And the removal of Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube has been pushed to the 18th.

[conuly]

Here.

Before people start debating this, let's get the following out of the way:
She doesn't use a ventilator.
She's not "hooked up to a machine" to live.
She isn't on life support, at least not as it's been defined to me.
She uses a feeding tube to eat. Removing this would cause her to starve to death/dehydrate.
Her parents say that she's minimally aware.
Her husband disagrees, and says that she didn't want to live like this.
He is living with another woman.
AFAIK, nothing from the insurance went to cover therapy for her.
It is argued that this therapy could've improved her condition.


Now you can go duke it out in my journal.

Comments

[leora.livejournal.com]

If I understand correctly, she'll die of thirst, not hunger. Which, I believe is claimed to be more painful. A horrible way to go. In fact, since hangovers are supposed to be mainly the pain of dehydration, it's probably a bit like an increasing hangover.

I think that a society that allows a woman to be dehydrated to death but does not allow a lethal injection is a massively stupid society. And that is the number one thing I object to, as that is the one issue I see is clear-cut. If it's okay to kill her, it should be okay to kill her in the most painless way that can be found.

[azarias.livejournal.com]

Precisely. As a society we have this mental block on the idea that killing someone with premeditation could ever not be murder, whereas letting them potentially die in pain is okay because it's "natural." Appalling, since this situation and others like it are not ones that should be arrived without extensive thought and investigation.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

I think that a society that allows a woman to be dehydrated to death but does not allow a lethal injection is a massively stupid society.

I completely, wholeheartedly agree.