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Monday, November 01, 2004Felos said it might be time to advise Schiavo to end his quest. ``It would appear that pursuing any remedy through the judicial system is simply a waste of time,'' Felos said. ``It is hard to see where there is any benefit in staying the course in this case.'' Friday's decision by Circuit Judge George Greer to stay the case indefinitely while the Schindlers appeal his latest ruling ``could delay this case months, even years,'' Felos said. ``I think it's outrageous.'' For those of you unfamiliar with the case, Terri Schiavo is a brain-damaged woman who is basically involved in a custody battle between her husband and her parents. Generally, absent a living will or other advance directive, a spouse assumes decision making power if someone becomes incapacitated. The problem is, what if there's a question of the spouse's motives? What if the couple were having marital problems at the time of the injury? Terri Schiavo's parents want to assume the responsibility of her care. Her husband doesn't want them to. The result has been a long, drawn out legal battle. As it happens, there was a letter today in our local paper by a man in a similar situation, but with a different turn of heart (Fourth letter; requires registration): I've heard bits and pieces of this story and find myself looking back to a similar situation. In August 1999, my wife and I were in a motorcycle accident that left her in a coma for about four months. That June we had discussed updating our wills and what we'd like done if something like life support became an issue. We both decided we did not want to be kept alive by machines if it were determined that our brains were dead. Ironically, we were to sign those documents on a Wednesday but our accident occurred on the previous Sunday. My wife had surgery on her brain to relieve pressure and swelling. The surgeons told me, in front of our parents at my request, that at the time no promises could be made and we should prepare for at best a lifetime of machines and various equipment or death -- only time would tell. I let our parents know of the wills and that they were not signed, so any decision I would make would be done with their considerations in mind. I felt that even if I wanted to end this and her parents disagreed, how could I deny them the chance or hope of holding on to their daughter even if I've given up on my wife? After 20 months of stays in various hospitals and nursing homes, I was finally able to bring my wife home. Five years later, she is still at home with me. She is totally dependent on me, the families or the nursing staff for all of her needs. I'm now her legal guardian, and we have new wills in place. We just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, and we're only five years in this situation so I don't claim to know how Michael Schiavo may feel after 14 years. But if he's entered into a new relationship, and money isn't an issue, then why not return custody of his wife to her parents and let God and them decide how and when she should die? Her parents seem, after all, to be aware of what it takes to care for Terri. It takes so much to care for a loved one, and if someone is willing to do that, especially her mom and dad, they should be allowed to. They did all they could to make her worth marrying, and they should not be kept from caring for her to the end, no matter how futile it seems to courts or anyone else. I hope and pray that Michael Schiavo would return Terri to her parents and move on with his new relationship. posted by Sydney on 11/01/2004 07:38:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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