Court Order Keeping Schiavo Alive to Expire Today (1 Viewer)

[Schweddy]

Source: Christian News

The decade-long fight to save the life of a severely brain-damaged Florida woman has reached yet another climactic point, as a judge refused Monday to halt a court order that will allow the removal of her life-sustaining feeding tube.

Terri Schiavo, whose right-to-life case has touched the hearts of millions of Americans in the past years, may have her feeding tube removed by 1pm today, upon the request of her husband, Michael.

Michael, who fathered two children with his live-in girlfriend, is the legal guardian of Terri, who has been on a feeding tube since she collapsed 15 years ago.

Terri’s parents, the Schindlers, have been in a near ten-year battle against her husband to keep her alive.

In the most recent court battle, the Schindlers asked the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland to block a previous order to remove Terri’s tube from taking effect today, but the court declined on Monday.

Michael’s attorney explained that as soon as the Lakewland court issues the order, his client has the full authority to remove the feeding tube from his wife.

I am suprized this topic has not been discussed.
What is your position?

 

[Naughty Nurse]

As a Brit I'm not familiar with this particular case, so I can only offer generalisations.

As a nurse I have looked after quite a few people with feeding tubes. I have, however, never seen a case where I thought the tube was appropriate for the individual concerned. I know there are such cases, just that I have never personally come across one.

All of the people I have seen with these tubes have had no visible quality of life. They have not been able to consent to the insertion of the tube or the continuation of the feeding. I incline towards the idea that if a person is so damaged that they cannot eat, drink or communicate in any way then perhaps mother nature / God (depending on your particular beliefs) is telling us that the individual has reached the end of his/her life. I've seen these tubes used on people with advanced degenerative neurological conditions (MS, MND etc.) and these people have been kept physically alive for years. I have often asked myself to what end.

I have nursed people with such illnesses who have made it absolutely clear that they did not want artificial feeding or hydration. It is possible to help such a person achieve a comfortable and dignified death. I know that there are people who have made different choices, and it is right that those choices should also be respected.

Given all that I've said above, I believe that the solution is for us all to write advanced directives making it clear what we would wish to happen should we find ourselves in such tragic circumstance and unable to speak for ourselves.

 

[Batman]

Thankfully a judge has extended her case until Friday. I have seen the videos of her following balloons with her eyes. That makes me think there has to be some activity going on in some way. The husband has already got a new lady and wants Terry to die. The parents of Terry say they'll take care of her and the expenses. The husband should let them.
But this is not pulling the plug and her drifting off, they pull the tube and it could take 3 days or more for her to basically starve. IF she is aware - it will be a very agonizing death.

 

[Naughty Nurse]

Thankfully a judge has extended her case until Friday. I have seen the videos of her following balloons with her eyes. That makes me think there has to be some activity going on in some way. The husband has already got a new lady and wants Terry to die. The parents of Terry say they'll take care of her and the expenses. The husband should let them.
But this is not pulling the plug and her drifting off, they pull the tube and it could take 3 days or more for her to basically starve. IF she is aware - it will be a very agonizing death.

And your evidence for the "agonising death"?

I'm not saying that I'm right and your wrong - this is far too complex an issue for that kind of simplification. But I must contradict you on that one point. I have nursed people through that kind of death and it is not "agonising".

 

[Batman]

And your evidence for the "agonising death"?

I'm not saying that I'm right and your wrong - this is far too complex an issue for that kind of simplification. But I must contradict you on that one point. I have nursed people through that kind of death and it is not "agonising".

I have seen programs about starvation. Now I'm only going by what they said - the tongue swells, cracks and sometimes sores appear. To me that would be agonizing. I appreciate the fact that you have nursed people going through that, but if one cannot relay how they feel or if they suffer pain, how can you say it's not agonizing? Is there a way you can monitor brain activity and get some idea? I'm not arguing with you - you're right, it's a very complex case.

 

[Naughty Nurse]

I have seen programs about starvation. Now I'm only going by what they said - the tongue swells, cracks and sometimes sores appear. To me that would be agonizing. I appreciate the fact that you have nursed people going through that, but if one cannot relay how they feel or if they suffer pain, how can you say it's not agonizing? Is there a way you can monitor brain activity and get some idea? I'm not arguing with you - you're right, it's a very complex case.

If a person is well cared for when dying (and people who are dying from cancer etc generally stop eating / drinking and we don't feed / hydrate them) then the complications can generally be well managed.

As for pain / distress there are usually visual signs of this.

Of course, the real answer is that in these cases nobody really knows what the individual experiences, and that's one of the points that makes this such a complex issue!

 

[Batman]

If a person is well cared for when dying (and people who are dying from cancer etc generally stop eating / drinking and we don't feed / hydrate them) then the complications can generally be well managed.

As for pain / distress there are usually visual signs of this.

Of course, the real answer is that in these cases nobody really knows what the individual experiences, and that's one of the points that makes this such a complex issue!

Thanks for your insight. Because we don't know, that's why I would keep her alive. There was a story just the other day of a woman who was in a coma for 20 years who woke up and called her mom. Amazing.
Later.

 

[Schweddy]

An update.

Source: LAtimes

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The parents of Terri Schiavo won another reprieve in their fight to keep the brain-damaged woman alive after a judge extended an emergency stay keeping her feeding tube in place.

The stay had been set to expire Wednesday afternoon, but Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer extended it until 5 p.m. Friday.

A lawyer for the parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, had asked the judge to block the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube so the family can have more time to determine if she has greater mental capabilities than previously believed.

The Schindlers also want more time to try to remove Schiavo's husband as legal guardian.

They have been in a long, bitter struggle with Michael Schiavo, who said his wife never wanted to be kept alive artificially. She left no written directive.

Also Wednesday, the Florida Department of Children & Families moved to intervene in the case hours after Gov. Jeb Bush told reporters he was seeking a way to keep Terri Schiavo alive.

My take, is that she shared with her husband that if sometime like this were to ever happen to remove the tube. Albiet, it is heresay, but my wife and I have had the same conversation. Pull the plug, do not allow this lady to suffer any more.

 

[Naughty Nurse]

An update.

Source: LAtimes



My take, is that she shared with her husband that if sometime like this were to ever happen to remove the tube. Albiet, it is heresay, but my wife and I have had the same conversation. Pull the plug, do not allow this lady to suffer any more.

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree.

I think it's terribly tragic for her parents, but it sounds like they need to let go and get on with their lives. May sound a bit harsh, but I think it's true.