Terri Schiavo: Please explain something to me...

[skcin]

I am having a very hard time figuring out how I feel about this case. I support euthanasia. I support dying with dignity. I support "do not rescucitate" orders. I support not using "extraordinary measures" to make someone breath, their heart beat, etc.

I do not think I can support starving someone to death.

What makes it harder for me is that I worked with people with profound developmental disabilities for 5 years. Some were born that way, others had illnesses or accidents that caused brain damage. Most can't walk, talk, communicate in any way. Some can eat, others need a feeding tube. Most lived way, way beyond the life expectancy that was told to their parents when they were born. "Put you kid in a home, they can't have a life, they'll be gone by the time they're 12." The "kids" were older than me when I worked there - some as old as 40.

But I am telling you, most of them knew when someone they loved was in the room. Maybe they smiled, maybe they made eye contact, maybe they moved an arm. Whatever. They knew & they showed it in any way they could. I can't believe that they wouldn't feel pain like anyone else would. I could never agree to remove one of "my kids" feeding tubes because someone else (family, government, whoever) decided they didn't have quality of life.

On the other hand, we did have patients that did not really respond to us in any way, but they were alert & awake and could move around and eat normally. They just had no way of showing if they knew we were there & who we were. Should we have stopped feeding them because their life wasn't up to our standards? F*ck that.

I hope this woman can die in peace, whatever happens. The bottom line is that it's none of my business, and it's damn sure none of the federal government's business.