Tuesday, March 22, 2005
A couple of people have asked me what I think about the Terri Schiavo case.
On the surface, I think it's none of my business; I don't know any of the people involved, and it sure seems like a very personal situation. But since this has become a story and this is my weblog, I do have some thoughts on the subject.
First off, let me tell you a little story. A few years ago I had surgery; I was in a semi-private room with some poor guy who was in for open-heart surgery.
He and I never talked, because he had Alzheimer's, and didn't know where he was, who he was, or why people kept bothering him. He wanted some water, which they wouldn't give him, because was being prepped for surgery. At one point in the middle of the night, he woke up and attacked a nurse. He had to be restrained by a burly orderly. They strapped him to the bed.
Later that morning, his wife came in to keep him company. He didn't know who she was. The look in her eyes broke my heart.
This whole thing struck me as an unspeakable, unconscionable tragedy. Not for him--he had no idea what was going on--but for his wife & family.
Here's a guy so far gone that he literally doesn't know who he is, and he was going to undergo an expensive operation--so that he could "live" longer. I didn't get it, and I still don't.
The Germans have a saying: Better an end in horror than a horror without end.
I think it applies in the case of Terry Schiavo.
For me personally, I wouldn't want a pet of mine to undergo what's happened to Terri, let alone a family member, let alone myself.
On the surface, I think it's none of my business; I don't know any of the people involved, and it sure seems like a very personal situation. But since this has become a story and this is my weblog, I do have some thoughts on the subject.
First off, let me tell you a little story. A few years ago I had surgery; I was in a semi-private room with some poor guy who was in for open-heart surgery.
He and I never talked, because he had Alzheimer's, and didn't know where he was, who he was, or why people kept bothering him. He wanted some water, which they wouldn't give him, because was being prepped for surgery. At one point in the middle of the night, he woke up and attacked a nurse. He had to be restrained by a burly orderly. They strapped him to the bed.
Later that morning, his wife came in to keep him company. He didn't know who she was. The look in her eyes broke my heart.
This whole thing struck me as an unspeakable, unconscionable tragedy. Not for him--he had no idea what was going on--but for his wife & family.
Here's a guy so far gone that he literally doesn't know who he is, and he was going to undergo an expensive operation--so that he could "live" longer. I didn't get it, and I still don't.
The Germans have a saying: Better an end in horror than a horror without end.
I think it applies in the case of Terry Schiavo.
For me personally, I wouldn't want a pet of mine to undergo what's happened to Terri, let alone a family member, let alone myself.
