Rest in Peace..... Terry Schiavo

I will take this opportunity to sway in a direction opposite of the usual sarcasm and cynicism for this blog. I will take this opporortunity to share a guarded and often underplayed purpose of this blog, which is: my sicere opinion.

Terry Schiavo died today after her feeding tube was removed fourteen days ago at the order of her husband. Her parents faught for her life and pleaded with the supreme courts to keep her alive. I felt this death to be cruel and uncalled for, but her husband wanted to move on with his life and did not believe in divorce. nice. The media plays on this death in a variety of ways. They sympathize with the parents for fighting for their daughter. They empathize with the husband in his efforts to regain his normalacy and end a life that she wouldn't have wanted. What I didn't hear- is someone honestly speaking on behalf of Terry. Here is the thing. Her husband was holding on to the idea that this was a fully functioning woman trapped in a body without motion. the truth of it is, that Terry had had a heart attack, leaving her with brain damage and relying on a feeding tube for her nourishment. there was still a person very alive, it just wasn't the same person that Mr. Schiavo married. She smiled at ther parents, she felt pain, she responded to voices, she moved her eyes to indicate yes or no.

I work with folks like Terry quite often, regardless how they arrived at this life, I cannot imagine how another person, regardless of relation, could make a choice to end a persons life- with NO living will attached. Nothing. It was his preference. ugh. It seems to me that this case has taken us back a few steps in the area of awareness and equality for people with disabilities. I tink that if this was an animal, and someone slowly took away all of its basic needs, food and water, that Mr. Schiavo would be in jail right now for cruelity to animals. I have no doubt in my mind.

It is disappointing. Feel free to disagree, but these are my thoughts.

I hope Terry is living a full life, whereever she may be, and hands out a huge bitch slap to her husband should they ever reunite.

my best,
c