Terri Schiavo
Terri Schiavo was a women who drew attention to controversy surrounding right to live versus euthanasia perspectives.
Schiavo was diagnosed as in a permanent vegetative state, but this was disputed by other sources (e.g. Dr. Bill Frist). Some argued that, even if the chance was small, she could one day be revived from her comatose state. In 2002, the Second District Court of Appeal requested additional EEG and CAT scans over the objections of her parents which confirmed no measurable brain activity and the presence of severe cerebral atrophy - from which there are no recorded instances of recovery, and which more doctors considered recovery to be a medical impossibility. Others argued that, whether or not she could be revived, her life should be preserved regardless.
Those in favor of removing her life support, including her husband, argued that Schiavo should be allowed to "die with dignity," rather than being kept alive in her limited state. Schiavo's husband was the main proponent of removing life support, while her parents were extremely vocal to the contrary.
Legal dispute
The legal dispute over Schiavo's death took seven years, starting with the filing of a petition in 1998 with the Pinellas County Circuit Court for permission to remove her feeding tube and ending with her death in 2005. Following her death, autopsy showed her brain to have half the normal mass for a woman her age and confirmed the extensive damage shown on CAT scan.
In 2003, a court ordered the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube. This prompted the Florida legislature to pass 'Terri's Law' in under a week, authorizing the personal involvement of Governor Jeb Bush to overrule the finding of the court. The governor immediately ordered the reinsertion of the feeding tube. Terri's Law was lated ruled unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court, finding that state and federal constitutions prohibit the interference of the governor or legislature within a specific judicial case.
Ultimately, a court order upheld the husband's wishes and Schiavo's feeding tube and other life support were removed. This topic and outcome remain highly controversial.
Similar cases
- Nancy Cruzan. An American women left in allegedly vegetative state after a car accident.
- Sue Rodriguez. A Canadian woman with a terminal illness who desired an assisted suicide.
- Spiro Nikolouzos. An American whose life support the hospital wished to end. His family fought this, claiming that the hospital wished to end his life purely because his Medicare coverage was running out. Under the Texas Futile Care Law, signed into law by George W. Bush, then governor, the Texas hospital could legally override the will of a family if given approval by an ethics committee.
- Haleigh Poutre. An American child beaten into a coma by a foster parent whom the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is attempting to remove from life support.[1]
