In Sickness and Health, Till Death Do You Part
To address the countless comments made all over the place where people have said basically, that Michael Schiavo shouldn’t be expected to not move on and have another woman/family after all this time:
I agree that it is understandable that he has moved on after all these years. HOWEVER, HE CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. If it’s OK for him to have a family, then WHY is he pretending to act as Terri’s husband? If he’s her husband and wants to maintain spousal “rights”, he should be ACTING like HER husband–not someone else’s husband!
This “man” is NOT acting like a man who cares about her in the least, even if she did want to die. FACT (not assumption, speculation, or propaganda): He’s neglected her proper care for years, spent tons of her money fighting for her death, ordered that there be no autopsy upon her death, ordered cremation for her body, disallowed simple comfort items, and MOST importantly, has BLOCKED proper testing for a legitimate diagnosis–is this how you Michael defenders would expect to be treated by the spouses/partners you say you could trust in a similar situation?
So many of you say you wouldn’t want to be in Terri’s condition, well, duh. Obviously, nobody would. (It doesn’t mean we’d choose death by starvation, though!)
So think, what if you WERE? What if your spouse treated YOU in such an uncaring manner? Would you actually think this is the person who should make medical decisions for you? Saying “my wife/husband wouldn’t do that” and the like isn’t an option. Suppose that’s the way it was.
Even those of you who say “the court has ruled” and “it’s the law” have got to know the wrongs being done to Terri by Michael by now (if you feel strongly enough about it you SHOULD know). Doesn’t it make sense to you that such wrongs should render him NOT fit to be her guardian? Haven’t you ever heard of a BAD spouse? All I hear is “he’s her husband…” So? Scott Peterson was Laci’s husband. I’ll bet she trusted him, too, and see how well he cared for her? Millions of women have abusive husbands everywhere. Do you still think THEY should hold sway over their wives’ rights and wishes? Therefore, shouldn’t the spousal rule be excepted in such cases?
How can real feminists (not just partisan hacks) sit back meekly minding their partisan masters in this case? For God’s sake, “feminist” women, wake the fark up!
Finally, I do know what it’s like to assign medical power of attorney and do an advance directive–I’ve HAD TO do one myself. And guess what: although I was quite securely and happily married at the time, I’m no fool. I assigned POA to my mother. Parents don’t divorce their children, and no matter what, you CAN’T KNOW that your spouse will ALWAYS be on your side (no matter what the wedding vows say to the contrary). Maybe it’s because I was divorced before then and was a little wiser that I made that choice, but I wouldn’t even consider otherwise–especially now after this travesty. And honestly, my (now-ex) husband was relieved to not have to make such decisions if something happened to me.
Don’t be a moron. Get your “living will” and medical POA in order. See this for links to online sources.
Ron Daniels says:
It seems that we as a culture have lost our way in deciding what is truly relevent in such a fundamental matter and that is the truth that life is a gift. As a society built on law we labor to resolve issues that impact us personally and shape our society. Some issues elude that process. This is one of them. If I were the judge responsible for deciding how this matter should be resolved I would say “As human beings we have a fundamental moral and ethical responsibility to the lives of the least capable among us. As human beings our ability to see that and act upon it responsibly is an obligation we share one to another.” “Mr. Shiavo, make one last visit to your wife, say goodbye and go on with your life.” “Mrs. Schindler, take your daughter home. I charge you with her safety and lthis court will ensure that that is accomplished even though I’m confident you will make every effort to give her the best possible care.” I would then issue an order that no one in the family is permited to profit from this case. No books, deals, interviews, talkshows, photos, nothing……..Terri has the right to receive the compassion, love, and help her mother and family is more than willing to give.
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred says:
Ron makes a good point- no money to be made from this tragedy. Between that and your post, I wonder if that changes the dynamics.
The Point says:
Terri Schiavo Should Be Kept Alive
There are numerous reasons why Terri Schiavo should not endure starvation and serious dehydration. These are medical, ethical and religious. Far from pretending that I have any expertise in medecine, there are obvious facts that cannot be overlooked an…
JackLewis.net says:
Terri Schiavo: Observations and links
Bumper sticker for Liberals: Congress has no business denying an adulterous husband’s right to torture his wife to death! Good…