subjected by Terri’s husband Michael Schiavo, others, doctors included, believe that Terri’s condition was caused by an eating disorder, namely bulimia. Not many people are even aware of what Terri’s condition was: whether it be brain death, persistent vegetative state or minimal consciousness. With assurance from doctors, these conditions are all vastly different. The medical definition of ‘brain death’ is: ‘the cessation and irreversibility of all brain function, including brain stem’ 2. Some people
“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far” (Swami Vivekananda). Words and thoughts have a symbiotic relationship. As implied by Vivekananda, one directly affects the other. However, deceitful thought expressed through words in a fraudulent manner have the power to change another’s emotions, actions and, ultimately, morals. One such example of doublespeak, as this is called, is euphemism where sophisticated language
may either be (a) alert and (b) aware and (c) competent to make their own decisions and (d) able to communicate or the patient may have (a) decreased alertness (due to encephalopathy or coma), (b) diminished awareness (retardation, dementia, vegetative state) and (c) be incompetent to make their own decisions or (d) be unable to communicate due to aphasia, or inability to speak. Euthanasia is voluntary, when an alert, aware, competent patient agrees to it being performed, and euthanasia is
At one point Quill (2005) writes, “He believed that his wife would not want to be kept alive,” and slightly later in the paragraph says, “The Schindler family, however, did not accept the diagnosis of a persistent vegetative state, believing instead that Ms. Schiavo’s ” (p. 1631). Why would he use “his wife” in place of “Ms. Sciavo” in the beginning, and why did he use “Ms. Schiavo” instead of a familial term towards the end? Using the same type of term would have
life back, but no improvements were seen in her. Her husband Michael Schiavo who was also her legal guardian decided at one point that Terri was not showing any progress and felt like she did not deserve to live the rest of her life as a “Persistent Vegetative State”. He decided to put her case into court to be able to remove her feeding tube. After many discussions in court, On April 24, 2001, they decided to take her feeding tube away. Many “appeals” and even the “government” including President George
conflict with providers of care towards end of life choices, or accidental injuries leading to comatose state with patients who had never made or signed their advance directives, deciding on how they preferred to be cared for when those times came. This complex issue has in the past to present resulted in countless lawsuits, against healthcare providers by families who believed that no matter the state, meaning whether comatose, or in situations where a loved one had no choice in deciding for them, families
= behavior interrelate. I thought that looking into some information about the persistent vegetative state and the locked-in syndrome would yield a satisfying and definitive answer once and for all. Is a brain still a brain without the I-function? I found no definitive answer, but I was able to convince myself of the "less-wrongness" of the brain = behavior idea. I first looked into the persistent vegetative state. Below I have reproduced a somewhat technical explanation of how PVS patients are
examinations of Terri Schiavo indicated her in a persistent vegetative State. Persistent vegetative state is a condition of no physical or emotional response. It is a medical condition of unresponsiveness. There is no cure for this medical condition, but treatment can help. The patient is kept alive by medical interventions which includes, tube feeding, catheterization, and resuscitation. Terri Schiavo was now in a Persistent Vegetative state. Her family and her spouse had a hard time
many ethical theories that can be used to discuss this topic in detail. Karen Ann Quinlan was a 21 year old who fell into a coma after taking drugs and alcohol at a party while in college. After a short time she was declared to be in a persistent vegetative state without possibility of recovery from her doctors. Soon after her parents decided they wanted to have her taken off the respirator so she could die with dignity. The hospital refused and the family went to court to have her father Joe Quinlan
ever-fleeting moment in time, yet some believe the spirit and soul is eternal. The desperation of perishing flesh painted in detail Dudley Randall’s poem “To The Mercy Killers.” The focused principally on the allying functions of a mortal body during a state of no recovery. Randall presents to an audience a plea for mercy, and for the continuous gift of life. Randall’s poem strikes as a sore spot within humanity, euthanasia. The choice to exercise a person’s right to euthanasia due to a medical condition
because she had no oxygen going to her brain for several minutes. Terri was severely brain damaged and in a vegetative state but could still breathe and maintain a heart beat on her own. After two and a half months and no signs of improvement, impaired vision, and the inability to move her arms and legs she needed a feeding tube to sustain her life since she seemed to be in a persistent vegetative state. For 2 years doctors attempted speech and physical therapy with no success. In 1998 Schiavos husband
same conclusion reached by the judges but in a more expedient process. To begin, a general overview of the case will be given followed by the presentation of anecdotal evidence such as the video records that “proved” Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), the construct of the Schindler’s argument founded in fundamental Christian beliefs, and other pattern seeking/pattern finding behavior that was used to vilify Mr. Schiavo as well as justify much of the observational evidence used
May Surrogate Decisions Makers Terminate Care for a Person in a Persistent Vegetative State? I. Introduction A. Healthcare can be very controversial. One of the most challenging and difficult cases has involved patients diagnosed in a vegetative state. The main requirements for a diagnosis of PVD is at least one month in this state and no respond to purposeful stimuli. This point validates the important of advanced directives. PVD can be a lengthy disease process. Surrogate decision makers become
In the United States and worldwide people have different culture, beliefs and attitude about death. Over the past years, death is an emotional and controversy topic that is not easy to talk about. Everyone have a different definition of what is death and when do you know that a person is really dead. In the book Death, Society, and Human Experiences by Robert J. Kastenbaum demonstrates that you are alive, even when doctors pronounce you dead. When a person is battling between life and death physicians
minutes longer than medical experts believe is possible without consequence of serious and irreversible brain damage. She fell into a persistent vegetative state (PVS). Thus began a fifteen year battle over the sanctity and quality of Mrs. Schiavo’s life. Mr. Schiavo maintained that it was Mrs. Schiavo’s wish that she not be kept alive in a persistent vegetative state. Her parents fought to keep her alive believing that some miracle would bring her out of the PVS. Experts on both sides of the debate
in a persistent vegetative state, a conduction in which a medical patient is completely unresponsive to physical and psychological stimuli and shows no sign of high brain function, being kept alive only by medical intervention. That would be more than difficult to imagine, but for the Cruzan’s family it was a reality. Nancy Cruzan was in a car accident, which resulted in massive injuries. Nancy was in an unconscious state and very unresponsive in daily activities. She was in a vegetable state with
another. Likewise, a physician should be allowed to decide not to perform a procedure if doing so would conflict with his or her values. In the Cruzan case, Nancy’s autonomy by way of her parents’ substituted judgment was overridden in favor of the State of Missouri’s policy to preserve life. Although the Supreme Court did not deny that Nancy had the right to refuse nutrition/hydration, there was not enough clear and convincing evidence to know that refusal was what Nancy truly wanted. Also, the
is too. A lengthened life is unbearable for people with a condition, which leaves the brain alert but eventually shuts down all bodily functions. How can people be expected to live a decent life in such a state? For people like this and also people in PVS, (persistent vegetative state) some believe that the choice to live or die with dignity should be their own. If people could make the decision then some may believe that the option of euthanasia should be available to them. In conclusion
in the form of respirators and artificial heart machines. The media attention to the Karen Ann Quinlan case made the issues public. The Karen Ann Quinlan case serves as a perfect example of these new issues. She was diagnosed with a persistent vegetative state, and her life was sustained with a respirator and feeding tubes. Her parents wanted to remove the respirator. Many issues were brought forward during the deliberation; all of them dealing with issues pertinent to ethical medical practices:
The Vegetative State and Euthanasia Much media attention has been directed at the very practical use of euthanasia or assisted suicide on patients who are in a vegetative state or irreversible coma. The truth is that a significant number of such cases actually recover. This essay is devoted to those types, some very young, who would have been killed if euthanasia/assisted suicide had been legalized. Let's begin our consideration with a nine-year-old named Ryan Atencio. He was taken off