What if YOU were Terri Schiavo

I just think that it is a sad situation that nobody can really come up with a clear answer with. The problem I have with her being taken off the tube is the value of a life. Who gets to decide who lives and dies in what situation. Sounds like euthenasia to me. Sure I would want to die in her case but we are not God. Another thing that bothers me is that this guy is mainly after money. I have seen children with water on the brain and are in the same condition Terry is in and they are not euthanized. Should we end their lives because they cannot function properly. This opens up a can of worms.

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I never want to die.

But if i am brain dead I probably won't even care one way or the other.

Since i am eventually going to die anyway, I say give me a month to see if i regain cognitive function, after that i am just taking resources from the truly living, and feel free to pull the plug.

If i look uncomfortable as i pass please give me morphine.
Thx.

Lots of morphine.

My life is my own. Not owned by the state in some communist system.

Tired of communist/socialist religious types who think they own everyone's life.

Do you really want your legacy to be that you pointlessly sucked up resources for no good reason what-so-ever? That might have been used to cure a child or adult of some curable disease?

That is something to be ashamed of.

Do you want to force that legacy upon her?
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Originally posted by MauiStacey
Heck she doesn't even KNOW she is alive.

You don't know that. No one knows that. She has never had an
MRI or a CT scan. Tests have never been done to see exactly what
condition her brain is in because her 'husband' wants her dead.

People in WORSE shape than Terri have come back and said that
they heard everything, and they remembered everything, including
the pain of attempted starvation - like Terri is going through now.

Originally posted by Amuk
If I was her husband I would put a pillow over her face years ago

That very well could be what he did to begin with, that started all this
mess. The poor woman was abused and battered by him. She was
covered with bruises and had bone trama ... AND just before she
'collapsed' she told people that she wanted a divorce. Now he just
wants to finish the job off.

transcripts.cnn.com...

Transcript from the Larry King Show

Michael Schiavo admits that he doesn't now,
and never did, know what Terri wanted in this
situation. All his talk about Terri claiming
that she didn't want a feeding tube ... he
made it all up just to kill her off. He admits
that it is what 'we' (he and his partner in
adultery) want.

EXCERPT from the show -

"I won't give it up," he said. "Terri is my life. I'm going to carry out her
wishes to the very end. This is what she wanted. It's not about the
Schindlers. It's not about me, not about Congress. It's about Terri."


Shortly after saying his determination to end Terri's life was about her
wishes, Schiavo changed his story in the King interview. Asked if he
understood her family's feelings, he said: "Yes, I do. But this is not about
them, it's about Terri. And I've also said that in court. We didn't know
what Terri wanted, but this is what we want. ..."

We didn't know what Terri wanted,
but this is what we want...

We didn't know what Terri wanted,
but this is what we want...

We didn't know what Terri wanted,
but this is what we want...

That's VERY clear, isn't it?? And all that talk
about Terri being 'his life'? 10 years ago he
broke his 'in sickness and in health' vows and
moved in with another woman. The adulterous
couple have two children. Terri definately isn't
'his life'.
****************************************
Now to answer the question posed by the author of this
thread. What would I want if I was in Terri's position ....

I would NOT want to be starved to death. It's a VERY
painful and prolonged process. I would hope that I
would receive the proper medical care, something Terri
hasn't gotten. I would want CAT scans and MRIs done
immediately, something Terri has never gotten. I would
want dental care so my teeth wouldn't turn black and
fall down the back of my throat, something Terri has not
gotten. I would want physical therapy, something Terri
has not gotten. I would want FOOD and WATER so as
not to die painfully, something that Terri has had witheld
from her twice before and is going through yet again.
I would want a husband that cared and that wanted me
to live to my fullest, something Terri doesn't have. I would
want any and all money won in a malpractice suit (if there
was one like Terri Had) actually spent on ME to help me
recover ... instead of on death lawyers to try to kill me off.
I would want a full investigation into how I got in that
condition, and I would expect those closest to me (including
my husband) to be fully investigated, as well as my own
physical condition to be taken into consideration. Being 26
and suddenly going from abused wife to brain damaged with
bruises and bone trama and bed ridden should throw up red flags.

THOSE are the things I would want if I were in Terri's position.


[edit on 3/21/2005 by FlyersFan]

As far as I was aware she is not "aware", at least that is how it is being reported here. The silly thing is some footage of earlier in her life when she was not as badly ill is being shown, this may be confusing people as to her current health. However I may be wrong here and I would only say that the reporting is bad if that is the case, I am not next to her so really do not know.

If she is vegetative, then personally I find it sick that she is being kept alive, it is a disgusting way to treat any animal.

I would also add though, that being left to die through dehydration is pretty grim whether aware or not. Surely an injection to send her away to peace is a better option.

Originally posted by marg6043
If I was Terri Schiavo I will be asking the president why my life was more important than the life of the baby that was allowed to die in Texas.

If I was Terri Schiavo I will ask the president also what did he gain from his act of generosity for me but not for the baby in Texas.

If I was Terri Schiavo I will ask anybody in this boards what they feel about the poor mother in Texas that had to see her baby die because she could not afford the medical care for him and bush sign it into effect.

And I will ask the president if he took in consideration the color of the skin of the baby.

I'm sure you would ask Bush the three questions you just proposed if you were Terri. But I'm happy this post gave you the opportunity bash Bush.

Chief

I'm sure you would ask Bush the three questions you just proposed if you were Terri. But I'm happy this post gave you the opportunity bash Bush.

Bush just singed the order bacuase it was the "popular" thing to do. He did it so to up his favor rating. Talk about self serving.

too bad the hospice doesn't have one of those workers that likes to secretly poison the patients. she would of died long ago of a "heart attack" and none of this would be going on. it also would of been better than starving to death. why don't they just give her a lethal injection?

What if YOU were Terri Schiavo

When I finally died, I'd come back and haunt every god damned person that kept me alive in agony for over 15 years...instead of letting me go with dignity. That's what I'd do if I was Terry.

i'm sure saying that she is in agony is gonna get a bunch of responses. unless she starts talking or knows morse code and bangs her head back and forth like joe bonham.

i'm sure saying that she is in agony is gonna get a bunch of responses. unless she starts talking or knows morse code and bangs her head back and forth like joe bonham.

15 years of being a brain-damaged vegetable... Want her to wait another 15 so you can find out for yourself? How nice of you...

We show more compassion for our pets in allowing euthanasia.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure anyone, even her husband, would prefer she go with something less painful than starvation, but unfortunately, they're too busy rushing into legislation to prolong her suffering than to end it in a peaceful manner... This isn't about right or left, it's about the federal government overstepping it's bounds, as well as the Executive branch overstepping it's bounds to trample over the Legislative and Judicial branches.

Originally posted by Gazrok

What if YOU were Terri Schiavo

When I finally died, I'd come back and haunt every god damned person that kept me alive in agony for over 15 years...instead of letting me go with dignity. That's what I'd do if I was Terry.

Good post Gaz, if I could vote for you I would.

Another member of a mailing list I belong to posted this:

As a culture, we have progressed very far down the 'quality of life' road. A
few years ago, when my twins were 2, I was in a serious car accident. My arm
was badly broken, and I was to have general anesthesia and surgery.

As I waited for the orderlies to take me to the operating room, a nurse
presented me with a living will to sign. Right then and there--what a
convenience!--I could formally request that the hospital take no
extraordinary measures to save my life if something went wrong.

Mind you, I was not offered a choice of forms.

There was no form to sign if I wanted the feeding tube and the extraordinary
measures.

So there I am, a mother of three, with a broken arm for God's sake, and I'm
being asked to Go Quietly if I wake up with brain damage.

I refused to sign. Then I added, for good measure, that if something did go
wrong I wanted all conceivable measures taken to save my life, up to and
including experimental procedures, and then, after that, I wanted my husband
to form a foundation to raise money to fund research for a cure.

NO ONE SPOKE.

I think it's very telling and appropriate.

Originally posted by MauiStacey
What would you want to happen?

Even though the answer can never come from Terri, i would choose to live.

And from a medical aspect, a patient who is deemed to be 'brain dead' would not be able to breathe unassisted. Let alone sit up and smile. Terri is not 'brain dead'. The fact she has a 'peg' or feeding tube is because she can't eat through her mouth as she would choke.

Sanc'.

Mind you, I was not offered a choice of forms.

There was no form to sign if I wanted the feeding tube and the extraordinary
measures.

So there I am, a mother of three, with a broken arm for God's sake, and I'm
being asked to Go Quietly if I wake up with brain damage.

I refused to sign. Then I added, for good measure, that if something did go
wrong I wanted all conceivable measures taken to save my life, up to and
including experimental procedures, and then, after that, I wanted my husband
to form a foundation to raise money to fund research for a cure.

Excellent example. And THIS is exactly why the law provides for your spouse to make the decisions. Because NO form could take all such variables into account. Years ago, since this whole thing began, my solution was this, simply give your spouse the power of attorney in the case of your incapacitation. Now the law kind of does this already, but with it established ahead of time, if that event occurs, you can ensure that this kind of tragedy such as Terri's never occurs with you.

a vegetable huh. how far does this "vegetable" label extend. the lady is awake, smiles, and breathes on her own. these traits might fit the definition of a vegetable but i would not go by a definition of what 2 doctors came up with in the 70's if i had a family member in the same situation. her parents say that she knows when they are in the room and that she attempts to speak. now i don't know if that is all fact but why accept michael schiavo's asessment of terry's condition over her parents? there are doctors for both sides that say different things. it is also said that "eye tracking" is a good sign that recovery may be on the way. they oughta give her another 15 years and if she doesn't improve by that point just pull the tube or give her the pillow treatment.

What if I was Terri Schiavo?

Quite frankly I wouldnt have any thoughts on the matter because my cerebral cortex would be gone. Thats right her cerebral cortex is mostly gone or none functioning. Thats one of the facts they dont want people to know about this case. She has had CT scans done! and guess what they show.Schiavo CT scan
A huge chunk of her brain that will not grow back has atrophied away to nothing from lack of use. That big black spot in the middle is spinal fluid!

they oughta give her another 15 years and if she doesn't improve by that point just pull the tube or give her the pillow treatment.

Not our decision. The law states that such decisions are for the spouse to make, and he made it years ago. The right to make this decision has been upheld in court after court, year after year, all the way to the State Supreme Court, which also upheld his right to do so. Now though, her parents, and politicians, have completely circumvented the checks and balance system, and now threaten to completely undermine the constitution, by exploiting existing legal loopholes, and not only is this a tragedy for Terri, but now for the entire future of our nation... Good job.

Yipes! Thanks for the link. Poor thing.

Why would anyone fight to keep her alive.

When I finally died, I'd come back and haunt every god damned person that kept me alive in agony for over 15 years...instead of letting me go with dignity. That's what I'd do if I was Terry.