Haunted
When the face and story of a single individual is before you all day long, it is hard not to become haunted by it; it is hard not to think about what is going on in her room even now. What is going through her mind? Many say absolutely nothing...she's not really there. She's a vegetable. Seems far from proven, but it's a lot easier to throw out a vegetable than it is a human being, isn't it?I'm haunted because it sounds as though there is much more going on in Terri Schiavo's brain than many have let on; as though there is a human being who may not understand all that is going on, but is perhaps more aware than some would like us to believe. Perhaps child-like. Perhaps she is lying in her bed wondering what is happening to her...wondering why she is in so much pain...wondering why someone will not take care of her...just maybe. Funny, I'm wondering the same thing and I have all my faculties.
I just don't get it.
I'm haunted by the face of Terri Schiavo because this is not supposed to happen in America. Land of the free and home of the brave. The place where everybody has a shot, right? Apparently not. We're just like everybody else...we're a culture of convenience. Whether it's unwanted pregnancies or unwanted wives, if life isn't convenient, it's optional.
I'm haunted because Terri Schiavo lies in a bed like so many people across this country and around the world. She's in the same state that probably millions are in, suffering from brain injury, dependent on others to take care of them. She's not alone in her type of suffering. So what's the difference? She's alone in her suffering...abandoned by some of the very people who are supposed to have dedicated their lives to taking care of others. Abandoned by a legal system that is supposed to protect and defend life and liberty; to be a voice for the voiceless. The only difference between Terri and all these other brain-injured people is that they seem to still be wanted; they seem to be valued. Yet, in spite of it all, I know she still has value and I know that she is still valued and loved and cared for by the One who made her. I'm haunted because she is a person of infinite value who is being treated worse than an animal.
I'm haunted because some would say that the reason for all of this is that Terri told her "husband" that she wanted to die with dignity. Dignity? Please! There is no dignity in the way she is dying. There is dignity in the way she was living, being loved and valued and cared for by parents and other family members who still saw her as a person...as a whole person. Now, she wastes away like a thrown away piece of garbage. Dignity? There is no dignity in the way she is dying and there is no dignity for those who are torturing her...who are killing her.
I'm haunted because Terri Schiavo is dying for exactly the same reason any one of us who have perfectly good brains would die if we were artificially withheld food and water. Do this to a dog and you can be fined thousands of dollars and spend years in prison. But this kind of sheer cruelty and torture has been issued by people who have the title "honorable" before their names. Do this to a dog and you would have Peta all over you, yet all those wonderful defenders of the individual and civil liberties, like the ACLU and N.O.W., are nowhere to be found.
So, has justice been done for Terri Schiavo? Is she mercifully being granted her wish to die with dignity? If you happen to be one of those people who are currently under the delusion that she is, perhaps a little experiment is in order: refrain from eating or drinkig for about a week or two and then let's talk...if you still can. We'll see how dignified you feel. I'm haunted because there is someone lying in a bed right now without food or water who has not been given the option to do otherwise.
I'm haunted by the fact that the United States of America is a country that claims to value life, yet systematically kills off unwanted unborn children and is now starting down that road to a new category of "undesirables". Slippery Slope? No. It's only slippery if it's a slope you don't want to go down but can't stop. America is willingly walking down that hill.
What society can possibly survive that legally and intentionally starves human beings to death?
God, help us.
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 3/24/2005 09:15:00 PM
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4 Comments:
Welcome to Homespun - I really like your blog.
I'm frightened and sick about Terri Schiavo. Frightened because a couple of medical people, a judge and an abusive husband are supported by the law in the killing of an innocent, helpless woman. There are too many questions here and it is not clear to me WHAT condition Ms. Schiavo is in, nor is it clear to me what her feelings were about being kept alive in the state she is in.
I'm a mom who schools her kids at home. Your blog is very interesting. Take good care.
Grizzly
The word abusive in the above comment is inflammetory and based upon rumor and innuendo. We can strongly and vehemently disagree with this man.
We can even find his actions repulsive, but we are committing slander when we use such a word (or libel since it is written) unless he has been proven to be abusive.
Biblically we are to stay away from such speech.
Amen, David. Glad to see you back on your blog.
I'm in Ethics this semester and we've been talking about this case a lot. You're right-her face is haunting. I hadn't seen her until a couple of days ago and her face hasn't left my mind. I think it's a call to pray.
It is interesting as a Canadian christian to see how this plays out in the USA. In our country this would not happen this way. Our laws are different and more private. With a living will in place it is all taken care of and we encourage that. It has been noted that 75% of Canadians also say let her die. What I can't figure out is why Christians who should be the last ones to fear death can't let her die? I think American Christians especially the type we see and hear on TV are really out in left field, as they were on their vote for their president.The same amount of Canadians can't figure that one out either. My view is that life is about having an opportunity to build a relationship with God. Once that opportunity has or has not been achieved, then comes the spiritual world to see what you decided. Read Emmanuel Swedenborgs heaven and Hell and you will gain an update on spiritual reality.We have gone beyond what God intended in medical capability of keeping people so called alive which maybe should have died a long time ago. Where does advances in medical science come into play here?
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