Some Terri Schiavo Facts
People have asked me why I get so worked up about this. How 'bout this?
* Terri Schiavo has never had an MRI scan, nor a PET scan, despite the fact that the former, at least, is now standard in the diagnosis of PVS.
* The doctor who diagnosed her as being in a persistent vegetative state did so after examining her once, for 45 minutes, during which time he whapped her very hard between the eyes.
* That same doctor is a prominent "right to die" expert for hire who has, in the past, argued for the starvation of Alzheimer's patients, and once diagnosed PVS in a man who could play with blocks and operate a wheelchair. (That's quite a vegetable!)
* During the last 12 years, she's received unbelievably poor therapeutic care. She has bed sores from never being turned. Some of her teeth have rotted, because no one brushes them. Her body has become contorted from a lack of physical therapy.
My point, I guess, is that you don't have to be a crazy right-to-lifer like me to wonder why there's such a rush to starve this poor woman to death. (A twelve-year rush? If such a thing is possible.) Shouldn't we at least attempt to make sure we have the diagnosis right, and maybe try some therapy first?
UPDATE: And then there's this. Kate Adamson who was diagnosed with a more severe PVS than Terri, who had her feeding tube removed for eight days, who recovered and is now a motivational speaker. She was aware of what was happening the entire time. Worth remembering when we consider how painless Terri Schiavo's death will be.
* Terri Schiavo has never had an MRI scan, nor a PET scan, despite the fact that the former, at least, is now standard in the diagnosis of PVS.
* The doctor who diagnosed her as being in a persistent vegetative state did so after examining her once, for 45 minutes, during which time he whapped her very hard between the eyes.
* That same doctor is a prominent "right to die" expert for hire who has, in the past, argued for the starvation of Alzheimer's patients, and once diagnosed PVS in a man who could play with blocks and operate a wheelchair. (That's quite a vegetable!)
* During the last 12 years, she's received unbelievably poor therapeutic care. She has bed sores from never being turned. Some of her teeth have rotted, because no one brushes them. Her body has become contorted from a lack of physical therapy.
My point, I guess, is that you don't have to be a crazy right-to-lifer like me to wonder why there's such a rush to starve this poor woman to death. (A twelve-year rush? If such a thing is possible.) Shouldn't we at least attempt to make sure we have the diagnosis right, and maybe try some therapy first?
UPDATE: And then there's this. Kate Adamson who was diagnosed with a more severe PVS than Terri, who had her feeding tube removed for eight days, who recovered and is now a motivational speaker. She was aware of what was happening the entire time. Worth remembering when we consider how painless Terri Schiavo's death will be.
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