When the name Terri Shiavo hit the newsstand recently, I had no idea who she was or why she was in the news. In 1990, when she suffered from a heart problem because of her eating disorder and went into a vegetative state, I was more interested in "Garfield and Friends" cartoons than national news, as were many six-year-olds at the time.
For those who do not know the details of the case, Terri Shiavo was stuck on a feeding tube, completely brain dead in a hospital in Florida. Her husband has been fighting her parents for years to take her off the tube and let her die in peace. Her parents oppose his decision and have been arguing for her continued life support for more than 10 years.
Neurologist Dr. William Cheshire of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., wrote that Shiavo was in a "minimally conscious state," rather than completely vegetative, according to the Palm Beach Post, Several doctors have testified during trials that she has little to no possibility for recovery.
However, Cheshire's affidavit was the initiating factor for the recent uproar. In his affidavit, he wrote that Shiavo was showing a "distinct sense of the presence of a living human" around her, showing that she is aware of her surroundings, and not in a "persistent vegetative state."
President Bush signed a federal law recently to prolong Shiavo's life and keep the feeding tube in her. However, the law was overturned on Tuesday morning when U.S. District Judge James Whittlemore refused to order the hospital to reinsert the tube. The State Senate voted not to intervene with the case on Thursday.
Most people in the United States want Shiavo to die, according to a Gallup poll published in "USA Today." The poll results showed that six out of 10 people in the United States agreed with Shiavo's husband that the tube should be disconnected.
The Terri Shiavo case brings morality to the political front once again. Bush's moves to keep Shiavo alive are just a part of his push for a unified national sense of morality. Unfortunately for Bush, morality comes from a belief structure. Americans do not have a unified belief structure, religiously or otherwise; therefore, Bush's actions, while they may seem to be endearing and sincere, are hypocritical of his past. According to the Palm Beach Post, as governor of Texas, Bush signed the 1999 Advance Directives Act that allows a patient's spouse to make "end-of-life" decisions. Such is the exact situation in Shiavo's case.
Speaking of hypocritical acts, why is the president trying to preserve the life of one brain-dead person when he could easily save thousands of hardworking, intelligent peoples' lives by discontinuing the "War on Terror"?
The government is trying to distract people from the Iraqi conflict and other international problems that involve the United States by taking a private family matter and bringing it into public view. The government needs to stop interfering in the private lives of individuals who should be making the decisions on their own.
Write to Jessica at
jfkerman@bsu.edu
Visit http://jfkerman.blogspot.com
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
