Animals are treated better
Now that the end is near for Terri Schiavo and after carefully reviewing both the obvious argument and hidden agenda behind this tragedy, I will offer an opinion for the first and only time. The unter-agenda of which I refer? The continuance of judicial tyranny in America, the legalization of euthanasia, and who decides when to do the killing and why. As for the surface argument, my thoughts were expressed by Dr. Thomas Sowell:
"If the tragic case of Terri Schiavo shows nothing else, it shows how easily 'the right to die' can become the right to kill. It is hard to believe that anyone, regardless of their position on euthanasia, would have chosen the agony of starvation and dehydration as the way to end someone's life.
A New York Times headline on March 20 tried to assure us: 'Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death' but you can find experts to say anything. The same newspaper reported in a December 2, 2002, article that people starving in India were dying, 'often clutching painful stomachs.' (B2 note: I have personally seen starving people in other lands, and I did not notice any dignity or gentleness in the process).
No convicted murderer would be allowed to be killed in this way, which would almost certainly be declared 'cruel and unusual punishment' in violation of the Constitution, by virtually any court. Schiavo's only crime is that she has become an inconvenience - and is caught in the merciless machinery of the law. Those who think the law is the answer to our problems need to face the reality that the law is a crude and blunt instrument. Make no mistake about it, Schiavo is being killed. She is not being 'allowed to die.'
Every member of Terri's family wants her kept alive - except the one person who has a vested interest in her death, her husband. Her death will allow him to marry the woman he has been living with, and having children by, for years. Legally, he is Terri's guardian and that legal technicality is all that gives him the right to starve her to death. Courts cannot remove legal guardians without serious reasons. But neither should they refuse to remove guardians with a clear conflict of interest."
There is more from Dr. Sowell, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, but his point has been clearly and concisely stated. For those of you thinking that once Terri Schiavo dies this will all be over, think again. This is just the beginning in a series of upcoming battles over issues defined in my first paragraph.
All I know is this: We wouldn't think of killing a dog in this manner, and we would be arrested if we did. And if you actually believe that there is no pain but plenty of dignity in starving to death someone who would otherwise remain living, never again donate to help feed the hungry.