What I think about the Terri Schiavo situation 


I think it is wrong for Terri Schiavo to be allowed to die of dehydration and starvation, if that would cause her to suffer. Once the decision to let her die has been finally made, she should be put to sleep as painlessly as possible. 

When a pet owner decides to put a suffering animal out of its misery, the owner doesn't just start withholding water until the animal dies of dehydration. The owner takes the animal to a vet and has it painlessly put to sleep. We should treat human animals as humanely as we treat non-human animals. It is morally wrong to intentionally cause a creature to suffer when it can be avoided. I do not know whether Terri Schiavo is capable of suffering.

Florida Today reported that "seven of eight neurologists who physically examined her over time determined that [she] suffered irreversible brain damage after her heart attack 15 years ago." Dr. Ron Cranford, Professor of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Assistant Chief in Neurology at the Hennepin County Medical Center, said "She has no electrical activity in her cerebral cortex on an EEG (electroencephalogram), and a CT (computerized tomography) scan showed massive atrophy in that region." He said, "There is no medical dispute. She is in a primitive vegetative state, and she has been for 15 years."

Wikipedia has an extensive article on the Terri Schiavo case. 

Posted: Wednesday - March 23, 2005 at 02:07 AM          

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