6:08 p.m. - Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2005
My Opinion: Terri Shiavo
The following is only my opinion in this matter. I don't mean to insinuate that anyone else should have this same opinion. I wouldn't do that. But I do feel strongly about this matter and want to express myself here. Please don't go to my comments and begin cutting me to shreds because everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. If you disagree with me, that is your right and I respect it. Please allow me the same courtesy.
Now the first Federal judge has agreed with the decisions of the other courts and has refused to order the reinsertion of the feeding tube. From here it is put into the hands of the Federal Court of Appeals and then finally back to the Supreme Court, who has already refused to hear the case when it was in State Court.
I agree with one 50-ish news commentator who said that he'd hate to think that he would be held today to something he'd said when he was 20, because first of all, he knows a lot more now about most things than he did when he was 20. He's matured, he said, and some things he believed when he was 20 are changed now that he's older. I thought that was a very good point.
Today I find myself being very torn inside over this matter. I shocked myself by thinking it would be a relief if Mrs. Shiavo would simply slip on away into death immediately and all of this heartache and misery could come to an end. I only think this because it is so heart-wrenching to think how slowly she is indeed dying at this moment.
I wish the Shindler family (Mrs. Shiavo's blood relatives) hadn't brought this thing to the media's attention because it's so agonizing for the public to have to watch. I know, I know...I could turn off my set, but I can't. I'm pulled into this controversey until it ends.
I have to blame Mr. Shiavo for being so stubborn, not to mention hard-hearted, in this matter and just not going ahead and letting her family take Mrs. Shiavo home to die in peace. Even if he does think that to be kept alive by artificial means was Terri's wish, I don't think she would say that now if she could. I think when it all comes down to the bottom line, most people want to live just as long as they can, no matter how it is done, as long as someone holds out any hope.
I believe that because Terri Shiavo's blood family does have this hope that Mr. Shiavo is a completely selfish person to say he doesn't care what they think or feel, but that he will hold to one remark made by his wife in her 20's while watching a television show once. This is what makes my blood boil in this matter. He is completely selfish. I don't care if she did say that one time when she was 20, at least he should have some compassion on her family and let them deal with it since they want to . If he were to be honest from his heart, I think Mr. Shiavo would have to agree with that, and give up his right to guardianship over to the parents.
I know from watching and listening to all of this, that I would most certainly never leave my husband in charge of me in a case like this. I would want to leave my blood family in charge of my person if I were ever to be in the condition that Mrs. Shiavo is in.
You never know with non-blood relatives, I believe. I don't care how much he may love me at the time, my husband could do just what Mr. Shiavo has done, go on and find someone else to live with and even have children with her out of wedlock. I would never want to think that someone like that held my life in his hands.
And then on the media I hear Mr. Shiavo saying that he still loves Terri and always has, always will. I say: BALONEY! He's got a new woman and kids now. How can he still love Terri? And what about the woman he's co-habiting with now? What kind of woman is this? I have to think that there couldn't be too much of substance to her. And I've never met this woman. But what woman would stand up to hearing her husband swear in front of the world that he's still in love with Terri when he's supposed to be in love with the one he's with now? I hope whoever this woman is that she will kick Mr. Shiavo's butt out of her life after all of this. He deserves it.
But, no matter how much I love the guy, I would never make my husband legal guardian over my life after viewing this blood-chilling battle. I don't want to make things unbearable for my family to make decisions for me either and so I will express my decisions in writing for them to follow or adjust as they see fit. I will make sure that they understand that I trust them always to make the best decisions in regard to artificial life support of any kind. I will also state that my own thoughts would be that once I'm absolutely brain dead, meaning having no brain funcion at all including brain stem function as Mrs. Shiavo has, that I would have no problems with being removed from life support for I see no reason to keep a body without brain function alive only by machines. But as long as the brain stem funcions then I think Mrs. Shiavo should be allowed to continue whatever amount of life she has left.
The parents of Terri Shiavo, whether imagined or not, claim that she does show emotions toward them. They are willing to sell their home and take care of Mrs. Shiavo themselves. My opinion is that they should be allowed to do this.
Slow starvation like this is really cruel. I want to believe that Mrs. Shiavo's probably not in pain. The doctors assure us via tv that they will give her medication if needed to prevent any pain. I still say give her some poison or put a bullet into her head. It would seem a much more humane way to let her die than slow starvation.
