Right to Life



The Terri Schiavo case has become, once again, a political football. I really don't have the answer to this issue. The real question is: who gets to decide what happens to her? Her former husband is evidently getting to call the shots, but it's hard to see why; he evidently is effectively if not legally divorced from Terri since he's is married now to another woman.

So, should her parents be allowed to decide? If I were a parent faced with this decision, I would sure want to have a say in it. On the other hand, it appears that there is no hope of Terri ever recovering. From what I've read, there is nothing left of her cerebral cortex. So it seems that her parents are in denial when they continue to hold out hope of a recovery.

What I am pretty sure of though: Congress and the public should have little say in what happens. This really isn't anyone's business but that of the principals involved. Anyone can have an opinion. I have one: Terri's parents should let go and admit that Terri's gone, and let her rest in peace. But my opinion doesn't count. It's too bad that both federal and state courts, legislatures, and executive are all involved in what ought to be a medical decision.

Slight digression: Godwin's Law is the observation concerning lengthy internet discussions that, sooner or later, someone will compare someone involved in the discussion to Hitler or the Nazis. When that happens, the discussion is over for all practical purposes, and the person (or side) making that comparison loses the discussion.

So: Patrick Buchanan, by that measure, has lost the discussion by comparing those who seek to end the special measures to prolong Terri's life to Nazis. (well, ok. I admit that calling attention to the fact that someone has played the Nazi card loses that person the discussion. But I'm not in the discussion. Sort of).

Further digression: Ed Felten points out that, in any copyright discussion, the minute the discussion moves to pornography, the movie industry, which usually insists that allowing unrestricted sharing of movies will reduce available content, now argue that file sharing increases pornographic content On the other hand, P2P vendors who disclaim the ability to block based on content, suddenly admit that they can block pornographic content. In other words, the two sides adopt each other's arguments when it comes to pornography.

So when I read the following two letters in the San Jose Mercury News:

Life and the death penalty

Their new mantra is ``a culture of life.'' It is chilling to realize that many of those most vocal in advocating federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case are those most rabid in espousing the death penalty.

Thomas Walsh
San Jose

Surprise: Demos want limits

The Democrats have decided that there are limits to government intervention, something they usually can't imagine. The limits are exactly where a husband's interests in a life-and-death story tell the government to bug off.

If only they would pursue such a path in other areas: the environment, drug laws, firearms included.

Ron Berti
Cupertino

I can't help but think that the two sides, in Terri Schiavo's case have adopted each other's arguments.

Therefore, by Godwin's Law, or by an extension of Felten's Corollary, the discussion is over, neither side will "win," and neither side knows it yet.

Posted: Wed - March 23, 2005 at 10:22 PM        

©