the sad case of terri schiavo.
A few thoughts on the Terri Schiavo case (this is taken from a published comment I made on another blog):
This whole case takes me back to something I truly believe: death is not the worst thing that can happen to you.
This case also makes me very sad. I understand the stances of both the parents and the husband. I can accept both sides, even though I I can certainly put myself on a specific side of this. I am personally fed up with others like some folks I know who villify the husband as trying to "get her out of the way."
Terri Schiavo, if you ask me, died several years ago. Her brain is essentially inactive. Yes, I know. She "reacts" to her surroundings. But that doesn't equate to much, if you ask me.
I know I sound incredibly callous. I guess I draw from my own, personal experiences on this matter. And, to be completely truthful, I wish so many activists and assholes on both sides would go the fuck away and let the family deal with it.
I am sickened -- SICKENED -- by all these self-righteous motherfuckers who rush headlong into every gaggle of reporters they can find to tell you how they're doing this, that or the other in the name of Terri Schiavo.
Bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. These assholes, just like everybody else, are just out to advance their own cause and Terri Schiavo is a pawn in your game. That is absolutely offensive to me.
I had to listen to somebody recently spout off incessantly about the preservation of life. Life? Is that what that is? It's so easy to armchair quarterback when you're not dealing with. What are the husband's intentions? I don't know. What are the parents' intentions? I don't know. I do not believe, however, that either are motivated from a dark, or evil place as the smug commentators and "activists" would like you to believe.
I am especially sickened that a Republican Congress has decided to take up the cause. I thought Republicans were about LESS government? Ha! Fucking assholes. I hate them. I hate them all. Both sides can go straight to hell, if you ask me.
I eluded to having some personal empathy for the Schiavos because I can sort of relate to their situation. I watched a dear friend slowly wither and die for about three years after lapsing into a coma on 22 Oct 1989. He was just shy of his 19th birthday when he had a diabetic seizure (we think) and went into a coma. He never regained consciousness.
Comas are very peculiar things. Matt would, very regularly, look around, focus on a person talking, even make vocal noises. While I suppose you could make the claim that he was "aware" of his surroundings, HE -- the Matt that I knew -- was long gone.
He was a vibrant, healthy young man who spent the next three years laying in a hospital bed. He eventually died of natural causes. My only wish is he had died sooner. I mean that sincerely.
After the first three or six months of hope, we started to realize that this was never going to get better. Yes, he had therapy of sorts. Yes, he had care. But no, it was not the friend that I knew. It was not the son, nephew and brother his immediate family knew.
I'm not saying that we sat around and IMMEDIATELY said, "we have to put a stop to this," because we didn't. After a few Christmases, birthdays, even a wedding of a close friend, though, you begin to realize that this is never going to get better.
In February of 1992, the family decided they would no longer treat any illness or inffection, the decision was made that they would let him die.Matt's body caught up to the rest of him in August and he finally died.
I was sad, indeed. But I was mostly relieved.
What's my point in all this? It's easy for all of us, myself included, to have a strong opinion on this. But at the end of the day, I'd love if we all just left the family of Terri Schiavo alone and let them deal with this.
The entire case is sad. Sad that a young woman has been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Sad that she, for all intents and purposes, "died" 15 years ago. Sad that her family hasn't know the Terri Schiavo they once knew for 15 years. My heart goes out to her parents because I could not imagine being exactly in their position. And that's my point -- none of us can. So let's leave them alone.
Had any of those right-to-lifers decided to take up Matt's cause, I promise you I would've met their argument with a Louisville Slugger.
And had any other activists of any sort stepped up, I would've shown them the door as well.
But that's just me.
This whole case takes me back to something I truly believe: death is not the worst thing that can happen to you.
This case also makes me very sad. I understand the stances of both the parents and the husband. I can accept both sides, even though I I can certainly put myself on a specific side of this. I am personally fed up with others like some folks I know who villify the husband as trying to "get her out of the way."
Terri Schiavo, if you ask me, died several years ago. Her brain is essentially inactive. Yes, I know. She "reacts" to her surroundings. But that doesn't equate to much, if you ask me.
I know I sound incredibly callous. I guess I draw from my own, personal experiences on this matter. And, to be completely truthful, I wish so many activists and assholes on both sides would go the fuck away and let the family deal with it.
I am sickened -- SICKENED -- by all these self-righteous motherfuckers who rush headlong into every gaggle of reporters they can find to tell you how they're doing this, that or the other in the name of Terri Schiavo.
Bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. These assholes, just like everybody else, are just out to advance their own cause and Terri Schiavo is a pawn in your game. That is absolutely offensive to me.
I had to listen to somebody recently spout off incessantly about the preservation of life. Life? Is that what that is? It's so easy to armchair quarterback when you're not dealing with. What are the husband's intentions? I don't know. What are the parents' intentions? I don't know. I do not believe, however, that either are motivated from a dark, or evil place as the smug commentators and "activists" would like you to believe.
I am especially sickened that a Republican Congress has decided to take up the cause. I thought Republicans were about LESS government? Ha! Fucking assholes. I hate them. I hate them all. Both sides can go straight to hell, if you ask me.
I eluded to having some personal empathy for the Schiavos because I can sort of relate to their situation. I watched a dear friend slowly wither and die for about three years after lapsing into a coma on 22 Oct 1989. He was just shy of his 19th birthday when he had a diabetic seizure (we think) and went into a coma. He never regained consciousness.
Comas are very peculiar things. Matt would, very regularly, look around, focus on a person talking, even make vocal noises. While I suppose you could make the claim that he was "aware" of his surroundings, HE -- the Matt that I knew -- was long gone.
He was a vibrant, healthy young man who spent the next three years laying in a hospital bed. He eventually died of natural causes. My only wish is he had died sooner. I mean that sincerely.
After the first three or six months of hope, we started to realize that this was never going to get better. Yes, he had therapy of sorts. Yes, he had care. But no, it was not the friend that I knew. It was not the son, nephew and brother his immediate family knew.
I'm not saying that we sat around and IMMEDIATELY said, "we have to put a stop to this," because we didn't. After a few Christmases, birthdays, even a wedding of a close friend, though, you begin to realize that this is never going to get better.
In February of 1992, the family decided they would no longer treat any illness or inffection, the decision was made that they would let him die.Matt's body caught up to the rest of him in August and he finally died.
I was sad, indeed. But I was mostly relieved.
What's my point in all this? It's easy for all of us, myself included, to have a strong opinion on this. But at the end of the day, I'd love if we all just left the family of Terri Schiavo alone and let them deal with this.
The entire case is sad. Sad that a young woman has been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Sad that she, for all intents and purposes, "died" 15 years ago. Sad that her family hasn't know the Terri Schiavo they once knew for 15 years. My heart goes out to her parents because I could not imagine being exactly in their position. And that's my point -- none of us can. So let's leave them alone.
Had any of those right-to-lifers decided to take up Matt's cause, I promise you I would've met their argument with a Louisville Slugger.
And had any other activists of any sort stepped up, I would've shown them the door as well.
But that's just me.
