I am tired of this story.
Terri Schiavo has been in a persistent vegetative state for fourteen years. She is not going to wake up and be okay again. Since she apparently left no living will, her husband—as legal authority on the matter—has the right to decide that medical science cannot help her, and he has the right to demand that her feeding tube be removed.
Michael is legally married to a woman who has been effectively dead for fourteen years. He has the right to put her out of her misery, and he has the right to decide that it is time for him to be able to bury the woman he loves and move on with his life as best as he can.
I understand that Terri’s parents don’t want their daughter to ‘die’ in the physical sense, but it is not their call and should not be their call. They want their daughter back, but their daughter is not coming back—no matter how long medical science can keep her body alive.
Michael Schiavo has every right to say that enough is enough, and neither Terri’s parents nor the state of Florida has the legal power—or moral authority—to say otherwise. This constant legal battle perpetrated by Terri’s parents lacks common sense, and does nothing but put them and Michael through more unneccesary pain. Terri Schiavo is dead. It is time to grieve, mourn, and move on.
- Schiavo’s parents battle for guardianship (CNN.com).