Andymatic

Easter Vigil

I think the saddest thing about the whole Schiavo case is at the center you have a family that is so afraid of accepting death. The desperate appeals up and down the judicial hierarchy get more and more selfish each time. This is not about Terri’s wishes or her husband’s custody as her legal guardian: this is about a family that is profoundly afraid of their own grief.

It reminds me of some of my coach training sessions where we were instructed to not hand a crying client a box of tissues (which was within their easy reach anyway). That action is more about our own discomfort with emotion (and wanting to short-circuit its expression) than with helping them.

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5 responses to “Easter Vigil”

  1. Americunt

    Schialvation
    Andymatic pointed out the sadness of their Schiavlo’s inablitity to accept their daughter’s illness death. What I find even more disturbing is how the real issue is not being brought up in the media at all: Euthanasia. The right-wingers are…

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  2. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    Of course we want to save any life we can, and preserve quality of life. However, death is not evil, it isn’t a sin. It is, in fact, part of life. The “Culture of Life” has turned “life” into a fetish…it’s idolatry.

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  3. Me Avatar
    Me

    I think everyone is misinformed about the Schiavlo case. The truth is she did not leave a living will. The only thing about her wishes is the opinion of her husband and her family and they both differ. Her husband, who has children with another woman these years since she has been hospitalized refuses to divorce her and leave her care to her parents, which is her parents greatest desire. He refuses to divorce her because he will then loose the one million dollars left to her care from a malpractice settlement as a result of her heart attack. The problem with this case is that feeding tube is not life support. Mrs. Schiavlo breathes on her own and is capable of swallowing and saying about 3 words. The long term implication of this case is that what do we consider quality of life. Should Handicapped children or elderly people who rely on feeding tubes considered not fit to live? Should people with cerebral palsy or other conditions that prevent them from being able to feed themselves be preventive from assistive care. Should nursing homes and long term care wards be closed because the patients are not fully functional. Who decides who should live and who should die? I have fed many a patient through a dropper, syringe, special cup, assistive device. This is not life support prolonging death. This is simple care and filling basic needs. Cessation of life support should only happen when a terminal illness is involved and articficial respiration and circulation is keeping the individual alive. People have said the government should stay out of the case. But it is the judicial legislation that is preventing Mrs. Schiavlo from recieving a sip of water. It is pure abuse, neglect and homicide.

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  4. Beastmomma Avatar
    Beastmomma

    I agree that the big take home message of this should be that we need to have living wills. The fighting and going back and forth on this is a disaster. No matter what the outcome, there will not be a winner. How can you win when all your actions are hiding a deeper fear? In this case, I agree with Andy: fear of grief, fear of loss, fear of the unknown.

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  5. Lingo Avatar
    Lingo

    What I don’t get is how we can hold vigils in support of one life when thousands of American children and adults are also starving every day? We’ll miss work, hire hit men and have our children arrested to bring water to Ms. Schiavlo but reduce Medicaid funding in a heart beat.

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