2008 Woodie Awards
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER: Time for the Government to Butt Out
Katharine Anderson
Issue date: 4/6/05 Section: Opinion
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For many, the most feared time of life is when it is ending. Many do not plan ahead or think of the upheaval that decisions regarding our end-of-life care can cause. We do not anticipate being kept alive for more than a decade only to have the decision to terminate our existence rest in another's hands.
Therefore, we do not document our wishes, leaving the door open for vicious battles between loved ones as to who decides our fate.
Enter the government. When all else fails and decisions can't be amicably reached, the case ends up in a courtroom. But really, is this up to a judge to decide? The judge did not know us, did not live with us and did not care for us.
So how can a judge determine our decision to live or die?
Simple. They can't.
The decision to continue existing in a vegetative state is ultimately up to the individual. Unfortunately, in the Terri Schiavo case as in so many others, no living will existed, making it the loved one's responsibility to understand and follow through on the individual's wishes.
Terri's husband Michael decided to end Terri's - and the family's - suffering by removing her feeding tube and allowing her to finally rest, claiming that his wife expressed that she would not want to live that way.
He had to go to court to do it and throughout the seven-year battle, during which Terri remained in a consistent vegetative state, Congress, Florida lawmakers and even President Bush tried to intervene on Terri's parent's behalf.
Why? Doesn't society recognize an individual's right to make decisions for his or her spouse? Isn't that considered in the meaning of "till death do us part?"
Aren't most married couples so intimate that they know thoughts and feelings that even their respective parents could never know, or understand?
Who better to know and understand Terri Schiavo's wishes than her husband? Certainly not the courts. Or Congress. Or even the president.
And the government can rest assured that when most people are considering their wishes for end-of-life care they will not be calling their local Congressman to get feedback and approval of their personal decisions.
They will most likely be discussing it with their spouse.
Obviously, it is near impossible for any politician to truly know what is best in the tragic decisions that must be made by families.
Mr. Schiavo summed it up well. "It is a sad day for everyone in this country because the U.S. government is going to come in and trample all over your personal family matters."
At this rate, Big Brother will be watching over us soon.
Therefore, we do not document our wishes, leaving the door open for vicious battles between loved ones as to who decides our fate.
Enter the government. When all else fails and decisions can't be amicably reached, the case ends up in a courtroom. But really, is this up to a judge to decide? The judge did not know us, did not live with us and did not care for us.
So how can a judge determine our decision to live or die?
Simple. They can't.
The decision to continue existing in a vegetative state is ultimately up to the individual. Unfortunately, in the Terri Schiavo case as in so many others, no living will existed, making it the loved one's responsibility to understand and follow through on the individual's wishes.
Terri's husband Michael decided to end Terri's - and the family's - suffering by removing her feeding tube and allowing her to finally rest, claiming that his wife expressed that she would not want to live that way.
He had to go to court to do it and throughout the seven-year battle, during which Terri remained in a consistent vegetative state, Congress, Florida lawmakers and even President Bush tried to intervene on Terri's parent's behalf.
Why? Doesn't society recognize an individual's right to make decisions for his or her spouse? Isn't that considered in the meaning of "till death do us part?"
Aren't most married couples so intimate that they know thoughts and feelings that even their respective parents could never know, or understand?
Who better to know and understand Terri Schiavo's wishes than her husband? Certainly not the courts. Or Congress. Or even the president.
And the government can rest assured that when most people are considering their wishes for end-of-life care they will not be calling their local Congressman to get feedback and approval of their personal decisions.
They will most likely be discussing it with their spouse.
Obviously, it is near impossible for any politician to truly know what is best in the tragic decisions that must be made by families.
Mr. Schiavo summed it up well. "It is a sad day for everyone in this country because the U.S. government is going to come in and trample all over your personal family matters."
At this rate, Big Brother will be watching over us soon.
