Terri Schiavo case

Terri Schiavo – The Right to Die In 1990 Terri Schiavo slipped into a permanent vegetative state. She remained in this vegetative state for 15 long years before she was allowed to die. Mrs. Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo fought relentlessly to honor his wife’s wishes to never live like this. Michael was faced with opposition from Terri’s parents, religious and right to life organizations. The opposition caused the Schiavo case to be challenged and put in the public eye for all to see. The US Congress and President became involved. Prior cases similar to the Schiavo case had been heard and ruled on. Such cases as the case of Karen Quinlan and Nancy Cruzan set a precedent and had positive outcomes but were ignored in this case. We will be taking an in depth look at the moral case of Terri Schiavo and the government involvement in the case. We will compare her case with the…

The main ethical issue with the Terri Schiavo case is a struggle between sanctity of life versus quality of life (Perry et al. 747). On one hand, Terri Schiavo's parents were Catholic, which means that sanctity of life was very important to them. Even though they were informed that there was no hope that their daughter’s condition would improve, they still held on to her life. What was really important to them was their daughter remained alive. On the other hand, Terri’s husband did not share…

Introduction The case of Terri Schiavo brought attention to the debate over the right-to-die. On both sides of the debate, people from around the world, including the Vatican, weighed in with their opinion and viewpoints. There was no correct answer and no easy answer about if Terri Schiavo should live, with the requirements of extensive long-term care, or if she should die, presuming her informal conversation she had with Michael Schiavo about life-saving and prolonging were enough to make the…

stimulation therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy were unsuccessful. With diagnosis Persistent Vegetative State, she spent almost fifteen years in bed, nourished by the feeding tube. Terry died in 2005 when following the court order, her feeding tube was removed. One of the ethical issues in Terry’s case involved a basic principle of autonomy. Terry did not leave any legal document where her wishes regarding medical treatment were revealed, nor did she appoint a health care proxy.…

either directly or indirectly permitted or carried out by a physician. In simple terms, an “out” is provided. For this reason, it is often associated with chronic pain or terminal illness. Suicide where the doctor in charge is directly involved is perhaps the first situation which comes to mind when one thinks of euthanasia. This includes cases such as those in which the physician injects the consenting patient with a lethal substance in order to end their life. While this is the most…

The interpretation of the feeding tube being the equivalent of the breathing machine or vice versa is up for debate. These are both machines that can prolong life in some fashion. It does not say she is unable to talk or unable to eat, but rather that she refuses to do both actions. I would advise that her husband and her daughter speak to her to see if she will respond to them. It is quite possible that Ann could die at her own hands because of her refusal. This is somewhat a reminder of the…

The Terri Schiavo case gained national awareness on when and how the law defines death. Terri Shiavo had a fatal cardiac arrest that left her in a “vegetated state,” in other words the brain tissue had died due to lack of oxygen. Since the patient was married and in this state for 15 years, the patient’s husband had petitioned the courts to stop nutritional feedings and allow the patient to die. Firmly against this decision, the parents of the patient, fought the husband in court for the right…

Nobody wants to be remembered as sitting sick in hospital bed waiting to die. They want to be remembered for who they once were, healthy and happy something they unfortunately can never be again. It astounds me that in a country which is supposed to represent freedom, in this case, does not. We are given all these freedoms except one very standard one, the freedom and right to our own bodies and to choose to live or not. Since America is all about freedom this should be a fundamental right. Why…

and death” (Lasagna, 1964). Although the physician of the patient receiving life support has more bias to the technical aspect of probability of survival, it is standard practice for them to not only consider, but honor and respect the decisions of the surrogates. Doctors presentably have more knowledge about the patients status and sometimes believe that they have a right to die because they will suffer if kept alive, or their case proves to be a medical anomaly. Legally, it is stated that, “In…

The chapter 3, Comas: Karen Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan, and Terri Schiavo, introduces three new cases of patients facing a persistent vegetative state (PVS.) These cases discuss the ethical and political issues of keeping people in a vegetative state alive, being individuals who would never have a conscious life again. The first case began around the resolution of the Supreme Court of New Jersey about the removal of the ventilator to the PVS patient Karen Quinlan, in 1976. Her father waged a legal…