Death, especially at the beginning of the quarter, might seem a
morbid topic to comment on. But with the recent death of Terri
Schiavo ““ and all the controversy over whether to remove the
feeding tubes keeping her alive since her collapse in her mid-20s
““ the subject of untimely death seems intent on creeping into
many of my everyday conversations.
While Schiavo’s death is poignant, and the facts in the
Schiavo case are interesting and vast in scope, I would rather
discuss the precedents it has set rather than the personal case
that I, in the end, cannot speak to. What I can fairly address,
however, are those issues that would affect me and those around
me.
One of those issues is that many government officials like to
see how far they can overstep their boundaries, it seems. In the
Schiavo case, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has made himself the champion
of the Schindlers (Schiavo’s parents, who objected to
removing the gastronomic tubes feeding their severely brain-damaged
daughter) since 2003, when Florida lawmakers passed emergency
legislation called “Terri’s Law,” which gave the
governor the authority to reinsert the feeding tubes that were
keeping Schiavo alive despite the wishes of her guardian husband.
It was found unconstitutional a year later.
Though the situation may be a wonderful political opportunity to
hastily change the system under the guise of empathy, it is
unsettling at least to watch politicians further their agenda with
no consideration of laws set to protect the patient’s beliefs
and desires. I wonder if Schiavo would have wanted the political
attention her story received.
But politicians are not the only ones benefitting from Schiavo.
So is the media.
The media is one of those creations that holds the potential for
being abused ““ as I think it has been in this case.
In certain cases, like when a child is missing, the use of the
media to spread information on the missing child and the
circumstances behind its disappearance is very appropriate.
Sketches of possible abductors, pictures of the child, information
on vehicles and other facts allow us to be informed, responsible
citizens.
But it is when the coverage begins to extend into weeks and
months, despite the lack of new factual evidence that the media
begins to sicken me. When personal issues ““ such as disputes
concerning money, previous medical attention, or arguments based on
the fragile emotional states of concerned family and friends
““ take over, the media begins to dabble in the falsities of
reality-TV-style reporting.
The he-said-she-said games begin, the gloves come off, and very
intimate and emotionally charged details of everyday lives come out
at the cost of any meaningful movement of the case.
And to little use. In the Schiavo case, the majority of
Americans polled felt that the government had no business
intervening under the circumstances, and that Schiavo’s
husband should remain her legal guardian (and thus the person with
the authority to decide her fate).
Thus, the publicity did not help the Schindlers in any
politically strategic way. Instead, the public enjoyed following
the personal vendettas between the Schindlers and the Schiavos as
the media frenzy left no private fact unreported.
For example, Michael Schiavo has had a relationship and children
with another woman, without divorcing Terri Schiavo. Perhaps this
was a callous move motivated by money or a personal agenda. Or
perhaps a grieving husband wants what he feels is best for his
wife. For those of us so far removed from the case, we cannot make
a fair judgment on his actions.
The Schindlers continue to accuse Michael Schiavo of neglecting
his duties to provide care for his wife. Perhaps this is an act of
rightfully concerned parents, or perhaps it is an act of parents
unable to face grisly reality. That is for the courts to decide,
for the same reason as stated above.
Finally, a group of protestors at one point juggled to show
their support for Terri Schiavo. While interesting because of its
novelty value, juggling is completely irrelevant to the case and a
waste of media time.
This is not to say that personal experiences should have no
weight in changing politics. Specific, personal incidents such as
the Schiavo case are important politically, and thus on a national
scope that affects everyone, because it takes emotionally charged
circumstances to get people motivated about the law.
They illustrate how certain broad laws may not be generally the
best course of action in particular applications. Thus, the laws
can be put to further scrutiny to see if they are generally
inadequate, or if the specific situation merely suggested an
exception to the rule.
When the media makes the personal specifics of the case more
important, however, they lose the ball. The story becomes a
national pastime rather than a national concern.
Perhaps Schiavo’s case was so grisly because neither her
husband nor her parents allowed her to die privately, and instead
she was paraded around the news as a cause.
My parents attempted to make the best of the issue and reminded
my sister and me of their decision if something similar should
happen to them. I wonder if Schiavo’s case shouldn’t
trigger legislation that would require everyone to make such a
decision, and have it legally applied.
While you would hope your loved ones would know your preferences
and what’s best for you, this case illustrates that
relationships come with baggage that might keep families from
making the decision you would favor. So it would probably be
prudent to make your own preferences known. At least then, Terri
Schiavo’s death ““ or more importantly, the dragging of
her personal life through the muddy columns and reports of
irresponsible media outlets ““ will not have been in vain.
Hashem would not like to be kept alive by machines in
hopeless circumstances. E”“mail her at
nhashem@ucla.edu.