I'm a nurse on a critical care unit, and I have learned that sometimes it is just best to let go. I cannot imagine anyone not being able to do anything, eat, move, use the restroom for 15 years and not wanting to die.

I feel sorry for her husband, who has been married to her all these years. Its extremely sad that she made her wishes known already and she has been stuck in this fate for 15 years.



On the critical care unit I work in, those that can speak that are in half the condition she is in, beg to die. They tell us every night that they do. I feel extremely sorry for this woman.

I do think it's best to let go, myself. Life isn't something so precious in and of itself that it's worth forcing someone to keep it even when it's a total mess, and if someone chooses to go, they should damn well be let to. But I get very passionate about this whole thing so I'll stop there.

Damn, isn't she dead yet?
Sorry, but I'm sick of seeing it in news every day.
It's just like with pope (hope noone feels offended), they show him in news everyday in like 10 minutes relation, which doesn't really say anything except that he waved his hand through the window, and it's followed by some long commentaries which all say the same thing, repeated all over and over every day. And some facts from history of pontificate, sure, let's put it there every 3 days.
Sorry, stupid rant, nothing else.

Btw, yeah, let her go.

It is utterly wrong and inhumane to let her starve to death. If her wish was to die, surely a form euthanasia can be used other than concentration camp starvation. No one wants to live as she does, in that state. No one wants to die as she is dying either, dehydration and starvation is painful.

I feel sorry for her husband only to a point, it isn't as if he has lived these ten years by the bedside of his disabled wife. He has been living with another woman who is the Mother of his children. Your Husband is supposed to protect you when you cannot protect yourself, not turn adulterer and spend years trying to convince your family you should die from starvation. He should have divorced her and let her remain in the care of her family.

I think its sort of silly to make such a big deal out of this poor woman's suffering... I personally think she should be allowed to die with dignity rather than forced to live purely for the benefit of others, but I don't know much about the specifics nor do I know the motivations of the people involved.

I have to admit that struck me the most too, Etain... starving her to death seems horribly cruel, isn't there a pill or injection that would give her a painless end?

You can never say you can guess what someone else is feeling, but she is being medicated with morphine. I think EKG studies show that there is also no brain activity. It is possible she is not feeling pain, but finally dying the comfortable death she so greatly deserves.

It is possible she feels no pain, but that is the thing...if you aren't sure then to me it isn't worth the risk.

On a side note, was anyone else surprised to see Jesse Jackson speaking up for her?

Why are they starving her rather than just electrocuting/injecting/whatevering anyway? I don't really get that part. Is it considered more dignified or something somehow? :/

No, they are "letting her die" this way. The other way is euthanasia which is still illegal and tricky. They equate it to pulling the plug on a life support machine, however all this woman needs to LIVE is food and water just like us. So take away her food, and....



~~Also, though unrelated I can't help but say, I can't believe Johnny Cochran is gone, and Howell Heflin!~~

...that just seems even worse to me, but there you are.

Some nurse will probably be nice enough to accidently slip her too much morphine and then she will just stop breathing.


Her stupid family probably have her listed as a full code though so they will just give her Narcan and bring her back.

1) I agree that she should be allowed to die...
2) Her family is NOT stupid.
3) Her husband was EXTREMELY abusive. When she ended up like this he aquared a vast amount of money (in the millions) to care for her. Soon after, he said he changed his mind and he wanted to take her off of support. He has tried several times to kill her... injected her with various drugs behind the doctors backs and such. As there are no hard witnesses, a case cannot be filed.
4) Lastly, it is honesly up to her family, not us, and not her husband who I think aught to be the one not allowed to eat. It is suspected and very likely that he put her in this state to begin with.


EDIT- and no, Ialie, the nurses actually claim that she DOES communicate, and regularly says she wants to live... its the doctors that say otherwise.

You are right, It was rude of me to call her parents stupid. They are only grieving for their daughter and they are afraid to let go. For that I apologize


I would just like to know though, that if there was no hard evidence of his attempted murderers, how can you be sure that that is true?


also

She did not say I want to live.

"The state judge was expected to announce a decision on Saturday on a motion by the parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, claiming Schiavo tried to say "I want to live" just minutes before the feeding tube was removed a week ago. The parents say Schiavo said "Ahhhhh" and "Waaaaaaa" when asked to repeat the phrase "I want to live."

Doctors have said Ms. Schiavo's previous utterances were involuntary moans consistent with someone in a vegetative state."

The nurses, the ones who take care of her can understand her... just like you can understand what your cat wants when she meows certain way. Or you can understand what a baby wants when she cries... you spend enough time taking care of someone, you pick up on those things.

The doctors diagnose, the nurses are the ones that do the actual work nintey precent of the time, they are the ones in there every day taking care of her.


The hardest evidence they have is that she almost died of insulin (or however you spelled it) overdose right after he left, the found a needle and a vial there as well.

I know what a nurse does. I have taken care of people in a state not unlike this one. Except that they are aware but their bodies are so broken that they can do nothing but watch from inside a useless shell. My heart goes out to her because I have seen the misery that these people have been through. I have been there being able to do nothing much more than provide palliative care and listen to them as they cry out for God to come get them.

All of these 'what is she feeling' ideas are null and void. When her heart stopped beating 15 yrs ago, 'Terry Schiavo' died. The body is alive, of the species homo sapiens, but all aspect of humanity is long dead.

Then how is she still alive and semi-responsive after 13 days of nothing? The woman is disabled, not already dead. Her heart beats, or she would be dead. Jeebus.

So I take it everyone who thinks people should be allowed to die graciously also thinks there is nothing wrong with suicicde?

The only reason she is being put to death, (even though she's still alive 12 days later) is because the law is very clear that a Husband trumps the Parents.

The Husband is calling for an immideitate Cremation (I wonder why...) while the parents want to be able to have a funeral service for her.

I'm glad this situation is getting so much attention. Maybe people can finally wake up and see what happens when people have no respect for anyone else but themselves.

How can anyone possibly know what they would want in a situation close to death untill they are in such a situation? The most basic example is a person in Highschool who has ideals about college. When they get to college, 90% of the time, they change thier minds about things.

When you are asleep, Should you be killed since your vegetative and can't do anythign productive?

Is all humanity lost everytime a person has a stroke or heart attack?

Should we kill all the retarded and physically crippled people because they can't do anything productive?

If She was born this way, Her parents would be arrested if they treated her the way her 'husband' treats her.

Yes, I do think there is nothing wrong with suicide.
If you get into a situation where people are dependent on you, and you want to kill yourself, it's the former that you shouldn't've done, not the latter. Each person's life belongs to themself and themself alone.

Also, I find it disgracefull that he didn't even divorce her before he got his new 'wife'