THE CONTROVERSIAL CASE OF ETHICS VS LAW THERESA MARIE SCHIAVO

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The case surrounding Theresa Marie Schindler’s medical condition and guardianship is one that has been infamous in the past years. The case involved many lawsuits and tussles between what was the ethical and lawful action to execute. This paper seeks to shed more light on some key events and decisions, as well as give an opinion on how the case was handled. This is especially in regards to the ethical and lawful issues involved. Theresa was born of Mary and Robert Schindler in December, 1963. At that time her parents resided in Huntington Valley in Philadelphia. She was the firstborn in the family. She was taken to Catholic schools, owing to her parents’ religious affiliation. She later joined Bucks County Community College. It was here that she met her husband, Michael Schiavo. They got married in their early twenties, and their marriage was one of those that are remarkable to the present day. Theresa was worried about her body weight and she developed a schedule to work on it. She succeeded greatly in shedding weight off her body. February 25, 1990 was, somewhat, the darkest day of her life. She collapsed in their condominium’s hallway; where she was found by her husband unresponsive (Valdes, 2014). Schindler call paramedics who reported that she was in a coma state, on arrival. Theresa was taken to the Human Northside Hospital, St. Petersburg, in an ambulance. She remained there, in a coma for three months after which she woke up (Valdes, 2014). Unfortunately, she was still unresponsive; she only glaringly stared at those people she knew. Theresa’s parents took care of her until it became unbearable for them and transferred her to a nursing home (Valdes, 2014). The cause to Theresa’s condition could be ascertained. Neuro... ... middle of paper ... ...y Council to enable him make alterations on the case contrary to what the courts decided. He was empowered by the “Terri Law,” that was later declared to be unconstitutional. Political interventions manifested different ideologies through the case. In the end, the Schindlers lost the case to Michael who was authorized to remove the PEG tube off his wife. She later died but her wish was accomplished. Theresa’s parents were, somewhat, justified to sue against the act that would kill their daughter. However, her wish was ultimate; and it lied on Michael’s arms. The rule of law was finally upheld amidst political influence and interference (Valdes, 2014). The government and politicians ought to restrain from infringing the individual rights provided for by the constitution. Works Cited Valdes, B. (2014). The controversial case of Ethics vs Law Theresa Marie Schiavo.

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