- The case of Terri Schiavo in Florida is one that forces
anyone who considers its implications to dig deeply into their own inner
being and ask questions involving the true nature of life and death and
if someone should be allowed to end the life of another person and if so,
at what point they should end that life. These are hard questions because
the person to be terminated is not able to voice their own opinion on the
matter. If they can voice their opinion then it is illegal for them to
die. So it involves essentially killing a defenseless person. That, and
the fact that such people are killed by starvation rather than something
quicker and less painless are the reasons that this case interested me.
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- In trying to reason my way through all of the issues
involved and form an opinion, I happened upon a line of reasoning which
really made me stop and evaluate all my previous thoughts in light of this
new one. What occurred to me was that former President Ronald Reagan is
a victim of Alzheimers. This is a progressive disease which leaves many
sufferers essentially brain dead. Just lying in a hospital bed somewhere
staring blankly at a wall and drooling onto themselves. Not a pretty picture
and certainly no way for a person to live.
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- What if the former President's condition progresses
to that point? He may have no other life threatening maladies and so be
consigned to that vegetative state until he passes from old age. Terry
Schiavo is slightly better than that and the court decided that it was
alright for her former husband to allow her to die by starvation. I say
former husband because, by all accounts, he has a new girlfriend and they
have children so any marriage vows between he and Terri have long ago been
broken. In essence he seems to want the rights of marriage without the
responsibilities.
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- But what if Nancy Reagan decides that Ronald, like
Terri, is no longer a viable person and a local court directs that no more
food or water be given to him until he dies of dehydration/starvation?
It seems that it would be perfectly legal to do so. Since, according to
the Constitution, we are all created equal by God, Ronald Reagan's life
should mean no more than Terri's and what is legal for her would be legal
for him.
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- Can you imagine the reaction of the millions of people
who elected Mr. Reagan and supported him? Just knowing that this "Great
Communicator", at one time the most powerful man in the world who,
almost singlehandedly, defeated the "Evil Empire" of Communist
Russia would be laying somewhere helpless, slowly starving to death because
someone else decided that it was time for him to die? And worse yet knowing
that is was perfectly legal and that they were powerless to help.
-
- What would the Secret Service Agents assigned to protect
him do? They swear an oath to sacrifice themselves to defend the President
if need be. Would they just stand there helpless at his bedside while the
life drained out of him? Would George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress quickly
pass an emergency law to save him from this gruesome fate? Would right
wing radio hosts and others like them fell that Nancy had the right to
end his life for him?
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- I have known many mentally handicapped people through
my Wife's work. People who ranged from being mildly retarded to severely
handicapped. One thing that I never thought about until this story came
out was that I never once heard any of them ask that they be put out of
their misery. Maybe that is because that is all the life they have but
at least it is a life. It is far too easy for whole, healthy people to
say that, in such a debilitated condition, they would rather be dead. It
is another thing entirely to be in that condition and cling to what little
you have.
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