Date: 11/23/2002 5:49:00 PM
From Authorid: 46530
It is not murder because they are not doing something to kill her, they are stopping something keeping her alive. A fine point I know, but a vital one. It is however manslaughter. Can anyone choose to remove this? of course they can if they are paying for it, or are the next of kin for that person. That is the legal position, and if that ever changes so that anyone can say that these things cannot be removed then look for your medical insurance to rise meteorically, because it will mean that doctors have to keep everyone alive by machine indefinitely. Not good  |
Date: 11/23/2002 5:49:00 PM
From Authorid: 7952
I believe that allowing someone to die IS Murder. If death can be prevented and the person (not the one with Brain Damage) CAN prevent it, but chooses not to..then it is Murder. In this case, i do believe it is murder, if she can function on her own in a sense, (as in breathing and opening her eyes) she isn't brain dead...how sad..  |
Date: 11/23/2002 5:50:00 PM
From Authorid: 7952
Ijust realised my comment didn't make any sense.. sorry  |
Date: 11/23/2002 5:54:00 PM
From Authorid: 23610
I saw this on the news and it is really disturbing. I think I could understand it if the woman was brain dead but she isn't. They showed her awake and aware and performing some functions. So....it disturbs me to think that they would starve her to death. Her husband says that she would not want to live this way and would be angry at her parents for not allowing her to die if she were able to tell them. But who is to say that is true. What one says when they are in perfect health may not be true when it comes down to reality and actually being in the situation. I'm glad that I don't have to make this decision on either side....but if it were me I don't think I would let her starve to death. It's a sad situation but I'm sure there is more to life and the lessons of life going on here than we may be able to see.  |
Date: 11/23/2002 5:56:00 PM
From Authorid: 28946
Ah but if you removed Christopher Reeves (Superman movies) respirator, he would expire too. Remove me from my oxygen and I will die as I'm on 6 liters a minute. I worked in nursing homes and had to feed patients with feeding tubes. If they put one (feeding tube) into a patient to begin with, then in my opinion, they need to keep them alive that way.  |
Date: 11/23/2002 5:59:00 PM
From Authorid: 3688
I think it would be murder....She HAS brain function......she BREATHES........She IS alive and who knows what tomorrow brings? *sighs* he's selfish in my opinion  |
Date: 11/23/2002 7:41:00 PM
From Authorid: 25756
Well, if I was in a coma for that long I would very much prefer them to stop feeding me...or even better just have it over quick and kill me...I wouldn't be able to stand being like that...lol no pun intended ...seriously though...I would rather not live like that.  |
Date: 11/23/2002 8:15:00 PM
From Authorid: 28190
I think it is like murder to starve her to death.. As you and the others have pointed out, she has brain function. If she didnt she wouldnt be opening her eyes, she wouldnt be breathing on her own or doing a few basic responsive movements. *shakes head* That is just sad   |
Date: 11/24/2002 12:38:00 AM
From Authorid: 42945
this is so sad and if it was one of mine I would fight to keep the feeding tube in...BUT...if it was me in that position I wouldn't want to be kept alive like that..its not living, I wouldn't want to be a burden to my family..Zema  |
Date: 11/24/2002 4:48:00 AM
From Authorid: 10245
This is a really tough one for me, Diz... My dad was on a feeding tube just before he died. The feeding tube, along with his inability to control his body movements caused the feeding liquid to be aspirated into his lungs, which in turn caused a collapsed lung and led to him being placed on a ventilator... an action that we were very much against. We were already at the point of playing "the waiting game" and all the ventilator did was prolong the inevitable. Unfortunatly, the hospital staff was unaware of our wishes. We spent 2 weeks watching him be weaned off of the machine so he could breathe on his own and we could let him go. He made it about 10 hours after removal. Back to the feeding tube.... I believe that starvation is an extremely cruel way to make somone die (which is why we decided to put Dad on the feeding tube in the first place). I'm torn on this issue as I can understand how painful it can be to watch someone you love unable to function and have your life put on hold as you wait for that "miracle" of healing to happen. I also understand how hard it is to let someone you love go. If this was strictly a feeding tube issue, I would say "This is absolutly wrong!", but she's been in a coma for 12 years and that changes things... for me anyway.  |
Date: 11/24/2002 9:08:00 AM
From Authorid: 47218
ugh-- what an awful state to be in. If I was brain damaged and incapable of doing anything besides opening my eyes for years upon years I would sure appreciate it if someone finally put me out my misery. It seems inhumane to me, the way we keep people alive for long periods of time in such dehumanizing conditions. It is a pity, however, that they can not find a more humane way of euthanizing her.  |
Date: 11/24/2002 9:13:00 AM
From Authorid: 42792
I think that living like that must be living in hell. If she was alive and aware, imagine the torture... who would want to go on like that? As far as it being murder...well no, I will take the stance that if she can not sustain he own being then she is not living. When a human reached a point where they can sustain themselves and then for some reason are no longer able to do so, their life, in all actuality, has ended. If I ever get in a situation like that...remember this...I will want to die, no doubt about it.  |
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Date: 11/24/2002 9:18:00 AM ( Admin-JGB )
This is murder in my opinion... It is different from pulling the plug on a person that is kept alive by only machines... I think it is wrong, but ask myself if I would want to "live" like that ... |
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Date: 11/24/2002 9:27:00 AM
From Authorid: 37354
It's murder through neglect. A big difference between a respirator and a feeding tube. |
Date: 11/24/2002 11:37:00 AM
From Authorid: 46266
Is it murder when you stab someone through the heart while they are asleep?  |
Date: 11/24/2002 3:20:00 PM
From Authorid: 54084
I wouldn't want to live like that for 12 years. I would hope the ones I love would have the compassion to let me go. What kind of life is that. It's not. I think it's selfish of the girls parents to make her live. Did they prove that she's not brain dead? Breathing is a reflex action. You can do it without brain waves.  |
Date: 11/24/2002 6:54:00 PM
From Authorid: 57232
I currently have a friend in a coma, it's harder and harder to think about it everyday. He's been in one since late June and there isn't an answer to whether or not he'll make it out. And all I can think about over and over in my head since for him the coma was a medically drug induced one for a blood vessel burst in his head is about the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I keep thinking about R.P. McMurphey who got a lobotomy and he was nothing but a vegetable, just a visual replica of what he used to be. My friend Dontavious is a lively guy, I wonder if first of all I'll ever be able to see awake ever again, and second of all if he does wake up will he be Donte still? Will he remember me at all, will he remember himself? And if I was this said woman, I'd desire someone just to yank that tube on out because I'd rather die than not be me. And I wonder if he'd wish the same for himself.  |
Date: 11/27/2002 8:34:00 PM
From Authorid: 15070
o.k....I can actually speak from experience on this one. I took care of Terri Schiavo, when she was at Palms of Largo. O can tell you this: when I bathed & cared for her, she responded. We kept het t.v. on 24/7 & during the trial(s), the CHANNELS WERE CHANGED FROM THE NEWS, least Terri should hear. I was in her room when the husband & then-girlfriend came to visit. Terri had an unexplained neck injury. There were also rumors her husband abused her. I never saw abuse, but she is ALIVE & AWARE-and she needs rehab badly. To withhold food, would be to kill her. That is MY opinion.  |
Date: 11/28/2002 10:29:00 PM
From Authorid: 37900
This situation seems clear. If she were aware and responsive, allowing her to starve would be murder. What puzzles me is the apparent inconsistencies our culture has about the value of life. We clamor to end Terri's life because an expert judges her situation hopeless, yet we are simultaneously repulsed by the possibility of an incorrigible serial killer or child molester receiving the death penalty. If we have money to house the latter, we should certainly have funds to protect the former.  |
9130 Category:(Debate) Created:(11/23/2002 5:44:00 PM)