I don’t plan to post much more about Terri Schiavo. In late 2003, When I started blogging about Schiavo, it seemed that I was one of a bare handful of lefty bloggers who even knew the case existed. Now, however, lots of people are thinking about it; and many of them are doing a better job of it than I could.<\/p>\n
For me, there are three central issues to consider in the Terri Schiavo case.<\/p>\n
1) First, the constant claims that Terri may be conscious, Terri is trying to speak, Terri has spoken, Terri could get better with treatment, etc, demonstrates both a failure of the American media to educate the public about the basic scientific issues involved, and also demonstrates the fruits of the right-wing cultivation of anti-science sentiment (see also the “controversies” over global warming and evolution). Terri Schiavo lacks her cerebral cortex; without a cortex, she cannot speak, or feel, or suffer, or think, or experience anything at all. Every part of her capable of any desire or awareness died many years ago. There is no legitimate controversy over this question.<\/p>\n
Since I posted a CT scan of what Terri’s brain looks like<\/a>, dozens of blogs have reproduced it or linked to it. That image, or ones like it, should <\/em>have been constantly on display in the mainstream media; and what it tells us about the claims that Terri is aware, could suffer, or could recover should be repeated in every news story. As far as I know, no mainstream news outlet has reproduced any images of Terri’s brain; instead, they’ve reduced the controversy over her diagnosis to “side A says, side B says” quotes without real analysis. As a result, too many people have been easy marks for the lies told about Terri.<\/p>\n 2) Second, the controversy over Terri’s treatment is about the rule of law versus theocracy. The law says that Terri has a right to refuse treatment, and if she cannot, then either Terri’s chosen guardian or a court can determine what Terri would have wished. Right-wing Evangelical theology says that’s not acceptable, and Terri must be kept alive regardless. (I realize that not everyone who opposes removing Terri’s feeding tube is a right-wing Evangelical, but that doesn’t change the fact that virtually all the political muscle being flexed to keep Terri’s body alive is coming from the religious right).<\/p>\n When right-wing Evangelicals and the law are in conflict, what happens? I hope the law will end up carrying the day, but it’s not certain it will.<\/p>\n 3) Finally, in both “Terri’s Law” in Florida and in the more resent actions in the national Congress, this is about maintaining the Constitutional separation of powers. The courts conduct trials and protect Constitutional rights; the legislature can change the laws (within constitutional limits) and thus affect future trials, but they shouldn’t be able to conduct a trial by legislation.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n On a personal level – and I acknowledge that Terri may not have felt the same way – the more I think about this case, the more horrified I become imagining myself in Schiavo’s position.<\/p>\n Here’s what gets to me: After I’m dead, the main way I’ll continue existing is in the memories of my friends and relatives. It’s macabre to imagine that my loved ones, rather than remembering me as I was, could instead focus on a shell, animated by a brain stem and reflex motions but completely empty of self. Over the years, all the dominant memories of me – what I was like before the accident – would be gradually replaced by memories of my mindless body making random motions and sounds in a hospital bed.<\/p>\n And then I’d really <\/em>be gone, gone even from the memories of my friends and relatives, removed from their brains in favor of an empty shell. It’s hard for me to imagine anything more gruesome.<\/p>\n (Here’s a free online source of Living Will documents<\/a>, by the way.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don’t plan to post much more about Terri Schiavo. In late 2003, When I started blogging about Schiavo, it seemed that I was one of a bare handful of lefty bloggers who even knew the case existed. Now, however, … Continue reading