Who Decides, Life or Death

That poor lady in Florida whose husband has chosen to let her die from starvation is an example of how our society is influenced by the agenda of the loud minority. I can not imagine a man not respecting the wishes of the parents who brought in to this world a child and raised her. A child who left no written instructions as to how she should be medically treated in the event of such tragic circumstances as are unfolding before the whole nation. Why is a living will even necessary if one’s spouse has the authority to stop attempts to keep you alive?

Perhaps the theory is that the living willing is constructed to protect you from your spouse should you find yourself incapacitated. In this case, there appears to be a clear conflict of interest. The husband seems to have moved on with his life and recuperation on the part of the victim here will cause him and his new family nothing but grief. There is no positive outcome for him other than death. This should be unacceptable and the inherent conflicts are factors that should have been considered.

Some have suggested that his refusal to accept money is cause to believe his intentions are sincere. That is hard to buy into. Surely he has sought legal advice and found that his risks are too high. Perhaps he could not agree to accept the money because he would be required to reimburse for the services she has received to date and to fund services she will receive in the future. If you could indemnify him from these responsibilities, I suspect his position could change, unless he is more concerned about what she might have to say if she were able to recover and speak about what happened to her.

We can not know what happened to her and should not make judgments, but there is no way a single individual should have the authority to allow another individual to die without a clear written authority granting such powers over another. There is none in this case. There is certainly reasonable doubt cast over the integrity of individuals involved and over what is being allowed to happen. Absent a written will, her blood relatives, particularly her parents should have a say in her future.

What is happening to Terri Schiavo is appalling and will alter our rights as we know them to live and die. A sad day in our history will be upon us when this poor lady passes.