Personally I feel this is a case of the legislative unnecessarily locking horns with the judiciary. Firstly courts don’t hand out verdicts just for kicks. I read the background to this case and it looks like more than a dozen experts in the medical field have testified that there is absolutely no chance of a reversibility in Terri’s current vegetative state.

Moreover pulling out her feed tube contrary to popular opinion doesn’t starve her to death, rather it dehydrates her. Here too experts agree that this is probably the most peaceful way to die considering her current condition.

Moreover medical field splits Coma into 2 categories:
* Vegetative state
* Minimally conscious state
It is only the minimally conscious state that is capable to allowing the patient to return to consciousness someday. Terri’s parents have failed to prove that this is the case.

As a recent Time article pointed out, there are 2 things to take away from this case:

* Its not a slam dunk — you can’t simply get rid of the spouse and turn over the reins to Terri’s parents.
* We have a responsibility to our loved ones to let them know what should be done with us if we ever get into a state where we can’t make decisions for ourselves.

Not so fast, Dilip!

There are videos at http://www.terrisfight.org that show her responding to her parents and smiling at them - that is not a vegetable. H

Her husband claimed millions in settlements saying that he will rehabilitate her and then refused to do so and stands to inherit the money in case of her death - that is a clear conflict of interest.

Here is atleast one other neurologist who doesn’t believe she is a vegetable based on the video evidence - http://www.patterico.blogspot.com/2003_10_01_patterico_archive.html#106674605629219442

Terri has both a feeding tube and a hydration tube, both of which were going to removed - whether it is dehydration or starvation, your body always puts up a fight in a prolonged death and I wouldn’t let someone kill a dog like that.

There are as many experts as those who think she is a vegetable, arguing that she is capable of being rehabilitated - three experts like that asked for a court order to conduct swallowing tests on her, claiming that she is perfectly capable of swallowing - court refused.

When there is doubt, as there is plenty in this case (seriously, did the husband remember Terri’s wishes not to be kept alive like that only after he received the money settlement some 6 years after her stroke?) - I prefer to err on the side of life than death.

Unrelated entry -

Shanti, I’m bumping back the blog mela dates by a week since Deepak had some confusion with his dates and the actual hosting. I’ll put up the nominations pages today and the actual mela will be up on the 31st. Hope that is ok… apologies to the other melas which would eventually get bumped back a week too, but will now be back on the Friday schedule.

Ankh, thanks for checking about that - that should be no problem - I will notify the other hosts of their changed schedules :)

seriously, don’t people have better issues to write about? someone’s a vegetable, not paying tax, just a burden on society. it hardly makes a difference to society whether they live or die.

now, the only people it makes a difference to are the people close to that person, who attach some emotional value to the vegetable body of that person.

let them slug it out, maybe jerry springer can be roped in on this. a good show is always worth the money you waste not working while watching it.

seriously, don’t people have better issues to write about? someone’s a vegetable, not paying tax, just a burden on society. it hardly makes a difference to society whether they live or die.

now, the only people it makes a difference to are the people close to that person, who attach some emotional value to the vegetable body of that person.

let them slug it out, maybe jerry springer can be roped in on this. a good show is always worth the money you waste not working while watching it.

I disagree, Ashwini - Why do we talk about abortion? definitely not because unborn babies pay taxes or do something to the society - there is no way of telling if they will grow up to be peaceful or menaces to the society.

A life permitted to be slowly taken by a society is something that should be of concern to all of us, since who knows - we might end up in a similar situation some day.

I am not so sure about this case. I did believe that she should be kept alive but then I read the above article and I am confused. According to the article no one in a persistive vegatative state ever comes out of it after more than six months. This women is in a persistive vegatative state because she cannot track anything with her eyes. A persistant vegatative state is different from a state of lockin where people respond to visual stimuli and can even communicate by blinking like for instance Lorenzo in the movie Lorenzo’s Oil. Actions like laughing and smiling are considered reflex actions and are also observed in other vegitative patients. The article also states that people in a vegitative state have no higher order cognitive functioning. I wonder how it is known that they have no higher order brain function. Can it be checked with MRI? If she does have no higher order brain function then as far as I am concerned she is basically dead.

Oh here is the article

http://www.reason.com/links/links102303.shtml

Anonymous, thanks for the link to the article - just one point. There is a video at terrisfight.org in which a doctor is trying to make Terri track a balloon with her eyes - she actually follows it around and you can hear the doctor say that she is doing good tracking it.

Of course, I am one of those people who would rather die than be kept alive artificially, but I am just not sure if Terri’s husband really has her best interests at heart, that’s all.

but I am just not sure if Terri’s husband really has her best interests at heart

the thing I am not sure is if we have any locus standi to take such a position…

There is a video at terrisfight.org in which a doctor is trying to make Terri track a balloon with her eyes - she actually follows it around and you can hear the doctor say that she is doing good tracking it

Check out this paragraph in the same Reason article posted by anon:

”
… But what they show [the video links] seems to fit an AMA’s report of how PVS patients can respond to environmental cues without being aware. Specifically, the report notes, “Despite an ‘alert demeanor’, observation and examination repeatedly fail to demonstrate coherent speech, comprehension of the words of examiners or attendants, or any capacity to initiate or make consistently purposeful movements. Movements are largely confined to reflex withdrawals or posturing in response to noxious or other external stimuli. Since neither visual nor auditory signals require cortical integrity to stimulate brief orienting reflexes, some vegetative patients may turn the head or dart the eyes toward a noise or moving objects. However, PVS patients neither fixate upon nor consistently follow moving objects with the eyes, nor do they show other than startle responses to loud stimuli. They blink when air movements stimulate the cornea but not in the presence of visual threats per se.”
“

Good heavens, Dilip! Is it a man thing to refuse to see something that stares you so obviously in face?

The man fought in court for settlement money of millions saying that all he wants to do in the world is to rehabilitate his wife - as soon as he gets the money (6 years after the stroke) he conveniently remembers that his wife wanted to to be killed rather than kept alive under such circumstances. How convenient is that!

Since her parents secretly videotaped her activities, they have been refused entrance to see her without him around - what is he so afraid of if all the videos prove his point?

He is openly living with another woman he is engaged to, has one child with and wants to marry her.

He has said within earshot of another nurse, “when will the bitch die?” about Terri.

Why is he so adamant to kill his wife that he supposedly loves so much?

Yeah, sure.
With enough therapy
she’ll be the new Frankenschiavo.
Stay tuned for the new
“Tales from the Crypt”
Starring Terri S.,
with her parents as
the Cryptkeepers,

To: Ashwini
I 2 disagree with u. U don’t sound smart the way u write about life.People who have worked & paid taxes all of their life and people who haven’t young or old, deserve a chance to live, if it’s their choice and if they can’t make a choice they deserve to live. Sounds like u got serious issues about life working & paying taxes. Most people that pay taxes don’t think people should die just because they don’t pay taxes. So, why don’t you just call a Doctor to take you and your loved ones out. Since your brain & taxes alone are so small world wide they don’t matter. To me people’s life, in any type of coma are important no matter who they are, my heart goes out to them and their families. SHAME ON YOU!