Down the Tube

The Terri Schiavo case has caught my attention as the epitome of the debate of the role of government in people's lives. Here, the government's involvement is quite literal: should a loving husband be allowed to remove a feeding tube supplying life to a persistently vegetative woman who (according to the husband) left specific instructions that she did not want to be kept alive artificially? The parents of Schiavo claim that she left no such instructions and for some reason believe that her husband wants to remove the feeding tube for a reason other than that he loves her deeply. If she did indeed say she did not want to be kept alive by machines, then the parents are the true monsters in this case by fighting for their daughter to be held captive in a virtually lifeless mass of flesh and bones.

The whole situation is quite unsettling and raises an important question in my personal life. What would I do (or want done)? I believe that if we truly live in a free society as so many people claim we do, then people should have the right to end their own lives if they so choose. If a person is simply mentally unbalanced or emotionally disturbed, then suicide will be swift and without grounds. This act, I believe, is incredibly selfish and just giving up on life. On the other hand, if a person is consciously aware of his or her condition and the pain or distress associated with that condition, then that person should have the right to determine if their life should go on. It is not the job of the government, religious leaders, family, or friends to make the decision. Often in emotionally charged cases such as this, family, friends, and community act very selfishly throughout. The parents of Terry Schiavo are clearly thinking more about their own personal piece of mind and comfort than that of her daughter, who is obviously not living any meaningful sort of existence due to her lack of mental capabilities. I know my opinion may sound cruel and heartless, but if a human is being kept alive by breathing machines and feeding tubes and has no mental awareness of the world around them, then what is the purpose? The only purpose I can think of is to keep the bodily functions (sans brain) up and running so the parents won't have to deal with the emotional stress of the death of a child. Then there's all that pesky paperwork and funeral expenses.

Sen. Tom DeLay who is one of the several politicians involved in the activism to keep Schiavo alive said today "Terry Schiavo is alive. She's as alive as you and I. As such, we have a moral obligation to protect and defend her." This is simply not true. While she is alive in the sense that her lungs are taking in air and her brain is still presiding over various bodily functions, the difference between her and I is that I'm not having food forced down my throat because I lack the capacity to do it myself.

I do not doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Schiavo love their daughter with all of their heart. I do, however, believe that their intentions are severely misguided and that they are acting selfishly by not allowing their daughter to make a decision about her own life. The parents and their supporters outside of the hospital are all share a common thing: religion. The pictures and news reports of the demonstrators are replete with references and comments about Jesus, God, and the sins of the guilty that will be washed away with Jesus' blood. Is their judgement so clouded by the institution of religion that they actually value their own personal beliefs over the life (or lack thereof) of another human being? It is a sad state of affairs when a religion teaches people that any life is worth living regardless of the condition.

I place value on my own life because of my ability to think freely and consciously experience the world. While I welcome the development of technology that would allow me to sustain life with the assistance of manmade creations, I draw the line when I cannot make that decision for myself or I lack the mental capacity to enjoy life as I do now. My entire existence is based on that ability and if it is taken away from me then I do not wish to carry out my days hooked up to machines, unaware of what is going on around me or the stress that my state is causing my loved ones. I am the only one that can make such a hard decision, not the government or anyone else. While I did not choose to be born into this world, I should have the right to decide how I want to live in it.

edit: I just came across a blurb about Republican senator Daniel Webster of Florida. On the floor of the U.S. Senate, he actually held up a $100 bill to make the point that it has value whether it is crisp and new or crumpled. These are the kind of ignorant people fighting to keep this woman alive! They compare a human life to an inanimate piece of paper that has no intrinsic value at all! The irony of a U.S. senator using money to make a point is not lost on me either. This is the society we live in folks, and it's scary.