The Right To Die...

I don't know where I'm coming from on the Schiavo matter.. I'm partial to her well-being which no one can seem to understand.. Now that it's "gone political" - I have real disdain for those that want to further their political lobbying on someone else's hardship -- who probably never wanted to have the attention she's getting..

Euthanasia is one of those issues that I really believe resides in the individual.. It's assisted suicide.. Now if we're going to legalize suicide -- which by itself seems to be an oxymoron because if one really is successful in suicide, the law is really meaningless....

...but if we're going to make a law saying it's okay to take one's life - then shouldn't we be examining "all life" (i.e. those on death row, abortion, etc)?? I know I'm cutting across the grain on this one, but if someone doesn't like it here - I'm not really inclined to keep them alive to make me feel better.. It's not MY choice to make, it's not YOUR choice in the matter, -- it's THEIRS -- Michael and Terri.. In Terri's case, we don't know what her choice is -- or what she ultimately would want.. Her husband says that they talked about it before the accident and she said then she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means.. And if that were true, and if she said don't keep me alive, then this shouldn't be an issue..

Opponents believe that it will become an elderly free-for-all.. Old people, young people, every person on the planet will spontaneously go out and take their life.. Well guess what?? That happens on a daily basis anyway.. Making it a law doesn't mean God is going to reconsider sending someone back down from heaven because we've said so!! Even if that was the case, what government has the right to ordain that it's proper for a person to kill themselves or not??

A very personal example: my grandmother was very sick of living.. Her friends were dead, she couldn't care for herself anymore, and there was parts of her life that were dead already.. She wasn't active as she once was, and she wasn't adjusting that well to being an elderly citizen.. She was alone.. She was sick.. She was prone to accidents.. She became incontinence.. She was alive, but she wasn't living..

I remember when her and I talked several years before she died that she didn't understand why God was keeping her alive.. In her eyes, God was really pissed at her for some reason because she really wanted to go - she felt tired and no longer wanted to be here.. Spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically.. When we explore the whole aspect of "quality of life" ... what are we really saying?? Are we even listening?? What about the part of a kind and compassionate God?? If we're to be absolutely protective of all life - regardless, shouldn't we be re-writing the laws that condone the death of people who are incarcerated?? What about those thousands of people in Iraq, in the Sudan, in the Congo?? What about the Right to Live in those countries??

And which definition do we care to use to determine "quality of life??" Just because my grandmother wasn't hooked up to a feeder tube 24 hours a day doesn't mean her life wasn't miserable.. She *wanted* to go.. She felt her time in this existence was over and she wanted to be up in heaven.. No one assisted in her death - and she had a DNR on her chart.. When she reached that point - she was going to die, and she did..

On the otherhand, my other grandmother really lived life to its fullest - despite the fact she was legally blind and was going through many of the struggles my other grandmother was going through.. She managed to do what she could, and was very happy with that.. She was active, seemingly happy, and enjoying what she could manage.. Clearly we can measure the differences in the quality of life between them and I think it's totally appropriate that they have the choice as to how they wanted to live the remaining years of their life..

Even though it's a purely personal decision to make, why are we allowing the government to step in to make the choice for us?? And why?? It should be a personal decision to make.. No one should be forced to stay alive for the benefit for the rest of us.. That's intolerably cruel..

Here's what it boils down to for me:

-Terri's been alive for the last 14 years.. The quality of her life hasn't been the greatest.. She's been classified as "permanently vegetative.." What kind of quality of life is that??

-If I were to subscribe to the belief that Terri would get better if she was going under more intense treatment, I do not know it's our choice to make.. That's something that had to have been considered by Terri and her husband.. Because if there had been this miracle treatment that was never pursued - why?? No promise, not a very good percentage, no real guarantee??

-Moreover, I haven't heard much, if at all - about this "intensive treatment" and what it would ultimately mean.. If this therapy has been available, then WHY hasn't it been given to her?? Too expensive?? If they can't afford it - then they can't afford it.. Forcing her to live isn't going to solve the fact they can't afford the intensive treatment..

-It's not as though her husband has been denying her medical treatment.. She's being fed through a feeding tube for the last 14 years, hello!

-If Terri really measured out that it's not worth the struggle she has gone through for 14 years, then is anyone really listening to her?? We've preserved her life 14 years beyond that which was probably her time to go.. Regardless of all the treatments, surgeries, and options - nothing has made Terri better..

Are we playing God here??
Are we going places we really shouldn't be going??

When we can keep someone alive beyond their personal capability, beyond their desire to live, then why must we mandate that she must live?? Why must the Congress, the Presidency, all of the various religions and the rest of the world intervene on behalf of the life of one woman who is in a permanent vegetative state??

This really shouldn't be a political issue.. Nor should it be a religious issue.. It's a personal issue.. A personal issue between one person and her fate.. If she wants to live - then the tube should go back in; end of story.. But if she doesn't - then let her live the remaining days of her life so that she can move on..

Drop the political subpoena bullshit..
Cut all the media hype, the radio pundit rhetoric, and the evangelical manipulations..
Rip the religious duct tape from your hypocritical mouths and let's strongly, deeply consider what Terri wants..

It's her life..

If she's spoken - then let it go..