Terri Schiavo example essay topic

"Oh Grave, Where is they Victory? Oh Death, where is they sting?'. Medical technology has, in recent years, progressed to the point that terminally ill and severely brain-damaged patients can be kept alive almost indefinitely by artificial measures. Cryogenically preserving specimens with un curable diseases until such time that cures are available is not beyond the reach of many.

Dying with dignity by choosing when and how one will approach death is an option in today's world. The sting of death has, in many ways, been taken away. Powers of attorneys, living wills, explicit instructions and "Do Not Resuscitate" orders have provided a sense of control over death for the person that is dying, as well as for the family members or others left in charge of a dying person. Although facing the inevitable end of one's life is not a particularly enjoyable task, it is a way for everyone to have some control over their fate at a time they are no longer able to speak for themselves. It is, however, a task that is often avoided and often goes undone.

It is a choice, though, that for most people is a choice made by the individual with the advice and counsel of their closest family. It is not generally a decision made by legislators or by governmental executive decisions. Terri Schiavo, a dying Florida woman, changed all that. Terry Schiavo suffered cardiac arrest in 1990.

She suffered severe brain injury because of oxygen deprivation. Schiavo's doctors describe Terri as being in a persistant vegetative state since 1990. So what has Terri Schiavo done that has changed the dying process? What has made her the focus of national attention? Terri Schiavo never made her last wishes known to her husband or parents. Schiavo's parents believe that though comatose, Terri responds to stimuli, is somewhat aware of her surroundings, and could perhaps improve her condition if treated.

Terri's husband disagrees and stands firm on his statement that Terri would not have wanted to exist as she does and should be allowed to die peacefully by removing all artificial measures used to keep Terri alive. A constitutional debate before the Florida legislature about who can make life-ending decisions and under what circumstances they can be made has resulted. Malpractice suits, legal fees, judgments, blaming first one and then another have all made Terri Schiavo a voiceless pawn in a battle over life and death. After a Florida judge ordered her feeding tube removed for the second time in three years, the Flor dia legislature stepped in and passed emergency rules allowing their governor, Jeb Bush, to order its reinsertion. Terri Schiavo has been at the center of every Right to Life group imaginable, as well as being the topic of just about daily news-talk shows. In her incapacity to speak for herself, Terri Schiavo has had everyone speak for her.

Because of her silence, everyone else has had a voice. Terri Schiavo has become a cause. She has been the silent spokesperson for those who are kept alive without a way to express their last wishes. Because of Terri Schiavo, Florida's life-ending legislation may be deemed unconstitutional. By not making her wishes known, Terri's wishes were decided and carried out by others far beyond her immediate family. The story of Terri Schiavo is one of cause and effect.

Terri Schiavo, perhaps, did more in not dying than many of us do in living. For those who look for a purpose in everything, Terri Schiavo caused people to rethink matters of life and death. She silently drew attention to the plight of others tied to life-saving devices and loudly called for the living to make their wishes known and accessible while they can still speak for themselves. Terri Schiavo is the cause. By getting legislation in place and documents in order, it is up to the living to make the effect.