[skorpion317]

I'm sure most people have heard about this by now....

Terry Schiavo is a woman down in Florida. in 1990, her heart stopped because of a chemical imbalance brought on by an eating disorder. Her brain was starved for oxygen, and it left her brain-damaged. Since then, she has been on a feeding tube. She can breathe on her own, but requires the feeding tube for nutrition and hydration.

She left no living will. He husband claims that his wife told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents contend that not being kept alive would have gone against Terry's deeply Catholic beliefs. They also say it's possible for her to get better.

Court-appointed neurologists say that Schiavo is in a "persistent vegetative state," meaning she has no awareness of what's going on around her. Other neurologists have said she is "minimally conscious," meaning she drifts in and out of awareness constantly, unable to control her consciousness.

The Florida Supreme Court has consistently ruled in favor of Schiavo's husband. Her parents have begged the husband, who now has a girlfriend and several children with her, to divorce their daughter and let them take care of her. Schiavo's husband has repeatedly refused. At stake is a large life insurance claim, which Schiavo's parents say is motivating their daughter's husband to keep custody of her until she dies. Schiavo's husband has denied this allegation and has also accused her parents of the same offense.

This past week, Schiavo's feeding tube was removed by court order. It's been almost a week without food. Doctors say death usually occurs within one to two weeks of the tube being removed.

What are your thoughts on this case?

I think it's more than a little shady that Schiavo's husband refuses to divorce his wife. The life insurance claim (supposedly around a million dollars) is a big factor in my reasoning. With that million dollars, Mr. Schiavo could have a nice life for his new family, among other things. What I don't understand is how the courts consistently ruled in his favor. All he had to go on was an alleged conversation between he and his wife where she said she wouldn't want to be kept alive artifically. There was nothing in writing, only his word.

I feel very bad for her parents. They would like nothing more than to take care of their daughter - just like any parent would. The fact that she may get better gives them hope as well. However, they continually get rebuffed by the courts.

It's sad that something like this can happen. I think the husband is a scumbag. The money is too much to pass up. Why the courts can't see this is beyond me. Only in America....