Things are looking up in the Terri Schindler-Schiavo case, with the Florida Legislature set to block the removing of food and water from incapacitated persons in general unless they've left written instructions to do so.
I notice the reporters in this article got a reaction quote from one side of the case, but not the other.
Gratutitous demonizing of the "far right" is included. As far as I can tell, these are just people who don't think food and water counts as medicine, since every person on the planet has to have it every single day. I wonder at the objection to sustenance being delivered via a tube: Nancy Cruzan could take nutrition orally, but they chose to tube-feed her for efficiency's sake. When they removed her tube, they chose not to give her food and water by mouth either. Her father later hung himself, so perhaps he didn't think he'd made such a wise decision after all.
I can understand the Quinlan's taking their daughter off a respirator, but when she went on living another nine years, they certainly didn't try to starve the girl to death.
The demonizing of this legislation is absurd. The state (every state, in fact) already makes huge presumptions about your family. If you die without a will, Florida assumes you want your estate to go to your spouse, or to your kids in equal shares. Now, one of your kids might be a total jack-ss, in which case you need to write a will! The state laws are just "back-up," or put another way... "What we're gonna do if you don't write anything down." This law is the same idea, apply to PVS and artificial life support.
You never heard any liberal complain that the intestate laws "steal their right" to write a will, do you?!
Sorry for the crummy grammar in that last comment. I need to use the 'Preview' button more frequently!
Posted by: Panhandler at March 15, 2005 04:59 PMAnother good one is "This is a private family matter!" Like people wouldn't be all up in the face if they decided to abuse their kid. Plenty of laws about that and lots of State intervention.
Posted by: Donnah at March 17, 2005 01:41 PM