I cannot help but think of my niece today...

[Cuban_Liberal]

With the legal battle being fought over Terri Schiavo, I cannot help but turn my thoughts to my 11 year-old niece, who is profoundly developmentaly disabled. She too is unable to feed herself, yet the very thought of not feeding her fills me with unspeakable horror, because I love her dearly. In my heart of hearts, she is the living example in my life that Christ spoke about when he said "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto Me". She has no hope of recovery or improvement, insofar as we know, yet her life is absolutely precious to me and to my family, and we would fight an entire army singlehandedly in order to preserve it. This is not to say that we could not 'let her go' if she developed pneumonia or cardiomyopathy in the natural course of her condition, for examples, but we could not deliberately withdraw from her proper nutrition or hydration in order to expedite her expected demise at a young age.

Life should not be subject to the whims of relativism based upon higher brain function; grave danger to our immortal souls lies in the direction such thinking leads us, because if it suddenly becomes OK to withdraw hydration and nutrtion from one to whom these do no harm and cause no suffering in and of themselves, what is the next step that Man decides is "OK"? Purposely opening a small abdominal artery during an exploratory surgery in which inoperable cancer is found? Decreasing oxygen to an unconscious head-injury patient to cause a general systemic collapse? Once started down that slope, where is the 'brake' whereby we stop ourselves?

I post this not to chastise anyone or to dispute with any fellow DUer any contrary opinion they may hold, but merely to explain a stance I hold, and why I hold it.

In His name,

--Tony

[DemBones DemBones]

1. I understand completely. It's one thing to ALLOW death to occur,

another to FORCE death to occur.

[Cuban_Liberal]

2. That's it, exactly.

:pals:

[XanaDUer]

3. Yes.

Why do some not get that?

Some mention that poor child in Texas whose life support was turned off (all thanks to Geo. Bush who signed the legislation allowing it).

I find that reprehensible, as well.

[JohnKleeb]

4. Yes I agree with that

[etherealtruth]

5. I too have a niece that is severely developmentally disabled...

... she also has a feeding tube.She is 14 years of age. Her parents use the tube to give her medications and to hydrate her when she has minor illness such as a GI virus (the tube is flushed daily to keep it patent)...Her parents often grapple with themselves questioning whether the use of heroic measures in her infancy was the right thing to do for their child. She is NOT in a persistent vegetative state, but is profoundly retarded, blind and and functionally deaf. She feels pain so we conclude that she feels the opposite.

Her parents are now considering having the feeding tube removed (the child gets all of her nutrition by mouth; there would be no immediate impact) for fear that if she suffered an illness or injury that left her in a PVS that they would be forced to keep her alive with this treatment. Causing undue pain and suffering at the end of her life.

I think I have always understood those that agreed that Schiavo's feeding be continued (though I strongly disagree).

I DO believe that those of us that express the opposite opinion have been vilified by SOME in this forum. It has been insinuated that we believe in euthanasia (making a giant leap, it was inferred that we would somehow be in favor of euthanizing the disabled), many arguments asserting our beliefs are met with the bizarre accusation that we are not following forum rules. Those of us advocating removing Schiavo's tube pray, that by ending treatment, all of their suffering will be over. Sometimes it's OK to let a body die.

As an aside, when the body quits accepting nutrition/fluids powerful endorphins are released, much like those that cause an euphoric feeling in those who are hypothermic.

I have never doubted that you came from a position of love and compassion. The reality is so have I.

[hedgehog]

6. Each situation is unique. What they have in common is an

honest effort by those involved to discern the will of God whether we should continue a fight or let someone return home. The best thing those of us not directly involved can do is to pray for those who are. No answer is a happy one. The children I lost to miscarriage would have been very damaged if they had survived to birth, but that doesn't mean I was happy to lose them. Terri's husband doesn't want her to die any more than anyone else, but clearly he fells it is time for him to let go.

[etherealtruth]

7. Very well said

[Cuban_Liberal]

8. It's just an awful situation.

The old legal aphorism that 'bad cases make bad law' was never more true than it is in this instance.

:hug:

[etherealtruth]

9. This put far more eloquently than I...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3359774


http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11674537&postID...

"I have two children who are severely disabled, terminally ill and fed by feeding tubes. And they are wonderful and precious to me and to our family.

"However, I am also a big believer in not prolonging life just for the sake of prolonging it and I do believe in DNR orders and I believe this is a decision that needs to be made BEFORE starting on life support. Having said that, I need to add here that I do not necessarily consider receiving nutrition through a feeding tube to be in the same "life support" category as other interventions.

<snip>

"...we have a standard of valuing life above all else and providing the absolute best in terms of care, nourishment, etc to each of our children including the one I was speaking of. We also have a standard of doing everything possible so that our children can be free of pain, comfortable, have joy in their lives and the ability to interact at their fullest potential with the people and world around them. And yet the feeding tube and related issues for this child put those two sets of standards or values into conflict on a daily basis. If we "live by" one set of standards every moment, every day in his care, we are neglecting or denying the other set of standards and if we "live by" the second standard, we are compromsing the first.

"So how do you respond to situations that are not so clear cut, not so black and white, situations where two closely held values are in conflict and you cannot possibly do both? People do face Sophie's Choice situations in the real world every day.

<snip>

"The thing that I find so disturbing in the last week is the political grandstanding and posturing of the politicians from Governor, the President, and members of Congress for this one case while AT THE VERY SAME TIME they ALL are making decisions that will ADVERSELY impact hundreds or thousands of other people who need the kind of care, feeding tubes, etc that they claim they want to preserve for Terri, yet they are cutting it off for other people. Why is that?"