This witholding of food and water is actually getting pretty common. I was reading about a man named Hugh Finn whose wife had him starved to death even though his family wanted him. His family had to pay her court costs for the legal fight too.
Rather than eye Mr. Cracker with suspicion, I did a living will saying I want my food and water any way I can get them. It's not too much to ask that you be fed and watered twice a day.
The things you have to do these days to protect yourself from hearsay.
As far as societal opinion goes, I would say that people will pity you so much they'll kill you- but I don't think that's the case. I think there are new rules being formed as to who is and who is not a person. More accurately, I think these are just the old rules that are making a comeback.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans would recognize them: Expose the elderly and infirm on mountainsides, put the unwanted baby on the dungheap. The pre/post-Christian lifestyle choices.
So now the Schindler family gets three more weeks to try to rescue their daughter. Good luck to them. I think only Governor Bush taking some dramatic and drastic measure on their behalf will do the trick. That, or Michael Schiavo getting hit by a bus.
Posted by floridacracker at February 25, 2005 06:30 PMDonnah:
I don't know how many Living Wills I've seen and even prepared myself for clients. A bunch. One of the effects of this case on me has been that I shudder now that in the vast majority of those cases the people signing their living wills chose "Cease providing nourishment" or " Cease providing hydration" or BOTH (among other options on the form). The standard form in Georgia doesn't give you all that many choices, and most people who sign them are just thinking "I don't want to be kept alive if I'm a vegetable and have no chance of recovering". No one envisions themselves as Terry Schiavo. They don't consider the possible agony of a long, slow death by starvation while you're conscious but can't communicate. That really bothers me.
Somehow along the way we all seemed to get the notion that this phrase "pulling the plug" is just that - - - ZAP! and you're dead, turned off like a TV set. It's a terrible metaphor because it's so misleading. It would better to think in terms of letting someone cause your death in one or more of several unpleasant ways. The choices on the form should be, for example, "Starve me to death" or "Stop feeding me and allow me to die from starvation" and/or "Stop giving me liquids so that I die of thirst/dehydration".
Simple, straightforward, and brutally honest language that anyone can understand (and envision) is needed. I'm going to do some research and will be changing my forms before I do any more living wills.....
Posted by: Carl at February 25, 2005 07:44 PMi like your idea about the bus.
Posted by: Chuck Lysaght at February 25, 2005 10:46 PMcreepy stuff.
Posted by: xire138 at February 27, 2005 11:36 PMOnce again, you have summed up the meat of this debate in astonishingly few words. Florida Cracker - the most concept per word in the blogging world.
Posted by: MaxedOutMama at February 28, 2005 05:07 PMCarl-you're always full of surprises. I didn't know you're a lawyer on top of everything else. I'm gonna have to watch my casting of aspersions as regards to your chosen profession from now on.
MOM-Thanks. I've thought about this subject a lot. I remember sitting in Humanities class and learning about how the Ancient Greeks dealt with the infirm and thinking how primitive they were and how far we'd come since those days...
Posted by: Donnah at February 28, 2005 11:55 PM