Terri Schiavo Was Not a Carrot
The use of the "V-word" continues to be used in the most "enlightened" places. Today, it is an interview with health author Jane Brody in the NYT about her new book on planning for death. From the interview:
Q: When is the right time to start planning for death?Terri Schiavo was not a carrot or a turnip. She was a human being with a profound cognitive disability. Calling her a "V" demeans her and dehumanizes her moral worth as a human being--just as the odious "N-word" does people with dark skin. It should never be used among enlightened people. Indeed, we need to grow as a culture so that anyone using it is treated with the same disdain by polite society as we do now to anyone who uses the crude "N" epithet.
A: Start thinking about it when it's unlikely to happen any time soon. It's much easier to do it then. It's less painful. Get it out of the way. Many people are saying, "I'm going to take action now while I still feel good and I'm still healthy." You don't have to be old. If you recall, Terri Schiavo was 26 when she suffered a heart attack that deprived her brain of oxygen and left her a living vegetable for 15 years, at great cost and trauma to her family.
Second: Terri's family was certainly grief stricken over her injury--the precise cause of which will never be known. But that is not what so badly traumatized them, and it is not what extracted a "great cost." Those inflictions came from the horror they felt--and still feel--because they were not permitted to care for her for the rest of her life in order to, instead, slowly dehydrate her to death by court order to the applause of much of society.
Brody needs to get a clue as to both her facts and her lexicon.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 10:27 AM
15 Comments
15 Comments:
Absolutely correct, Mr. Smith! In additon, there was great debate if she was even in a PVS at all. (I've seen the videos and read the testimonies- I don't think she was.) However, even if she were, as you point out- she would not have been a carrot! Either way, she was a PERSON, worthy of care and dignity.
Ditto, Wesley.
BTW, I never once heard her parents or siblings complain about the COST of caring for her. (in regard to the writer's comment in this article)
Beans!
Wasn't the Times the first paper to start having problems, cutting back in size, etc.? You know, the way the are, maybe it's not such a bad thing that they're failing. A certain type of person reads the Times as if it's the Bible, and then they go out and make sure they have living wills, see the right plays, have the right opinions, etc. You know, close-minded liberals who don't even know their minds are closed. They're sheep, and they're dangerous sheep because they populate and enact a dangerous agenda and they don't think. Freeing the sheep is a very good idea, whether they prove capable of independent thought or not, and with luck some will. Meanwhile we've got Brody and her ilk anticipating revenue from books about anticipating death, the new hot topic. Stop the presses.
And the same goes for much of the rest of the media, which means a whole lot of newspapers. I don't know how many of these people are capable of straightening out. They don't seem promising candidates for it. It might not be a bad idea to let them all do their living wills and get disconnected from life support and indulge their wish for assisted suicide, and then start out fresh again. As long as the rest of us can find somewhere safe to go meanwhile.
And the same goes for much of the rest of the media, which means a whole lot of newspapers. I don't know how many of these people are capable of straightening out. They don't seem promising candidates for it. It might not be a bad idea to let them all do their living wills and get disconnected from life support and indulge their wish for assisted suicide, and then start out fresh again. As long as the rest of us can find somewhere safe to go meanwhile.
But the real problem is that we tolerated them in the first place. Not everyone is as worthy as everyone else. They -- everyone who contributes to the death culture -- in medicine, science, law, journalism, and elsewhere -- can't cut it and they want their betters out of the way. Sort of ike bad money buying out good. Them, and those dumb enough to swallow their nonsense, I don't care about; I've always believed that the human race would be better off without a large percentage of itself. It's the rest of us, who see through their garbage and don't buy into it, which they hate, which makes them try even harder, that I'm concerned about.
I disagree that Brody needs to get a clue re her facts and her lexicon; what would she do with them, anyway, and if she cared about them she'd have them straight. If anyone needs (and deserves) anything, WE, need to be safe from this ilk, and we must shout them down. It's no more difficult to do than we decide to believe it is.
I think anyone who uses the V word to describe a human should have charges filed against them. This case will grieve me the rest of my life. I've cared for people like Terri and to think someone would kill her (especially at a place that is suppose to preserve life when possible) just tears me up. I have a friend who accidently walked in her room once and Terri showed a reaction, that is not a sign of someone who is unaware. Heck, the videos on TV clearly showed she was responsive.
NO, she was a special girl, loved by all. there is no excuse for killing her or making her suffer. Payday is coming to many in this old earth. For now she is with G-d as HE says, absent from the body is to be present with the Lo-d. Murder is going on everwhere and to the disabled along with assisted suicide. The L-rd is coming with the sword..and Justice will prevail..and it is soon. and we will be able to embrace Terri and she knows how we all fought for her..miss her and cry..we have to keep fighting for these precious people so that they may live..G-d loves them all and so do we. I often think if someone, anyone tried to do to my kids what happened to Terri. I would NOT stand by. I have no patience with evil and I would fight to the death for them..Yet I understand..I would have kidnapped her in a second given the go ahead. Period..G-d bless all of you and those too who fought and fight for those who are disabled. love Kim
My Name is Nicky Warens mother of Neatro Warens whom was in a MVA on March 14, 2008. My son suffered a closed head injury and was diagnosed with a partial brain injury upon arrival @ the hospital. The doctor told me immediatly to gather my family that my son would past the night. For three days my son laid in a bed and all they did was stabilize him and make him comfortable. The doctors first and main concern was not treating or attempting to preventing further swelling or further damageing his brain put there main concern was to harvest his organs. My son receive no preventative treatment to prevent swelling, no shunt, no medication. we keep asking why nothing was being done to prevent further swelling and they told us that my son an 18 year old healthy athletic boy had no chance. That at most my son would be a vegtable. Do to the fact that the hospital nor the doctors did anything my some suffered two brain hernias on the ninth day. again we were told to gather the family that he would not make it that night. The doctor stateing that with his limited Science book he could do nother for my son. That it would take an act of nature to save my son. My husbend responded that his god had no limitations and that he would interpret this as a miricle of god. We were told by doctors that what would the humane thing to do. That my son would always be depending on a ventilator and articficial life. That my son would never breath on his own. Three and half weeks later someone took it upon themself to take my son of the ventilator of which he survived and has been breathing on his own eversince. Again we were ask what would the humane thing to do? We ask what they meant by this, and we were ask if our son stayed home by himself could he feed himself. My husbend and I said no, put neither could an infant. This is a human being and you do not starve someone to death. My son is know home of which they told us he would never make it home or live past three months. He would never move from his eyes down. My son know moves every part of his body and is now responding to commands and request. We ask him to move his right hand and he moves it. We ask him to raise his right arm and he does it. We ask him to move his left hand and he moved it. We ask him to raise his left hand and he raises it. This tells me that my son is there and working his way out. The fact the he knows the diffrence between his hand and arm , Left and right, moving and raising shows me contrary to what the doctors told us. Based on the first diagnosis that the doctors gave us United Insurance whom we had for 15 years drop our policy. My husbend and I are surviving on what savings we have left. We have not received and home health help. There is a very cold feeling in this world and disrespect in this world in reference to the preciousness of life. My son is not a carrot or any type of vegetable. I am totally amazed to the lack of care or government programs. The fact the Insurance company can terminate you after three weeks of an injury. We as human being should try to stop this problem at it's source which is at the initial medical level. Our doctor give up to easy. All they see is $ signs reference to Organs compare to cost of treatment. Life is sacred and should be above any dollar amount. Though we face the financial burden of losing our home and everthing we have worked for. I do not regret any that I have done for my son. Life is precious. My prayers are for Terri family and all families in semilar situation. If anyone has any Ideas that can help us keep our home, because i do not want to put my son in a nursing home. Please Email us any Idea's or Information. God bless all!! please google Neatro warens for his story!
My Name is Nicky Warens mother of Neatro Warens whom was in a MVA on March 14, 2008. My son suffered a closed head brain stem injury and was diagnosed with a partial brain stem injury upon arrival @ the hospital. The doctor told me immediatly to gather my family that my son would past that night. For three days my son laid in a bed and all they did was stabilize him and make him comfortable. The doctors first and main concern was not treating or attempting to preventing further swelling or further damageing his brain put there main concern was to harvest his organs. My son receive no preventative treatment to prevent swelling, no shunt, no medication. we kept asking why nothing was being done to prevent further swelling and they told us that my son an 18 year old healthy athletic boy had no chance. That at most my son would be a vegtable. Do to the fact that the hospital nor the doctors did anything my some suffered two brain hernias on the ninth day. again we were told to gather the family that he would not make it that night. The doctor stateing that with his limited Science book he could do nothing my son. That it would take an act of nature to save my son. My husbend responded that his god had no limitations and that he would interpret this as a miricle of god. We were told by doctors that what was the humane thing to do. That my son would always be dependant on a ventilator and articficial life. That my son would never breath on his own. Three and half weeks later someone took it upon themself to take my son of the ventilator of which he survived and has been breathing on his own eversince. Again we were ask what would the humane thing to do? We ask what they meant by this, and we were ask if our son stayed home by himself could he feed himself. My husbend and I said no, put neither could an infant. This is a human being and you do not starve someone to death. My son is know home of which they told us he would never make it home or live past three months. He would never move from his eyes down. My son now moves every part of his body and is now responding to commands and request. We ask him to move his right hand and he moves it. We ask him to raise his right arm and he does it. We ask him to move his left hand and he moved it. We ask him to raise his left hand and he raises it. This tells me that my son is there and working his way out. The fact the he knows the diffrence between his hand and arm , Left and right, moving and raising shows me contrary to what the doctors told us. Based on the first diagnosis that the doctors gave us United Insurance whom we had for 15 years drop our policy. My husbend and I are surviving on what savings we have left. We have not received home health help. There is a very cold feeling in this world and disrespect in this world in reference to the preciousness of life. My son is not a carrot or any type of vegetable. I am totally amazed to the lack of care or government programs. The fact the Insurance company can terminate you after three weeks of an injury. We as human being should try to stop this problem at it's source which is at the initial medical level. Our doctor give up to easy. All they see is $ signs reference to Organs compare to cost of treatment. Life is sacred and should be above any dollar amount. Though we face the financial burden of losing our home and everthing we have worked for. I do not regret any that I have done for my son. Life is precious. My prayers are for Terri family and all families in semilar situation. If anyone has any Ideas that can help us keep our home, because i do not want to put my son in a nursing home. Please Email us any Idea's or Information. God bless all!!
nwarens10@gmail.com
PS: Please Goggle Neatro Warens for his story.
hi
Sad thing about Terry's situation is that they allowed a man living with another woman to make the final decision about her life.To end it. This is criminal. Can't understand how with all the evidence you don't charge him. We can't believe this can happen in a developed country like USA.....We wish Peace and strength to you all..
Mrs. Warens: God bless you, your son, and your family.
Sue: Well a developed country like the USA elected Obama, and more stuff and people that should be charged and are not charged than Carter's has pills goes on and are running around loose these days.
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