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Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Issues of Life and Death

The deaths of Terri Schiavo and the Pope occurred within a few days of each other. The Pope, as one of his last acts, condemned the murder by dehydration and starvation of Terri Schiavo, who was murdered by her husband with the complicity of the State of Florida.

We can argue about the right to death, freedom of choice, right to life, and a number of other things, but I would like to propose one view that I have not seen elsewhere. That is, the husband, by several acts on his part, not the least of which was violating his marriage vows, should not have had the power of life and death over his wife.

A lot of noise has been made over the law in this matter. The law did not allow for the saving of the life of Terri Schiavo.

Confucius said: "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good."

The parents had asked for custody. The relationship between the parent and the child is the foundation of virtue. This particular relationship between the husband and wife had no virtue, as Terri had been abandoned by her husband.

The claim of her being in a persistive vegetative state has several problems. First, the diagnosis is difficult to make, especially in a brief examination by a court appointed physician. Persons with brain damage sleep quite a bit more than they are awake, and when they are awake they do not exhibit all indications of consciousness. Therefore such a diagnosis can only be made after spending several days with the patient. No physician did that.

But it is irrelevant. If the parents want custody, it should be theirs, as they have a stronger claim to custody than a husband who wants to see their daughter dead. In given the choice between life and death, when the choice is given, choose life. It is rare enough for the choice to be given.

There are too many instances of abuse of wives by husbands, and this was one that ended in the death of a disabled daughter of parents who loved her and wanted her back. There is no virtue in this.