Annoys me no end...

[Andonyx]

from here:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/21/coma.woman/index.html

By a vote of 68-23, the GOP-controlled House approved a bill giving Bush authority to issue a one-time order to reinsert the feeding tube that has nourished Terry Schiavo, 39, since she fell into what doctors call a persistent vegetative state after suffering heart failure in 1990.

The same thing happened to a man and his vegetative mother in Virginia some years ago.

And not to Bash Republicans, but it was another republican Governor who attempted to stop the man from letting his relative die.

Why is it that a group whose platform ostensibly stands for less intrusive government, and more of a hands off approach finds it their perogative every single time to force people to suffer at the hands of some vague definition of their morality. This is the most disgusting kind of abuse of power to me and it makes me extraordinarily angry.

Even more angry than when supposedly liberal Democrats harp on about censoring movies and television because of content they disagree with.

The government is not here to legislate Morality damnit!

 

[Earthborn]

This issue is already extensively discussed in this thread.

Also take a look at her family's website and specifically at the videos that show her reacting to various stimuli. Does she look like she is in a 'vegetative state' to you? She looks more like she suffers a serious motoric disorder to me.

Perhaps, just this once, those Republicans are fighting the good fight.

 

[Tony]

Something I'd like to add. How cruel is it to let her starve to death? Isnt that just a little sick?

The government is not here to legislate Morality damnit!

I agree.

 

[Cleon]

Something I'd like to add. How cruel is it to let her starve to death? Isnt that just a little sick?

No doubt. But the problem here is that "letting her die" is all the docs CAN do. They're not allowed to give her a morphine overdose; they would be arrested for murder. (See Dr. Kevorkian.)

 

[Andonyx]

This issue is already extensively discussed in this thread.

woops, sorry. I wrote a lot of that in a fit of anger, because the Virginia case, which took place while I lived there angered me so much, and this seemed like a repeat.

Also take a look at her family's website and specifically at the videos that show her reacting to various stimuli. Does she look like she is in a 'vegetative state' to you? She looks more like she suffers a serious motoric disorder to me.

I won't even touch that. I'm not a doctor, therapist or psychiatrist. If the official medical diagnoses is "persistent vegitative state" I'm either going to get a second medical opinion, or accept it. Videos on a website are not where I get my medical opinions from.

However, the more I read the less inclined I am to be irate:

From here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031021.wcomatose1021/BNStory/International/

The bill would give the state's governor 15 days to order a feeding tube to be reinserted in cases like Terri Schiavo's. The governor's power would be limited to cases where a person has left no living will, is in a persistent vegetative state, has had nutrition and hydration tubes removed and where a family member has challenged the removal.

These provisions make me think this is more about the sticky issues of medical ethics than about morality.

This much I can understand.

Again, and maybe I can find it, the case in VA was clearly about the governor believing it was immoral to let someone die.

 

[Questioninggeller]

No doubt. But the problem here is that "letting her die" is all the docs CAN do. They're not allowed to give her a morphine overdose; they would be arrested for murder. (See Dr. Kevorkian.)

 

[Scott]

The government is not here to legislate Morality

What a bunch of bunk. All legislation is because of someone's morality.

Letting her die isn't all the docs can do, they've kept her alive for 13 years.

Letting her die is what her husband wants.

 

[no one in particular]

Also take a look at her family's website and specifically at the videos that show her reacting to various stimuli.

That makes me wonder though; does she always react to those specific stimuli? Are we only seeing the selected clips? If they do the same thing 10 times and she only reacts once, that would not be very impressive. Counting the hits, perhaps?