Implications of The Terri Schiavo Case: Assisted Suicide Option

The Schiavo case is bringing to the fore the lack of options associated with end of life decisions in this country for those who are terminally ill or facing a life with no quality of life i.e. no self awareness as the result of severe brain damage. People appear apalled that her feeding tube has been disconnected. That seems to be more of a stumbling block in this case than any other factor, how she will die rather than how she should live.

It is clear that the option to live is clouded with a future that will continue for Terri Schiavo to have no quality life and no chance of recovery. We show more mercy to our pets at the end of their lives than we do to our own fellow human beings. When I allowed my beloved dog Jenny to be injected by a veterinarian, she succumbed within seconds and died peacefully in my arms. My Father who died painfully of terminal cancer and who expressed his desire to die over and over in the hopsital was not allowed that option because it is and was against the law. He was not even given enough medication to keep his pain in check because the nurses said that would kill him. In many medical situations, that has changed and more pain medication is given especially in hospice settings but I would not be surprised if in some cases the practice is the same as what my Dad experienced.

Assisted Suicide which is allowed in only one state (Oregon) in the USA should be allowed across this country. Given the power of the pro-Lifers it is doubtful this will happen in the near future but it is evident this is the option that is needed the most and is highlighted the most by the Schiavo case. If people don't want to see the tubes removed and to witness a lingering death, then why not consider or at least allow people to consider another option. In Teri Schiavo's case assisted suicide cannot even be considered as she did not have advanced directives and is unable to express her desires but her case highlights the need for this option and the publics distaste for the option she is experiencing now.An option that faces many of us in the future, if we do not take care of business and face the facts of death and dying as they are not as we wish them to be. Assisted Suicide should be an option for those who desire it and feel it is a better alternative to death by withholding of nutrition.