I haven’t made any comments on the Schiavo case to this point. I know two things for sure: 1) I wouldn’t want to be kept alive under similar conditionds and 2) the politicization of the entire thing have been distateful.
I think James Joyner hits the latest foray of Congress into the siutation squarely on the head:
The Schiavo case is complicated and heart wrenching. It is not, however, the province of the legislature, let alone the Federal legislature, to decide individual cases. Lawmakers rightly decry judges overstepping their authority to strike legislation perfectly within the constitutional power of the legislature. In cases like this, though, the legislature is trying to usurp the legitimate role of the judiciary to weigh the facts and apply the law in complicated cases. Legislatures should set public policy; judges should apply the law to specific cases.
Indeed.
Abuse of Power
The Terri Schiavo case has taken yet another turn as Congress attempts to delve in to the lives (and deaths) of every single American on the face of the planet. I am pro-life but I’m also anti-big government; Congress has…
Trackback by Our Life — Friday, March 18, 2024 @ 9:17 am
If Terry Schiavo had committed murder and was on death row, and then slipped into a coma due to a prison accident, I wonder how many people who currently want the tubes removed would still be arguing for her life support to be ended?
Comment by John Lemon — Friday, March 18, 2024 @ 11:39 am
Indeed.
And let me state: it is not that I personally want the tube removed. The only way that I can even come to an issue of decision is what the patient would have wanted.
At a minimum I find the involvement of Congress to be ridiculous.
Comment by Steven Taylor — Friday, March 18, 2024 @ 11:51 am
How can you be sure that you wouldn’t want to be kept alive under those circumstances? I always thought the same about myself but have had to reexamine that belief lately. Terri’s quality of life may not seem like much, but it’s all she’s got. Even if, as a young woman, she once said “I wouldn’t want to live like that”, we can’t really be sure now that she would prefer death. [Plus, we can’t really be sure she ever said that.]
The only thing that I feel that I can be totally sure of is that, if I was going to be kept alive for more than a decade under those circumstances, I would at least want therapy and stimulation, and I would want my parents to be able to visit me whenever they wanted. The husband’s refusal to even allow a TV in the room makes no sense to me.
Comment by Ann — Saturday, March 19, 2024 @ 2:24 pm
There is a lot about this situation that doesn’t make sense to me, and I honestly don’t know what the right answer is.
I am, however, quite certain I wouldn’t want to be kept alive in that state.
Comment by Steven Taylor — Saturday, March 19, 2024 @ 9:54 pm