that be called? MURDER????

You know Dr. Kevorikian was put in jail because he assisted people who wished to end their life. I expect then we should put the doctors and judges in jail for the same reason in this case.

I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV.

No really the doctor that gave her the 90 minute hands on evaluation stated that in his afidavit to the court just a few days ago.

Of course they ignored it.

Ron, the doctor that diagnosed her a few days ago was expected to do so. He is from a religious institution that has already stated loudly that they disagree. Are you surprised that Jeb would attempt this? You honestly think that he would have found an unbiased doctor to help bolster his case?

Terri was examined thoroughly by 5 doctors, 2 from the Schindler family, 2 from the Schiavo family, and one from the courts. Three out of the 5 doctors stated that she was in PVS. I’m sure you can guess which two stated she wasn’t.

My personal opinion is that God is finaly going to get Terri. He tried 15 years ago to have her with him in Heaven and man interviened and kept her alive for no other reason than the fear of death. The greatest gift is to sit beside God and if you also believe that, then she is has been deprived from a better existance than that here on earth.
If it hadn't been for man's techology and fear of death, Terri would have been in Heaven 15 years ago.
Let God's will be done.

I think we all should take something away from this case. Each of us should go and have a living will or advanced directive. No one is happy that a young woman has come to this point. It is sad and no one wins in a case like this. Let's all make sure that our loved ones do not have to go through the same fight. I have a thread in this forum for posting links to get free living wills. Please post if you have one.

I want everyone to know right now that IF I ever went vegitable like her I would rather be dead. Don't keep me alive. The interesting thing is everyone I talked to about this agrees with me and said the same

As the media puts it, "Someone would be KILLING you" if you had a DNR and nobody interviened. I hate the media for this kind of reporting. Nobody is killing anybody. Her death was postponed for 15 years.
They make it sound like murder when it's actually God's will.

When I look at her images on TV I still think about Stephen Hawking. A man who is a quadraplegic, unable to move, or talk, yet is probably the smartest man in the world.

She was definately not a vegitable.

How many people will we kill just because they can't tell us that they want to live?

The err should be on LIFE not DEATH. Go ahead and give her family a chance to prove that they are right. If they are wrong what happens? She dies in another 12 years. However if they are right what happens. They save her life. Maybe they can find out what Terri really wants vs 3 people saying she wanted to die. Yes 3 people all related vs all her family the Shindlers,some nurses and a doctor saying otherwise. But no killing her is final, once she is dead then there is no turning back. We will never know if that was what she turely wanted.

As I understand it there are well over a thousand individuals in this same situration. This will open the door to many many more. Where does it stop.

Seventeen medical experts have reportedly filed affidavits questioning whether Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state and supporting the need for additional neurological, neuropsychological, and other testing of her abilities, particularly with new technologies.

The affidavits are available on the web at Terri’s family’s website. Here’s a quotation from one of them: “She obviously is not in a vegetative state.”

Something I just found out

George J. Felos, the lead attorney for Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, is a long-standing right-to-die and euthanasia proponent.

mystic, I didn't know you were a neurologist and have viewed Terri's nonexistent brain scan to come to your conclusions.

So you are part of the death culture. I understand.

And again you make a statement in which you cannot back up.

These radical right wingers...

Cant even rationalize things...they have to turn everything into some agenda!

It's the ol' sling and duck far-right wing gameplan. Sling the nuggets, duck down and cover their ears, then sling more. Just sit back and laugh Mys

-HECK!

Information-feeding tube That's comedy.

-HECK!

I think a lobotomy will be more effective.

M.

Wanting to know more about why someone is being starved to death is not agenda driven. I and many others who also voted for Bush are very angry right now with him and more so with Jeb Bush for not saving Terri Schiavo's life. They are appeasing when they should be acquiescing. The real Republican would not hesitate in saving one's life for REAL.

I heard this guy on the news screaming, “Let it not be said that this happened with a Republican majority in government on their watch”. I mean how absurd to believe that Republicans should get their way because they hold the majority in all 3 branches on the hill.

I recall the first Federal judge that got the case after Congress intervened was being accused of being a “Clinton Appointee” and that’s why he didn’t rule in their favor.
Man how their bubble must have burst when not only the Appellate Courts rejected their argument but the Supreme Court as well. What a rude awakening that must have been.

At times, I agree with much they (Republicans) have on their agenda but no way should they have autonomy of our great nation. Acrimony would be sure to follow if any one of these parties, Dems or Republicans every have complete control.

And certainly forcing your agendas on a nation of people isn’t very much of a democracy now is it? It seems the only time Republicans speak of democracy is when it’s on their side of the blurred line of hypocrisy, I mean opinion.

One sad point in all of this are the other 70 some patients at the hospice. THEY deserve to die with peace, not having their loved ones detained by a bunch of wacko pro-life people who are loudly demonstrating and blocking the entrance to the clinic. One granddaughter raced to the hospice to see her grandfather. After getting through the security at the hospice, she was one minute too late. Those other people in there deserve peace.

As for the Schindlers, they should be ashamed of their latest tactic. Claiming that the hospice is trying to end her life early is just beyond reasoning. They deserve to get sued for that. The hospice is there to provide a service, a difficult one at that. Anyone who knows of hospice care knows that they take wonderful care of people at the end of their lives. To suggest that they are trying to bump Terri off is ludicrous.

It's not just that Sherry, first they were insistant that they didn't want Terri dying a slow death from thirst and starvation, then they said they didn't want the hospice to administer moriphine because it's speeding up the death process. This is such a shame...I understand that they're having a hard time letting go of Terri, but she's been in this state for 15 years. You'd think they would have come to terms with this by now.

Well, Terri’s brother held a news conference today saying that the husband is denying Terri her right to daily communion. It appears as a catch 22 for Mike Schiavo. Either he let Terri have communion, which is obviously an attempt to feed her daily or he deny them access and look like the bad guy stopping her from having a religious ceremony.

Personally, I think it is pretty low to reduce this to that level, using the church in the process. I know they are desperate but they simply will stop at nothing and stoop to new lows to slander anyone involved will allowing Terri’s wishes to rest in peace.

I might agree with this if she was having communicion on a daily basis up until now...but Ill venture to guess that she was not.

oneofpeace,

There was never a follow up brainscan done since 1996. It has been nearly 10 years. Technology of today is lightyears ahead of what was present in 1996.

Terri was thoroughly examined in 2002 by 5 doctors. Two from the Schindlers, 2 from her husband and one from the courts. All the doctors seemed to agree that the CT scans from 1996 would show little if any difference. The 2 doctors from the Schindlers denied she was in PVS (no surprise) and the 2 doctors from Mike Schiavo said she was (also no surprise). However an independent court appointed doctor sided with Mike’s doctors in diagnosing that Terri is in PVS.

No technology is known today that will improve on Terri’s condition. Terri’s parents and those opposing the removal of her tube generate claims of her being able to improve. I’m sure if there were technological leaps of “light years” in neurology capable of improving Terri’s condition, her parents would have presented this to the courts.

It has been since 1990 that Terri has been in this condition without improvement. What more do you want or need to see? As mean spirited and dirty the Schindlers have been in their bid to save Terri, you honestly believe that if there was this great leap in technology that they would simply sit on it?

Thank you oneofpeace, great post!

As for communion, Terri received communion the day her tube was removed and again on Sunday for Easter. Her family hasn't made a stink about it until now, like you guys said, it's obviously a last ditch effort to claim she's being denied her constitutional right to practice her religion and to give her sustinance.

The court ordered that she receive last rites and can have communion twice. It must be administered by the hospice priest.