Terry Schiavo has become a famous name throughout the nation. The controversy inspired by this woman’s experience has become a monumental case concerning right to death, euthanasia and other bioethical issues.

The Schiavo case is one among many such situations. In 1976, this issue was first recognized in the Karen Quinlan case. A 21-year old woman fell into a vegetative state, resulting in her family’s request to disconnect her life support. The Supreme Court allowed the family the privilege to do so and also set a precedent for similar situations that would come.

According to Medical Ethics, by Jeffrey Finn and Eliot L. Marshall, over 10 million Americans live in a vegetative state. This statistic alone reinforces the importance of a solution to this issue.

Unfortunately, this situation does not have only a right-wing and left-wing outlook. There is plenty of gray area in the middle, making it difficult to provide such a solution.

The numerous definitions of the term “life” in America are a major cause for this controversy. Some feel that individuals are technically alive if they are capable of communicating with others, while some feel that they must be able to sustain life on their own.

Each medical case is unique. Stories of patients waking up out of a coma after years in such a state are often heard, making condemning a person like Schiavo to death difficult.

Schiavo was sustained by feeding tubes, as well as by machines aiding her brain functions. She was awake, but severely brain damaged, making the outcome of a miraculous awakening unlikely.

However, that is simply one case. It is irrational to apply the same solution to every medical circumstance.

The great protest concerning Terry Schiavo may prompt some to hope for a law that legalizes euthanasia. This, however, is difficult because to do so would require a firm definition of “dead” and “alive.”

Until everyone, or at least the majority, of our nation’s people agree on these definitions, a solution is extremely difficult to produce.

Although it is necessary for Americans to address this issue, the hype Schiavo’s story has produced is due to media’s attention. A major conflict occurred between Schiavo’s parents and her husband. Had Americans watching the news about Schiavo known Schiavo’s true wishes about her death, the controversy would have been considerably less strong. However, conflicting accounts of Schiavo’s death wishes left her hopes a mystery. This in addition to the great amount of slander occurring throughout the entire process confuses the issue even more.

Perhaps, the greatest tragedy of the Schiavo case is not her starvation from the feeding tube, but rather the blatant contention among her loved ones throughout her death. If not the severe brain damage and 15years of immobility, the arguments would have been enough to cause anyone to gladly approach death.



Julia Snell reporting for The High Life Staff