Spring Break
Schiavo's life becomes political battleground
Editorial
Issue date: 3/25/05 Section: Commentary
Over the past several months, the life and imminent death of Terri Schiavo have turned into a political nightmare and media circus. With heated debate from both sides, Schiavo's humanity and the cold facts of the case have been lost to speculation and accusation from all sides.
Although the notion life should always be preserved when in doubt is an important one, the uncertainty surrounding what Schiavo truly wanted has forever tainted what should have been a personal matter. Congress has no right injecting itself into a personal case that was decided six years ago.
The Schindlers, including Terri's parents, have accused Michael Schiavo of beating their daughter and not allowing her to recover so he may collect the settlement money left from the malpractice case in 1994. However, this directly contradicts the fact Michael brought that suit against the doctors for misdiagnosing Terri Schiavo, which led to her current state. If Mr. Schiavo had, in fact, beaten his wife, the doctors would certainly have defended themselves against his accusations.
Furthermore, Mr. Schiavo has nothing to gain from his wife's death except closure. Of the $700,000 left from the 1994 malpractice suit for Terri's care, very little could possibly be left after the lengthy court battles and hospice care. Furthermore, Mr. Schiavo has been offered excessive amounts of money to walk away from the case. Clearly, Michael Schiavo has more than money on his mind.
Many conservatives point to the lack of an MRI or PET scan to diagnose Mrs. Schiavo's condition. But repeated CAT scans performed in the past, which would have shown anything an MRI could have, indicate Terri's cerebral cortex has deteriorated and been replaced with spinal fluid, leaving her unable to feel pain or pleasure.
Furthermore, if Mrs. Schiavo can no longer feel pain, then her starvation isn't nearly as cruel as many media outlets and her parents have made it out to be. Although the Schindlers may honestly be concerned with their daughter, they made misleading testimonies in the original trial regarding their daughter's fate, including stating she made her wishes known when she was between 17 and 20, when, in fact, she was only 12.
Videos have been shown of Terri reacting to stimulation, but these videos have never been replicated by any reliable source and were edited and are inadmissible as court evidence.
Some doctors said Terri is not in a persistent vegetative state, but it is difficult to tell how genuine they can be after almost 14 years. An independent, court-appointed doctor agreed with Michael Schiavo's doctors, stating his wife would never recover.
We will never know what Terri Schiavo's true wishes were, but we must realize she would probably cringe knowing that her life has become a political and media circus. Allowing her the right to die with dignity is the only reasonable choice left. Instead of turning her life into a political stage, let us close the chapter on what should have been a personal matter.
Although the notion life should always be preserved when in doubt is an important one, the uncertainty surrounding what Schiavo truly wanted has forever tainted what should have been a personal matter. Congress has no right injecting itself into a personal case that was decided six years ago.
The Schindlers, including Terri's parents, have accused Michael Schiavo of beating their daughter and not allowing her to recover so he may collect the settlement money left from the malpractice case in 1994. However, this directly contradicts the fact Michael brought that suit against the doctors for misdiagnosing Terri Schiavo, which led to her current state. If Mr. Schiavo had, in fact, beaten his wife, the doctors would certainly have defended themselves against his accusations.
Furthermore, Mr. Schiavo has nothing to gain from his wife's death except closure. Of the $700,000 left from the 1994 malpractice suit for Terri's care, very little could possibly be left after the lengthy court battles and hospice care. Furthermore, Mr. Schiavo has been offered excessive amounts of money to walk away from the case. Clearly, Michael Schiavo has more than money on his mind.
Many conservatives point to the lack of an MRI or PET scan to diagnose Mrs. Schiavo's condition. But repeated CAT scans performed in the past, which would have shown anything an MRI could have, indicate Terri's cerebral cortex has deteriorated and been replaced with spinal fluid, leaving her unable to feel pain or pleasure.
Furthermore, if Mrs. Schiavo can no longer feel pain, then her starvation isn't nearly as cruel as many media outlets and her parents have made it out to be. Although the Schindlers may honestly be concerned with their daughter, they made misleading testimonies in the original trial regarding their daughter's fate, including stating she made her wishes known when she was between 17 and 20, when, in fact, she was only 12.
Videos have been shown of Terri reacting to stimulation, but these videos have never been replicated by any reliable source and were edited and are inadmissible as court evidence.
Some doctors said Terri is not in a persistent vegetative state, but it is difficult to tell how genuine they can be after almost 14 years. An independent, court-appointed doctor agreed with Michael Schiavo's doctors, stating his wife would never recover.
We will never know what Terri Schiavo's true wishes were, but we must realize she would probably cringe knowing that her life has become a political and media circus. Allowing her the right to die with dignity is the only reasonable choice left. Instead of turning her life into a political stage, let us close the chapter on what should have been a personal matter.