Monday, February 28, 2005
Selfishness, Life, and Terri Schaivo
Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LID), today called on all Americans, especially those involved in the Terri Schindler Schiavo case, to refrain from being swayed by pro-euthanasia rhetoric and to keep in mind the facts of the case. "There are some basic facts that are getting lost in this case," Scott said. "It's time that we review the facts and keep them in mind as we determine Terri's fate."
Some doctors have claimed that Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state" and will never recover. Yet Scott argues that this is immaterial. "Qualified medical personnel often disagree on a 'persistent vegetative state' diagnosis. More importantly, when a doctor says that a person will never recover, I remember all the cases where they turned out to be wrong." Scott recalled the case of a young man who doctors said would never come out of a coma. They were urging the family to stop life support. "He came out of the coma and his first words were, 'I want a steak,'" Scott said. "The brain is the one part of the body about which scientists still know very little. We need to stop speaking in absolutes about such cases."
"It is really not the least bit important whether Terri is in a 'persistent vegetative state' or whether she will eventually recover from her condition," Scott said. "Terri's very right to live can't be dependent upon her abilities or condition. Once we go down this subjective road every person is vulnerable to the whims of others."
Scott noted that referring to a person as a "vegetable" is an attempt to dehumanize them. "No person is ever a 'vegetable'. Vegetables grow in the ground. They are carrots, cucumbers, peas, and the like. They are never human beings. Terri Schindler Schiavo was made in the likeness of God; cauliflower was not."
Michael Schiavo has claimed that Terri once said she would not want to live in such a condition. "No kidding," Scott responded. "No one would. But assuming for a moment that Terri made such a statement, she could not possibly have known the exact condition in which she would find herself." Scott said he doubts that Terri made any such statement, but even if she had done so, it was clearly made in a flippant manner. "If Terri Schindler Schiavo felt strongly about the kind of care she would receive under such circumstances, her wishes would have been put in writing. They were not put in writing. We are going to kill this woman on the basis of hearsay or, more likely, the selfishness of one man."
Source: CCN
Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LID), today called on all Americans, especially those involved in the Terri Schindler Schiavo case, to refrain from being swayed by pro-euthanasia rhetoric and to keep in mind the facts of the case. "There are some basic facts that are getting lost in this case," Scott said. "It's time that we review the facts and keep them in mind as we determine Terri's fate."
Some doctors have claimed that Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state" and will never recover. Yet Scott argues that this is immaterial. "Qualified medical personnel often disagree on a 'persistent vegetative state' diagnosis. More importantly, when a doctor says that a person will never recover, I remember all the cases where they turned out to be wrong." Scott recalled the case of a young man who doctors said would never come out of a coma. They were urging the family to stop life support. "He came out of the coma and his first words were, 'I want a steak,'" Scott said. "The brain is the one part of the body about which scientists still know very little. We need to stop speaking in absolutes about such cases."
"It is really not the least bit important whether Terri is in a 'persistent vegetative state' or whether she will eventually recover from her condition," Scott said. "Terri's very right to live can't be dependent upon her abilities or condition. Once we go down this subjective road every person is vulnerable to the whims of others."
Scott noted that referring to a person as a "vegetable" is an attempt to dehumanize them. "No person is ever a 'vegetable'. Vegetables grow in the ground. They are carrots, cucumbers, peas, and the like. They are never human beings. Terri Schindler Schiavo was made in the likeness of God; cauliflower was not."
Michael Schiavo has claimed that Terri once said she would not want to live in such a condition. "No kidding," Scott responded. "No one would. But assuming for a moment that Terri made such a statement, she could not possibly have known the exact condition in which she would find herself." Scott said he doubts that Terri made any such statement, but even if she had done so, it was clearly made in a flippant manner. "If Terri Schindler Schiavo felt strongly about the kind of care she would receive under such circumstances, her wishes would have been put in writing. They were not put in writing. We are going to kill this woman on the basis of hearsay or, more likely, the selfishness of one man."
Source: CCN
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