Terri Schiavo's Family Joins Fight for Teen on Life Support

[EC]

Is her heart beating on it's own in a steady rhythm? If so, she is not totally brain dead, even if her body may need assistance breathing. A feeding tube should be inserted, or she should be killed outright. Starvation and dehydration is not a good way to go, even if you don't notice it.

[sinkspur]

"Putting pets down" consists of actively and intentionally poisoning them to death. That is not analogous to what is going on here.

Euthanizing pets is not poisoning them.  Their hearts are stopped medicinally.  There is no "poison."

[olde north church]

"Putting pets down" consists of actively and intentionally poisoning them to death. That is not analogous to what is going on here.

Perhaps it should.

[sinkspur]

Is her heart beating on it's own in a steady rhythm? If so, she is not totally brain dead, even if her body may need assistance breathing. A feeding tube should be inserted, or she should be killed outright. Starvation and dehydration is not a good way to go, even if you don't notice it.

She is totally brain dead.  In fact, it's likely her brain is liquifying.  Decomposition has already set in.  A few more days and a medical examiner will be unable to determine cause of death. 

The fault lies with this judge who is indulging the fantasies of the parents.

[mountaineer]

Euthanizing pets is not poisoning them.  Their hearts are stopped medicinally.  There is no "poison."

By "poison" I meant a drug that causes their death. Forgive my inaccurate choice of words.

[EC]

She is totally brain dead.  In fact, it's likely her brain is liquifying.  Decomposition has already set in.  A few more days and a medical examiner will be unable to determine cause of death. 

The fault lies with this judge who is indulging the fantasies of the parents.

Then - switch her off. It's the kinder thing to do. As long as blood is flowing and her breathing is assisted, most of her body will remain alive, slowly starving.

[GourmetDan]

Actually depends on what your definition of "long" is.    You can keep flesh and bones hydrated indefinitely, can't you?

Don't think so...

[GourmetDan]

"Putting pets down" consists of actively and intentionally poisoning them to death. That is not analogous to what is going on here.

Some people post as though the analogy is appropriate.  That's the problem...

[GourmetDan]

Then - switch her off. It's the kinder thing to do. As long as blood is flowing and her breathing is assisted, most of her body will remain alive, slowly starving.

If she was decomposing, her heart wouldn't be able to beat.

Some people need to be taken with a mountain of salt...

[Rapunzel]

If she was decomposing, her heart wouldn't be able to beat.

Some people need to be taken with a mountain of salt...

As someone who has made this decision... it's about the patient... not the survivors.  You do the right thing and let them go.  Keeping a body breathing on machines when the brain has ceased to function is inhumane and selfish.

[GourmetDan]

As someone who has made this decision... it's about the patient... not the survivors.  You do the right thing and let them go.  Keeping a body breathing on machines when the brain has ceased to function is inhumane and selfish.

What you don't do is force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That's what's inhumane and selfish.

Gawd people...

[Rapunzel]

What you don't do is force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That's what's inhumane and selfish.

Gawd people...

You are not killing someone who is already dead.  Their child is dead.

[GourmetDan]

You are not killing someone who is already dead.  Their child is dead.

You don't force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That is inhumane and selfish.

[Rapunzel]

You don't force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That is inhumane and selfish.

In this case you are wrong.  Have you ever even seen a dead body on life support?  I have.  The parents are clearly incapable if understanding it's not her breathing, it's the machines.  She isn't there, she's gone. 

[GourmetDan]

In this case you are wrong.  Have you ever even seen a dead body on life support?  I have.  The parents are clearly incapable if understanding it's not her breathing, it's the machines.  She isn't there, she's gone.

No I'm not and yes I have and yes it was my 15 year-old daughter.

Satisfied?

[Rapunzel]

No I'm not and yes I have and yes it was my daughter.

Satisfied?

And did you let her go in peace?  I'm guessing you did. 

[GourmetDan]

And did you let her go in peace?  I'm guessing you did.

F. U.

[sinkspur]

F. U.

You are too emotionally invested in this circumstance to be objective.

Sorry for your loss.

[olde north church]

What you don't do is force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That's what's inhumane and selfish.

Gawd people...

If "they" don't think she's dead?

[Olivia]

I'd like to know more about these complications from a routine tonsillectomy.  Was it negligence, ineptness.... exactly what happened.
Since we are facing a tonsillectomy in the family, this is unsettling news to hear.

[olde north church]

I'd like to know more about these complications from a routine tonsillectomy.  Was it negligence, ineptness.... exactly what happened.
Since we are facing a tonsillectomy in the family, this is unsettling news to hear.

Could it have been the girl's weight?
This is why using computers rather than animal and human models for medical research.  Mutation, medical misadventure, the Bossa Nova.

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

You don't force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That is inhumane and selfish.

Fine.  Let the family pay for maintaining her.  They can take her home, and arrange for 24 hour skilled care.

[jmyrlefuller]

If she is not dead, let them pull the plug on the machines propping her up.

If she is truly not brain dead (and it has happened that they have prepared to take supposedly brain-dead people's organs only for them to wake up), she will respond.

If she is truly brain dead, she will die.

I empathize for the woman's family, but this is, quite literally, do or die time. No amount of propping up what is basically a corpse is going to help this woman recover.

They'd be best advised to start looking for a lawyer and investigating a wrongful death suit.

[Charlespg]

[What you don't do is force a family to kill their child if they don't think she's dead.

That's what's inhumane and selfish.

Gawd people...

This is why I dislike pro lifers as much as I dislike the pro abortion fanatics ..what part of brain dead do people not understand ?

 do they think they can bring somebody back from the dead by using the force ?

selfish is using up  medical resources to keep a DEAD BODY on  a machine

[aligncare]

Is her heart beating on it's own in a steady rhythm? If so, she is not totally brain dead, ....

The heart can initiate its own beating without nerve impulses from the brain. The cardiac conduction system is a group of specialized cardiac muscle cells in the walls of the heart that send signals to the heart muscle causing it to contract. No brain waves needed.