Early today, the 2nd District Court of Appeals cleared the way for Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube to be removed. This was promptly blocked by an emergency stay by Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer until 5pm tomorrow.
Much of the Christian right blogosphere which I read frequently is organizing a fight to keep Terri alive. The more I read, the more complex I think the issue is.
Is Terri in a persistant, vegitative state with no chance of recovery? Terri’s court appointed doctors say yes. There are videos that show Terri interacting with her mother, but the other side says Terri makes those same movements even when nobody is in the room.
What would Terri want? Her husband says Terri would want to die. Terri’s parents and siblings say Terri wants to live. Whatever it was, Terri never wrote it down. Courts have generally held that the spouse has the right and responsibility to make the decision, but in this case, the family is willing to take on the responsibility.
The husband isn’t a shining example of spousal love, by the way. He’s been living with another woman for years and fathered two children. There have been recent allegations that Terri’s coma was caused by the husband’s abuse, but court rulings so far don’t support this. The court holds that Terri’s injuries were caused by a chemical imbalance due to a misdiagnosed anorexia. The husband won a malpractice judgement due to the misdiagnosis.
Normally, I’d hold that the husband has the responsibility to uphold what he believes is his wife’s wish. In this case, though, Terri’s family wants the responsibility, and I think he should divorce her and give the care over to Terri’s family. That’s what they’ve been asking him to do.
What position is demanded by faith? I don’t think that’s very clear, either, though the sanctity of life always comes first. Not all religious people, though, want to be kept alive if they’re in a persistant vegitative state – many “living wills” ask that extraodinary methods not be used. And given God’s view on divorce, if the husband was a very religious man, he should stay married and carry out his wife’s wishes. He doesn’t appear to be a very devout man, though, unless there is a religion that condones live-in girlfriends and out-of-wedlock babies I’m not aware of.
And then there’s the fact that Terri is a practicing Catholic. The Pope holds that people in persistant vegitative states are entitled to nutrition, and Terri’s family says she would want to stay alive. That contradicts the husband’s testimony about what Terri would want, but that assumes he’s acting in her best interest. Ow. My head hurts.
Are there any views on this I’m overlooking? What is your opinion?
Update March 21 to correct the spelling from “Terry Schiavo” to “Terri Schiavo.”
Chasing the Wind 
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