Terri Schiavo and the culture of death
2005-03-24 7:27 a.m.

It’s rare that I delve into politics or current events on this site, but the Terri Schiavo case strikes a little close to home. When I read about the latest developments, I can’t help but think back to the time I removed my own daughter from life support.

Stories like the Schiavo case are often more complex than what is reported on the media. Terri is probably more responsive than her husband would like to admit but not as responsive as her parents claim. The truth often is forgotten where there are other aspects of the story which are more compelling. Recently it seems the story has morphed into a debate over constitutional powers instead of what is at the heart of the matter: should Terri live or die and who has the right to decide that.

Years ago I reached the conclusion that someone who was dependant on life support for survival wasn’t really alive. I resolved that if life support had to be removed from loved one, I’d do it. However the hypothetical person I thought about was a nameless, faceless ghost. I never thought about removing life support from my father, mother, or wife. And I certainly never thought having to make a decision for a baby – let alone one of my own children. Once my daughter Hope was part of the equation, all my previous reasoning seemed hollow and empty. It didn’t matter that Hope is unable to respond to the world around her. Every morning I arrived at the hospital crossing my fingers that she had made a miraculous, overnight recovery. But as the days passed the true nature of Hope’s condition become apparent. She was brain dead and had no chance of recovery.

It would be simple if Terri was dependant on machines for, say, breathing. But she doesn’t require any life support at all. She can breathe on her own. She can move her eyes. According to her parents, she can respond, in a somewhat limited fashion, to those around her. What is keeping her alive is a feeding tube. Food. The same thing that keeps all of her alive. Take food away from anyone and they’ll die.

If Hope had been in a similar condition to Terri, I never would have removed life support. If she was able to breathe on her own or be somewhat responsive to the world around her, I would have kept her alive and hoped and prayed that she would have one day recover.

I certainly never would have starved my daughter to death.

***

But if Michael feels trapped he has several ways out. Terri’s parents are willing to care for her. Florida has a no fault divorce which means all Michael has to do is file for divorce and he’s free to move on with his life. I’m sure most judges would be sympathetic to his situation and grant him a divorce. But Michael isn’t considering divorce or letting Terri’s parents care for her. Instead he wants to starve his wife to death.

Think of the words “starve to death.” Who would let anyone they claim to love be starved to death? There’s something inhumane about it. Allowing someone to intentionally starve brings to my mind images of a tyrant that starves his own people while he has plenty to eat.

Despite Michael’s claims that he loves Terri, he seems a little to eager to have the feeding tube removed. He lives with another woman and has fathered two children with her and announced his plans to marry her – all of this while Terri sits in a care facility. There’s something wrong with that. It’s as if Terri has stopped becoming a person and become an inconvenience. A compelling case can be made that he no longer has Terri’s best interests in mind.

***

Of course the person that should decide the fate of Terri is Terri. There is no living will – no evidence other than the word of her husband that she wouldn’t want to live in her current condition. For me that’s not enough evidence to remove her feeding tube.

Hope was not old enough to make her own decision. I had to weigh the medical evidence and speak for her.

And I spoke.

Despite the overwhelming medical evidence that Hope was brain dead, I still think about my decision and wonder “What if.” What if the doctor’s were wrong? What if, given another few days, Hope would have made a miraculous turnaround? What if I made the wrong decision?

One day we are going to be held accountable for our actions. Michael Schiavo will be held accountable for his actions. I will be held accountable for mine.

I still believe removing Hope from life support was the right thing to do.

I hope in the next life I don’t find out otherwise.

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