IF TERRI IS NEXT WHAT ABOUT YOUR OR I

This is a VERY TOUCHY huge issue - right to life. I'm not even sure how I feel about it - but there's so much to consider. #1 - what's the quality of life? #2 - is it a he said/she said issue between the husband and her family? If so, who's to decide who can make that call?

I briefly saw this on the news this AM and from what I heard, no one's on the same page. The dr's are saying she's a vegetable and her family is saying she's completely aware of her surroundings.

Either way, it's a very sad situation for anyone to be involved in

I added the insurance money part, if she is nt a burden to him and her family is willing to take on the responsibility why is he so ready to do away with her. I feel there has to be some gain in it for him

Terri was 26 years old when she suffered brain damage from a sudden collapse. Terri receives her food and water by means of a feeding tube. Terri’s other bodily functions are physically stable. Terri smiles, laughs and cries. Terri recognizes voices and responds. At times, she vocalizes sounds, trying in her best way to speak. Terri is not a brain dead vegetable as characterized by her husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo nor a houseplant as implied by his attorney. Terri is not on a respirator or any artificial life support. She is a living human being and needs to be granted an opportunity to recover. Terri has not had any progressive rehabilitation or arousal therapy in more than ten years.

In a trial initiated by Michael Schiavo, Circuit Court Judge, George W. Greer, issued a verdict delivered on February 11, 2000. Judge Greer granted authorization to discontinue Terri’s feeding tube. Judge Greer’s verdict will cause Terri to die in 10 to 14 days. Terri’s death will be by painful starvation.

Background

In a malpractice lawsuit, Terri’s husband personally received over $300,000 for his loss of consortium. Terri was awarded $750,000 from this suit and an additional $250,000 from a separate malpractice lawsuit. The money was awarded to Terri for her care and rehabilitation and to be placed in a Medical Trust Fund. Terri’s husband received his personal award money and Terri’s medical fund money in early 1993. From the date he received the award money in 1993, Michael Schiavo has denied Terri any rehabilitation treatment. Michael Schiavo has confined Terri to a nursing home (currently, Terri is in a Hospice facility) where she is 'maintained.'

Her husband has directed that Terri only be sustained in a nursing home which is contrary to the intent of the award money. Michael Schiavo has on two occasions unsuccessfully attempted to end Terri’s life by instructing her caretakers not to medicate Terri for potentially fatal infections. The first occasion occurred less than nine months after her husband received the malpractice award money.

Some Facts

Terri has no will. Should she die, her husband will inherit what is left of Terri’s $750,000 medical fund.
Terri’s husband lives in a house with Jodi Centonze. He openly admits that he has been engaged to this women for over seven years, have recently given birth to a baby girl, and has announced plans to marry her when Terri is no longer alive.
Since receiving the award money in 1993, her husband has ceased and prohibited any new or aggressive treatment for Terri. He has only maintained Terri at a nursing home (currently, Terri is in a Hospice facility). He has totally ignored or denied rehabilitation therapy that could possibly assist Terri’s recovery.
Since 1993, Terri’s husband has consistently and deliberately withheld all medical information and data from Terri’s family. Over the past eight years he has ordered Terri’s caretakers not to reveal any medical or neurological information
Michael Schiavo will not permit any doctor to examine Terri other than the doctors he selects.
As Terri’s legal guardian, her husband has used her medical fund money to offset the legal costs when his guardianship of Terri was initially challenged and to pay the current legal costs to have Terri’s life ended.
Terri responds regularly to the presence of her parents and friends. Her husband's doctors testified Terri's cognizant responses to Terri’s parents and friends are simply a reflex action

ETS: Ok, this is the case I heard about then.

It sounds like a lot of hearsay. If the husband is the primary caregiver, then he is the only one who is going to see medical records and get the full story from the doctors, wrt his wife. I went through this with my grandmothers drs - my sister and I wanted my mother off as her primary, and me on (as the primary). It was a pain in the a*s but they finally relented to make me secondary - and it was only then that I was given full access.

So I still stand by what I said - I feel the family is reacting on emotion without listening to facts...from the doctors. It's sad...either way.

I believe that what you are reading Shamma is very one sided. I have read about this case quite a bit and a lot of what is in the article you posted is incomplete.

First of all she has been in a comatose state for 10 years. There are different levels of coma and while she may respond to some stimuli she is not able to live on her own in any way, shape or form. If she was she certainly wouldn't require a feeding tube or 24 hour a day care and she would be able to speak or communicate in some fashion. If there were any sort of treatment that would help her why hasn't it been used? I am sure at this point they have done everything available.

Secondly there is no evidence of any kind that her husband did anything at all to her. That is complete nonsense. This is something that her parents decided to accuse him of when he asked for her feeding tube to be removed 8 years after the incident when the doctors told them that there was nothing they could do for her. Her parents it seems, refuse to accept the fact that their daughter is gone. Her body may still be here, but she isn't.

The husband has stated that he and his wife had many conversations regarding this subject and that she was very specific in stating that she would not want to live in a vegatative state. He is following her wishes.

Now on the flip side I will say that I do not agree with the method. I think that starving someone to death is completely wrong. But the law says that it can be done so it will be unless that is reversed. There is no winner in this situation.

Edited to add that this points out the need for each of us to have a living will. That we each person has the right to decide what is best for them.

Well said, Wendy.

I understand that the family has the $$ to bear the burden, but for what? At this point, I feel it's very selfish of the family to want to sustain her in this (medically proven) vegetative state. It's been 13 years...

I feel like this is only one side of the story.

Sorry if I sound insensitive. I don't think i'd want a relative to spend their lives suffering just because they can breathe on their own.

Our family has some very odd family values. One is no one suffers uselessly. My father has told us time and time again that'd he'd prefer death over 'tubes'. He's gone so far as to say we would disappoint him if we let him live without the use of his mind. Meaning if he goes sinile (sp?) or loses his memory or the basic function to live that he will find a way to kill himself.

How much is too much?

I dunno. I want to know why a court approved this. I doubt it was simply, lets starve the cripple. Where's the other side of this story?

But why is their 'right' superceding their daughter's right? According to the husband, she didn't want to live this way.

And why is it the family's 'right'? Do they have ownership of her? Why do they get to say when and how she will die?

I have been following this story all along since the husband first went to court. I think they should stop feeding him. How could he do this to his wife who is living and breathing. I f he wants out so bad, get a court to divorce you and leave her with her real family. But that is not good enough for him, he must have an alternative motive to this, um perhaps, the money he will claim when she does die. I can't believe a court ordered this. I can't believe they are allowing a man to end his wife's life. Why did they lock up Dr. Kevorkian, this was the kind of thing he did. It is absolutely absurd.

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Why did they lock up Dr. Kevorkian, this was the kind of thing he did.

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Um, no, *this* is absurd. He didn't starve people do death. He didn't take it upon himself to make decisions - the people he helped *asked* for his help. They weren't in coma's - they were dying and in pain and wanted a quicker way out.

How can anyone base a solid opinion when they've only read ONE side of this story? Wendy has posted additional facts.

How disgusting!

This is a right to life issue and a very touchy subject. This is one of the main reasons that I want a living will. I personally would not want to live my life that way or have my family live on false hope for 13 years.

I really think that they need to listen to the doctors and see what is best for Terri. I also think her parents should put a petition in and take guardianship away from the husband. He has moved on with his life and should not have any say over Terri's anymore. I don't understand why he didn't file for divorce.

This is just a very sad situation.