Quote:
Originally posted by bilmore
I truly don't get this one. Not Bob wants her dead. Ty wants her dead. RT wants her dead. They ridicule people who don't. From where do they derive a moral sanction to make and impose this judgment? Is it merely consistent with their longstanding fight in favor of capital punishment?
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My last post on this. A few points:
(1) I don't recall ridiculing anyone over this.
(2) Declining to have a feeding/hydration tube keep you alive is ok with the law, and apparently it's eveb ok with bilmore. It's not ok with the Catholic Church, and that's something I respect. Frankly, I agree that there is a difference between shutting a ventilator off and unplugging a feeding tube. But there apparently isn't a difference under the law in Florida. People get the choice over whether they want the tube or not.
(3) It sure would be nice if she had signed a living will, but she didn't. And, under Florida law, a written document isn't necessary.
(4) Nonetheless, there was a trial to determine if Terri wanted or didn't want the feeding tube. The judge (a conservative Republican, by the way) made findings that she did not want a feeding tube. He made these findings after hearing testimony from live witnesses, including court-appointed medical experts.
(5) These findings have been upheld on appeal.
(6) Should the husband not go with his wife's wishes that she not be kept alive? Why doesn't he just let mom and dad take over? I dunno and I dunno. Although, given the judge's findings that Terri didn't want the tube, his wishes are really no longer relevant.
(7) I understand where the parents are coming from. Their religious faith and their belief that as long as Terri is breathing there is hope for a miracle is why they are fighting. Most of the people supporting them probably feel the same way. I have a child, and I can see myself feeling the same way. I can also see myself in the husband's shoes -- wanting to do what my wife wanted, and not sentencing her to life as a vegetable. My heart aches for all of them.
(8) Maybe this is where bilmore sees ridicule -- I think that the Republican leadership in Congress has behaved despicably. As bad as Delay has been (I imagine some of his comments about the sancity of life, and the need for certainty, will be used in future debates over federal habeas review of death penalty cases), Frist has been worse. He's a doctor, for christsakes. He knows what the medical reports from the court-appointed doctors mean.
(9) I'm done.
