Tuesday, March 22, 2005

The Right To Die

The Terry Schiavo case reminds me of a conversation I had with a country doc a couple decades ago. The doc was a wise fellow and when we were talking about heroic measures (CPR, feeding tubes, etc.) he said he wanted "DNR" (do not resuscitate) tattooed on his chest. "I don't want any S.O.B. standing between me and the Almighty," he said.

There are a lot somebodies standing between Mrs. Schiavo and the next life. Her brain is gone, her body continues. Personally I wouldn't want to be around in that case. I have a Living Will and will be updating it again to try to keep abreast of the current legal standards. But the bottom line is Terry Schiavo's husband is her legal guardian and he knows what she wants. The parents' devotion is touching, but unrealistic. Best to let Terry go onto a new life.

To bring the federal government into the mix is flat out horrifying. Don't like a state court ruling -- appeal to Congress who is always willing to pander to their constituents. But only a narrow band of voters are "pro-life" in this case. The majority of Americans believe they wouldn't want to be in Terry's state and are appalled at the government's intervention. They don't want to see their private family issues played out in a media circus in Washington. I blame the politicians and Terry's parents for that.

On the flip side, countless children in the world are starving to death... by the minute. I don't see Congress puffing up about them or the president flying back from Crawford to sign special legislation to keep them alive.

We need a little perspective, people.

No comments: