I think you meant ILlegal, but you are right. No state had passed a right to die law until Bush was in office. Now that Oregon has such a statute, Bush's Justice Department is fighting against it.
actually --- I didn't really add Sam to my ignore list. I just find the term "r****d" highly offensive. I work with alot of people struggling with downs sydrome, dp, cerbral palsy etc.... Every day they fight for exceptance and for people to look beyond the label "r****d". I assume that they statement was made out of ignorance not malice.
I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes The still, sad music of humanity, Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power To chasten and subdue. And I have felt A presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man: A motion and a spirit, that impels All thinking things, all objects of all thought, And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods, And mountains; and of all that we behold From this green earth; of all the mighty world Of eye, and ear, - both what they half create, And what perceive; well pleased to recognise In nature and the language of the sense The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul Of all my moral being.
Take out the "borderline" and this statement is accurate. "r****d" is a word best left in the past like the N word as well as all the other derogatory racial slurs out there.
So I suppose now you will be fully supporting issues designed to help the disabled like strengthening the Americans with Disabilities Act, increasing funding for Medicare and Medicaid, repealing the Fed. ban on funding stem cell research, removing caps on medical malpractice litigation and allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from other countries.
While you're at it, I'd like a few more questions asked. For instance, how is it that some people miraculously recover with similar or even reportedly worse symptoms? Was the chance for recovery after 6 months in PVS, 1 in 200? Less? If you were Terri's father, wouldn't that be good enough for you? You're so bitter about Republicans that you can't even take moment to empathize with Terri's parents. You criticize me for my 'beathless' reports in the other thread, but I'd rather side with some parents who are trying to keep their daughter alive and give her every chance at life than a husband who's already moved on... or liberals with a chip on their shoulder. As for Fox, it's on in my house only when my children's grandparents visit so I saw a total of about 5 minutes of a report a couple of weeks ago. Sounds like you watch it more than I do.
RIP, Terri Shiavo. It is 15 years too late for her immediate relatives to stop feuding I suspect. Hopefully we can start to address such issues of the roughly 20,000 kids who starve to death daily in the world. Kids it should be noted that still have the brain power to feel pain and despair.. Oh well, probably back to following whether Michael Jackson went to court in pajamas or slacks. We do have Hilary talking about video games so maybe that can be the focus of the network news for awhile. Maybe someone can pass a law that keeps both sides of the Shiavo family from profitting from the books and TV movies.
Cohen, I'm pretty damned convinced by the findings of the courts who have exhaustively litigated this for several years and ruminated on these facts. But anyway, please enlighten me on these miraculous cases (I guess the courts, and the various experts on whose opinions they relied, must have not liked them so much Since you are now a medical expert though, i invite, I beg, I plead you to address the report of the doctor that Jeb appointed to save her and he ended up arriving at the same conclusion most rational people have. Sishir Chang has posted it for us and referred you to it numerous times in the other thread. I don't believe you ever addressed it, once, you just say "yeah but her family and the nobel prize guys said this!!!!!!!". Are you purposefully ignoring it because it exposes the quackery that is the foundation of your argument? I empathize with them, and recognize them for what they are, people who need counseling. [/QUOTE] so you'd rather indulge their fantasies and their quack svengalis than respect what has been determined to be their daughters wishes? Fortunately for her (body, and her parents in the long run as well) others much wiser and well versed in this than you and I in the situation have decided differently, numerous times.
I think that atleast one good thing will come out of this whole situation: a more aware public with regards to advanced directives. Everyone should have advanced directives, no matter how young or healthy, so situations like this can be avoided. I saw an estimate that between 10 and 20% of Americans have advanced directives. This is entirely too low of a number. Its suprising that even at a hospital like M.D. Anderson, many of the patients do not have directives. IMO it is due to doctors not feeling comfortable asking patients about that situation, and patients not wanting to talk about it either.
Someone needs to start a poll: More bizarre period: 1. Culture Club 2. Culture of Life Both have their popular hits (and massive mistakes) and are full of weirdos.
