There are theoretically three choices regarding Terri Schiavo:
- Actively terminate her life (injection to stop heart). In this case there would be no, or at least very brief, pain, even if she has the capability to feel pain.
- Passively terminate her life (remove feeding tube). Starvation/dehydration is a horrible way to die if one can feel pain, basically torture.
- Keep her alive. A miserable existence if she can feel anything.
(2) sounds just so awful to me that I can't support it. It feels morally wrong to me. Indeed, I hadn't contemplated death by starvation before, and if in her position, I say please don't do that to me! (1) and (3) are fine (well, not fine, but at least fathomable), but not (2)! If I'm in a permanent coma, you can remove a breathing tube, you can stop medication, you can sneak in to my room in the middle of the night and inject something lethal, but please don't starve me!
They didn't ask her if she'd mind being starved to death. I think it's a stretch to assume that she would've said yes.
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