Schiavo's Rights?

As we watch the ever bizarre unfolding of the case of Terri Schiavo in Florida, some fundamental issues are now on the public's radar. Probably almost everyone in the U.S. has heard of the Schiavo case right now. If you listen to some people, it is an issue about the right to die with dignity. If you listen to others, it is a right to life case.

In reality, the Schiavo case, without some of the complexities that we will describe below, is about a person that had brain damage in her early adult life but had no living will. Her husband, which was assigned as the guardian, stated that she had the intention to die if faced with these circumstances. Without the complexities, there would be less of an issue regarding the topic.

Unfortunately, the factors that complicate the issues are difficult to ignore. Below are some of the details:

1) Michael Schiavo is technically married to Terri Schiavo. He has a common law wife and two children out of wedlock. In most circles, his current status is considered adultery. To the outside world, it appears that he has not been faithful to his wife and thus this fact taints his statement regarding her intents.

2) It has been alleged that he could have a financial gain if she dies. There have been several stories about this in the major media, but enough facts haven't come out to settle the issue.

3) Five days into the removal of the feeding tube, celebrities such as Pat Boone were discussing on television the possibility that Micheal Schiavo has a vested interest in keeping Terri from talking. The theory feeds on the train of thought that dead men can't talk.

These issues, whether true of false, cast a pale of doubt over the entire process. If Terri Schiavo dies under these circumstances without the issues being fully reviewed, it will be potentially unfair to Michael Schiavo and Terri Schiavo, though for different reasons. These are just some of the reasons why these issues need to be settled before Terri Schiavo dies. Unfortunately, the legal process is bound and determined to see Mrs. Schiavo go away also. She has become the hot potato of the legal system. The feelings are so intense, that despite the aim of Congress and President Bush to give her federal review in an effort to protect her life, the legal system is unyielding thus far.

Terri Schiavo, in this issue, has less rights that a murderer on death row. With only her parents as an advocate for her life, she will most likely die. The Democratic Party, which normally fights against the death penalty in many cases, has many elements supporting the death of Terri Schiavo. As an interesting note, the major focus of the Democratic party appears to have one category that is offered no protection .... the innocent. The guilty should be protected. We should have never gone to Iraq to kill terrorists. But the innocent children through abortion and people like Terri Schiavo, they should die. There appears to be no desire to debate her issues while maintaining her life. Her death appears not only to be desired, but a goal of the process.

The Schiavo case is bigger than any party involved. It is not a right to life issue. It is a protection of the innocent issue. There may be a way to prove to the public what Terri Schiavo really wants. If all of this ends right now with a death by starvation and no review of the case in a way that people can't understand, the result will be a larger than ever divide in the system. Michael Schiavo will lose, Terry Schiavo will lose, and the American people will lose.

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