What is the core issue with the Terri Schindler Schiavo euthanasia case in Florida?
It is relatively straightforward. It is a question of whether people who suffer significant brain damage, but are otherwise physically healthy, are entitled to basic nutrition and hydration. Terri Schiavo is essentially a healthy person apart from some brain damage. She does not have any diagnosed terminal disease and she is not, due to some pathology, about to experience a sudden and radical decline that would lead to her death. For all intents and purposes, if she is provided food and liquids through a feeding tube, it seems likely she could live for another 20 or 30 years or even longer with the appropriate care. Part of the confusion around this case stems from the implicit assumption that if Terri’s “quality of life” is not quite as high as most other people’s, that means we can refuse basic care to her. The distinction in my mind goes like this: One is not obligated to embrace excessively burdensome treatments. However, we shouldn’t confuse this with the case of not putting up wi
