Terri Schiavo of Florida, who's vegetative state
and right to life became a national issue in 2005
Posted on 12/17/2011 2:48:34 PM PST by wagglebee
Terri Schiavo of Florida, who's vegetative state
and right to life became a national issue in 2005
The difference between a dead man and a man in a vegetative state used to be a thin line of whether
or not the body was still functioning. But what if the vegetative man is still conscious? That brings
the distinction into a whole new level.
Philosopher Walter Sinnott-Armstrong gave a talk titled “Is he conscious? Does he want to be?” at the Trent Center for Bioethics on Friday, Dec. 9. He discussed clinical studies which have shown that despite the unresponsive display, patients in vegetative state may be still conscious. With assistance from an fMRI or an EEG scan, doctors can tap into the patient’s brain activity and “read their thoughts.”
The scanning study’s control was patients who received severe brain trauma and were confirmed to be in a vegetative state. The studies focused on the specific brain activity when the patient was commanded to “think about tennis” and the brain activity that occurred when the patient was commanded to “imagine anything other than tennis.” The distinctive brain activities were then coupled with a series of yes or no questions. If their answer was yes, the patient was told to think about tennis and if their answer was no, the patient was told to think about navigating through a house. In one case study, the patient answered five out of seven questions right by showing brain activity associated with tennis to questions for which an affirmative was the correct answer. The other two questions showed no response, and the doctors assumed the patient had gone to sleep.
This confirmation of consciousness in some vegetative patients brings up an ethical issue. Those at the bedside can now ask questions, including “do you want to live?” The vegetative patient’s answer to such a question may inform the ethical issue that arises each time we worry about “pulling the plug” on a clearly “living” person.
We can sit here and argue this and that for days as we generally do with these posts, but in the case of your mother she was already on the path for death when it was decided to stop the medication.
You may have kept her from suffering for years instead of the 23 days. Think about that.
It isn’t a decision made easily, it isn’t pretty to watch, neiother is watching them suffer for a year or more on tubes while a mostly dead brain keeps a healthy heart alive.
It’s a decision that will soon be made for us when Obamacare becomes the law of the land.It will be made strictly on a monetary basis, and it will not only be the brain injured patients that it is made on. It will be made according to the cost of keeping you alive.Think about that.
Obamacare will make Terry Schiavvo look like a lone incident not worth talking about.
It will happen to thousands of elderly .
The money form Medicare will be cut off and when your funds run out you die. Obama denies it, but it’s coming.
We can argue all day and you will not see my side Read the post I just made to another poster on this thread. Soon our Government will make that decision for us anyway.
Terri was supposed to receive therapy which would have allowed her to swallow solid food. Her dear husband swore that he would use the settlement money for her care and therapy.
Instead, he blocked swallow therapy and filed a complaint against a nurse who fed her jello orally. Oh yeah, some jokers on FR stated that she might have choked to death on it, how ironic...
And you seem to take the side of those who would eliminate those "useless eaters." Go "zieg heil" elsewhere.
Sorry my opinion does not agree with yours.
As for your Zeig heil Comment you can KMA.
Do you support abortion as enthusiastically as you support euthanasia?
I guess if they had seen a loved one recover from a horrific accident, they wouldn’t be so hungry for death.
Hey man . Why don’t you just shut up you have made an ass of yourself for long enough.
Wags,
Have you noticed how death loving facists are desperate to silence their opposition.
Hey Nazi,
If you want to post, answer my question. "Do you support abortion as enthusiastically as you support euthanasia?"
Besides, I told you to take your "zeig heil" somewhere else. Don't you have some ovens to fire up?
I guess you just wont quit.
I have never supported abortion.
I do not support Euthanesia.
I should have known better than to offer an opinion in this thread since every time this comes up you Schiavvo nutcases flame anyone with a differing opinion, If you feel so strongly about being kept alive in a vegetative state perhaps one day you may get your wish and find yourself or one you love in that position, at that time make your decision and try to live with it.
“When you reject their ghoulishness, they respond with abbreviated obscenities.” Your statement.
When someone doesn’t agree with your opinion you start calling them Nazi’s and Zeig Heilers.Is there alot of difference Mr. Hypocrite.
Schiavo was not vegetative. She was not on life support. She had a food tube that she would not have needed if she was provided the promised swallow therapy.
When someone doesn’t agree with your opinion you start calling them Nazi’s and Zeig Heilers.Is there alot of difference Mr. Hypocrite.
When you voice the same opinions as the 30s era NAZI Party, don't be surprised at being identified with them.
Oh, you claimed...I do not support Euthanesia.
Do you have a different word for it?
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