Public health implications of Terri Schiavo’s case
Terri Schiavo died in 2005 after staying in a vegetative state for 15 years. There was a heated controversy on whether she should continue being maintained in that state. Finally, it was agreed that her feeding tube should be removed, and she died 13 days later. Her condition led to heated battles between her family and husband about whether she should continue in the vegetative state or not. Her condition brought to light the controversy surrounding the way people in a vegetative state should be treated and the people who should be responsible for making decisions on their behalf. The role of physicians in shaping the opinion of the public about whether or not to end life is uncertain because they are not trained in ethics but medicine. The Terri Schiavo case highlighted the thin line between life and death and between morality and medicine (Quill 1630). The case has made many people to start thinking about end of life issues and make their wishes concerning this issue known to their close relatives. People have become aware of how important it is to have a will and to talk to their families about what kind of end-of-life options they would prefer.
Definition of Being Alive
To be alive is to be capable of responsiveness and awareness of the surrounding. A person in a vegetative state is not alive since he/ she does not have these capabilities. The brain has stopped functioning and the person is just being artificially kept alive by a machine. Though patients in vegetative state may show, reflexes like yawning and movement of the eyes, the individual is not aware of the environment or him/herself. This condition is caused by serious brain damage. A clear definition of a person who is alive is important in order to be able to make decisions about patients in a vegetative state. If they were able to speak for themselves, most patients would not want to be kept in a vegetative state.
Would You Have Made The Same Choices If You Were A Member Of This Family?
If I was a member of Terri Schiavo’s family, I would have supported the decision to remove her feeding tube. When someone enters a vegetative state, there is no point in continuing to prolong his/ her life artificially since he/she cannot improve. Death is inevitable no matter how long this person is kept alive. It is better to let nature take its course and let the person die. If a human being is not capable of cognition, emotions or wilful activity, then there is no point of being kept alive through artificial means (Quill 1631).
My Thoughts on End-Of-Life Issues
Death is a normal and an unavoidable occurrence that must happen to every living thing; therefore we should constantly think about it and prepare for it. I might be alive and well today, but no one knows about the future. Therefore, if anything was to happen to me and I happened to be in a vegetative state, I would want my family to do what is best for me. To me, life means that I am able to make my own decisions, have emotions and be aware of what is happening around me. If I am not capable of that, and there is no hope of improving, then I would not wish to have my life prolonged artificially. My time to leave this world will have come, and I would expect my family to respect the will of God.
Work Cited
Quill, Timothy. “Terri Schiavo- A Tragedy compounded.” The New England Journal of medicine, 2005. 352: 1630-1633