What do I think? What I think doesn't matter. What I feel does.
I'll share a little known fact about ReV. I'm immortal. I plan to live forever. I have no intentions of dying at 80 like statistics say I should, and in fact, if I DO die, it wouldn't be a day before 146 years old. No, you silly reader, I'm not insane...I simply believe it. I believe it as strongly as I believe the sky is actually not blue. I refuse to give up life, not because I fear death, but because I can't imagine my consciousness winking out. I can't imagine not thinking, in other words. So I refuse to stop thinking, and therefore, refuse to stop living.
Which brings me to Terri's deal. Here we have a situation where she collapses (the true reason behind this collapse is not known but 'rumored' to be a deficiency of a nutrient, causing the heart to stop flowing, thus oxygen was not flowing, thus...you get the pix) and goes into what they refer to, rather rudely, as a "vegetative" state. I've seen people in this state. My grandmother was in a minor bout of this state just before she passed away. It's not pretty...but the one thing that remains: The people want to live.
I like to pride myself as being somewhat empathic; meaning, of course, that I can detect what certain people are feeling. I'm good at it, been good at it since...oh....10th grade maybe? Anyway, when I look at the footage and pictures of Terri, and I look into her eyes, I don't sense someone in pain. I don't sense someone wishing death. I sense someone who's frustrated. Frustrated that she can't voice her side. Frustrated that people can't fully understand her. Frustrated that she can't live the happy life she once had, and frustrated that now, her life is being decided by, of all people, "the system". Not her.
I say "the system" because after many bouts back and forth between her estranged husband and her parents, a judge has ruled that Terri be deprived of the nutrients she needs to survive. You see, she was fed through a tube that went directly to her stomach. Her condition prevented her from consuming nourishment, effectively creating a dehydrated and malnourished state for the body. This tube was her saving life, and a judge made the decision to end it, based on doctor's opinions (I stress that word for a reason) and Mr. Schiavo's slight falsehoods. He's not a downright liar, but he's not telling the full truth. For example, it's a well known fact, and real doctors know this, that a person does not just collapse without:
- physical trauma (i.e. someone struck her)
- mental trauma (i.e. stress, fatigue)
- dehydration (difficult to believe if her 'loving husband' is with her)
- malnutrition (see above)
- suffocation (bad air/not enough air?)
- heart problems
- drugs
Note that with the exception of heart problems, all of these instigators are really motives to hurt someone, and don't make Mr. Schiavo look too good. I'm not saying he did anything. I'm stating a fact: It's highly improbable that she just woke up one day, walked into the living room, then collapsed from absolutely nothing. This isn't the Matrix; she wasn't unplugged or anything.
Which brings us to now. And which leads me to answer the question I've avoided up to this point: What do I think? Honestly, and some will hate me for this, I think that she should be allowed to die. It may seem to contradict what I said above, but let me explain myself before you throw tomatoes with these two timelines. Both could be wrong, neither may happen, but just to get your brain moving a little.
- Judge makes decision. Tube is to be removed from Terri Schiavo.
- Parents, friends, and sympathizers provide support to Terri in her final hours.
- Terri passes away. The country mourns her seemingly pointless loss.
- Evidence surfaces that Mr. Schiavo caused the initial collapse.
- Judge finds that due to Terri's death, Mr. Schiavo should be tried for murder and sentenced to death by slow injection.
That's the "poetic justice" timeline.
- Judge makes decision. Tube is to be removed from Terri Schiavo.
- Parents, friends, and sympathizers provide support to Terri in her final hours.
- Terri manages to recover enough to say (and is taped doing so) what happened and that she wishes to live.
- Parents violate court order, feeding her just enough to keep her alive to request a stay of judgment.
- Judge orders stay; Terri can be fed until a final verdict is reached.
- Judge finds Terri can comprehend the world, contrary to doctor opinions, and rescinds order for tube removal.
That's the "sunny day" timeline.
Both basically say that fighting the system is useless. As long as there are nerds with PhD's running around making opinions about symptoms, they'll be believed. This situation can end only one of three ways: poetic justice, sunny day, or yet another person gets away free. OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, The Ramseys, Kobe...
Long answer short - I feel she should be allowed to die because if Mr. Schiavo caused her to collapse in the first place, it's grounds for his execution. He'll die, and in a slow, painful way, just like he made her do. If she's allowed to live and he's found guilty of the collapse (say he hit her, as an example), he'll get...what...2 years lockup time for domestic abuse? Come on.
I may have a cynical view, and again, I AM pro-life, but I'm an even bigger supporter of "what goes around, comes around". IF he did it, he should get the maximum possible punishment.
