The courts continue to be the venue for all the big media events these days, except for the NCAA championship, and that isn't over yet, either.
The newest installment is the heartbreaking case of Terri Schiavo. It's rare to see so many clichés thrown around to describe such a complex problem, and that's saying something in these sound-byte, 30-second spin times. It seems to me that now that we have the means to extend life through technology, we must also work seriously on the moral distinctions that would enable us to choose between life and death. The truth is that decisions are made every day by parents, childen, siblings, spouses, and others to pull the plug on life support - or not. By turning this issue into a “sanctity of life” question, we are making it even more difficult for those people not in the media light to make choices.
Unless Congress is ready to pass AND fund law that requires all patients to be kept alive with all heroic measures available indefinitely, they should stay out of this. I don't know if Terri Schiavo should be allowed to die or be kept alive in a vegetative state, but I know that if it were me, I'd want Congress to stay out of my life. Sent wirelessly from my Blackberry.
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