Terri Schiavo, Who Cares?
Who cares about Terri Schiavo? Not me. Why should I?
They want to pull the plug on her, this woman who is barely alive- at least in a meaningful way- so what's the problem?
She can't have a meaningful conversation with anyone and can't even fend for herself in the most simple of ways, so, let's be honest- her 'quality of life' just isn't there. There are doctors that claim she is in a persistent vegetative state- that is, she's just not all there- who are we to disagree? Are you and I qualified to make medical judgements? Sure, there are other medical opinions, but let's get right to the point. Even if she isn't in a persistent vegetative state, she's not that far from one, right? If we do keep her alive, why should we have to pay for her care? She's young, she could live for decades and we, as taxpayers, would find oursleves in the position of having to support another drain on our societal resources.
Her husband, gratefully, has moved on with his life and longer has to suffer the agony of watching his wife suffer. He has fathered two children and is happily settled into his new life. In fairness to him, Terri can be nothing more than a sharp thorn in his side, a constant reminder of his suffering in days past. He says she would have wanted to die, if she were to be put in such a predicament. I believe him. Why wouldn't I?
No one likes having to deal with the chronically ill. They can be very, shall we say, messy. The impaired require round the clock care, medical attention, drugs and constant supervision. Having to care for an impaired person around impacts a lot of people. Social lives are curtailed, vacations become harder to come by and the constant focus on the sick person gets old, fast. Friends don't want to hear or even care about your sick relatives. If you persist with the care giving, well, you just aren't fun anymore. People you know would much rather talk about their jobs, cars, investments, politics, self esteem, sex, music, home decorating, clothes, fine dining, mortgages and of course Desperate Housewives and Sex in the City reruns- you know, the important things in life.
So here's the bottom line.
We need to support a logical and compassionate Eugenics program. That's right- only those that are worthy, as decided by the courts and a few doctors, shall be allowed to live.
If a child is autistic, mentally or physically disabled, there ought to be a program in place that authorizes the witholding of food until death occurs. That death may take up to three weeks is of no consequence. We as a society, cannot risk assuming the financial or moral obligation of that burden. If a child or elderly parent becomes such a problem as to impact the quality of our lives, we need to be able to rid the caregivers of the burden of that care.
That said, to hell with Terri Schiavo. To hell with anyone requiring chronic care. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling politically motivated right now.
We need to make sure there are no more messy Terri Schiavo cases in the future. Every mentally ill person needs to be registered, as do the elderly that cannot take care of themselves. The courts and a medical panel can determine if those lives have merit or value. Obviously, parents, children and other close family cannot be involved, as their emotional attachment cannot be allowed to color any assessment of their value or worth.
Yup- screw Terri Schiavo. Why the hell should I care?
Forget the politics of it all. There is more here and here.
They want to pull the plug on her, this woman who is barely alive- at least in a meaningful way- so what's the problem?
She can't have a meaningful conversation with anyone and can't even fend for herself in the most simple of ways, so, let's be honest- her 'quality of life' just isn't there. There are doctors that claim she is in a persistent vegetative state- that is, she's just not all there- who are we to disagree? Are you and I qualified to make medical judgements? Sure, there are other medical opinions, but let's get right to the point. Even if she isn't in a persistent vegetative state, she's not that far from one, right? If we do keep her alive, why should we have to pay for her care? She's young, she could live for decades and we, as taxpayers, would find oursleves in the position of having to support another drain on our societal resources.
Her husband, gratefully, has moved on with his life and longer has to suffer the agony of watching his wife suffer. He has fathered two children and is happily settled into his new life. In fairness to him, Terri can be nothing more than a sharp thorn in his side, a constant reminder of his suffering in days past. He says she would have wanted to die, if she were to be put in such a predicament. I believe him. Why wouldn't I?
No one likes having to deal with the chronically ill. They can be very, shall we say, messy. The impaired require round the clock care, medical attention, drugs and constant supervision. Having to care for an impaired person around impacts a lot of people. Social lives are curtailed, vacations become harder to come by and the constant focus on the sick person gets old, fast. Friends don't want to hear or even care about your sick relatives. If you persist with the care giving, well, you just aren't fun anymore. People you know would much rather talk about their jobs, cars, investments, politics, self esteem, sex, music, home decorating, clothes, fine dining, mortgages and of course Desperate Housewives and Sex in the City reruns- you know, the important things in life.
So here's the bottom line.
We need to support a logical and compassionate Eugenics program. That's right- only those that are worthy, as decided by the courts and a few doctors, shall be allowed to live.
If a child is autistic, mentally or physically disabled, there ought to be a program in place that authorizes the witholding of food until death occurs. That death may take up to three weeks is of no consequence. We as a society, cannot risk assuming the financial or moral obligation of that burden. If a child or elderly parent becomes such a problem as to impact the quality of our lives, we need to be able to rid the caregivers of the burden of that care.
That said, to hell with Terri Schiavo. To hell with anyone requiring chronic care. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling politically motivated right now.
We need to make sure there are no more messy Terri Schiavo cases in the future. Every mentally ill person needs to be registered, as do the elderly that cannot take care of themselves. The courts and a medical panel can determine if those lives have merit or value. Obviously, parents, children and other close family cannot be involved, as their emotional attachment cannot be allowed to color any assessment of their value or worth.
Yup- screw Terri Schiavo. Why the hell should I care?
Forget the politics of it all. There is more here and here.
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