Life and Death

The Terri Schiavo case saddens me.

First of all, I have to state that I unequivocally believe in living life to the fullest, regardless of the obstacles and curveballs thrown in our way.

And that is why this whole incident is upsetting. So many doctors have testified that Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state", with no hope of recovering normal cognition. But the hope and belief that somehow Terri will wake up someday keeps her parents fighting for her survival. Despite the fact that people who have woken up from such comas in the past still had functioning brain material. And the worse part is that people who believe in the "sanctity of life" project their values onto her case, and make her out to be a test case of the issue of abortion.

Still, i find myself asking. If all evidence points to the fact that she cannot recover, and that she will remain aware and unconscious, is keeping Terri alive in some ways denigrating the sanctity of life? By fixating on the fact that she sometimes smiles or moves, despite the point that her brain is mostly dead, are we projecting our own fears of death or values onto a case in the face of scientific and objective evidence?

Is letting her go instead the more courageous thing to do? To release our own emotional ties so that someone we love can stop leading a mere facimile of life?

Again, I have to emphasise that I am all for life. I was reading about the case of a former national water polo player who was stricken by ALS. Once muscular, his arms are now sticks and he can barely raise his hands. Yet, he has accepted his condition and lives as meaningful a life as he can. That he continues to strive against his condition in such a way is deeply worthy of our respect.

Accepting our fears, and learning to let go, can sometimes be the most courageous thing a person can do.