Talk:Terri Schiavo case/Archive 5

message: what is the exact wording of the law that passed? does it only apply to Terri Schiavo? or does it speak in general terms? can this law apply to anyone else in the USA? Kingturtle 06:30, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  what are the details of the 3/20 legislation? 

message: I'm more than willing to make a Sun Hudson article that contrasts neatly with the Terri Schiavo case. Sun Hudson was removed from life support and died due to a rare form of genetic dwarfism which caused his lungs to be too small. Interestingly, this was in Texas, and was under a law passed by then-Governor Bush (the Advanced Directives Act) -- while I'm personally supportive of Michael Schiavo, it's not done as a swipe or simply a NPOV inflammatory exercise. It'd be facts-only, clearly, and, I believe, allow people to create a more informed opinion of the clearly subjective opinions of euthanisia, right-to-life, etc. Professor Ninja 08:45, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Is Sun Hudson relevant?  As I understand Sun Hudson was unable to breathe unaided, while Terri Schiavo can. She isn’t hooked up to "machines." She is simply fed through a low-tech device invented in the nineteenth century. After all, everyone needs food and water to survive.  --ClemMcGann 10:39, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  I think Sun Hudson is relevant, yes. Sun Hudson was unable to breathe unaided in much the same way Terri Shiavo is unable to eat unaided. I also disagree that the timestamp of the invention of a device gives it merit as a meter to whether or not somebody should remain connected to the mechanisms which artificially promote their life. While Sun Hudson had a fully functional brain, Terri Schiavo, all debates to the extent of the brain damage aside, does not. In one instance it is a case of a fully neurologically developed human being with a defective organ being removed from life support by a law passed by Bush against the wishes of his mother and legal guardian, the other instance is a case where a totally non-functional human being with workings organs is being kept on a life support system contrary to the wishes of her legal guardian but persuant to the wishes of her non-legal guardian parents at the bidding of a law, again, passed by Bush. It does create an interesting and extremely informative contrast. I'm not leading the horse to water, I'm just putting up a trough in case one of them wants a drink. Professor Ninja 10:56, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Furthermore we really are stretching the bounds of arbitrary meter here, aren't we? We all, also, need oxygen to survive. In fact oxygen is more directly related to survival than sustenance or hydration. Additionally if we're to comment that Terri Schiavo's "different" because she uses a feeding tube to eat and that's not a true life support system like a respirator or ventilator is, then we should be reminded that Schiavo needs to bypass her throat muscles which are, like Sun Hudson's lungs, incapable of functioning in a life-sustaining capacity. Additionally, Sun was suffocated alive, whereas Terri would go into an unconcious cardiac arrest. The similarities and striking contrasts of the case make it extremely relevent especially vis. the possible politicking and grandstanding resulting from the Schiavo case that could prove extremely informative to those who want to know. Are similar cases now "more equal than others" based on their exposure in the media? Sun Hudson set a bioethical precedent in being the first person let die under the futile care laws contradictory to the wishes of his legal guardian, and irrespective of the similarities and contrasts to the Schiavo case, this important enough to warrant a seperate article. Professor Ninja 11:03, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)

text: Ah, I see, so a woman unable to speak for herself is thus spoken for by her legal guardian, contradicted by her non-legal guardian parents is not at all comparable to the inherently contradictory nature of a 6-month-old "midget" (a midget is somebody short, usually accepted as less than five feet tall, but otherwise normally proportioned, dwarf, on the other hand, is the non-pejorative term I'm sure you struggled hard to drum up) who, obviously, is of sound mind at sixth months old to decide whether or not he should live or die, and, furthermore, able to voice it (unlike Terri...) you know what? Why don't I just cut the crap and hope to God you're being sarcastic as hell? Professor Ninja 21:30, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Should somebody make a Sun Hudson article?