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[celticpunxie]

Current events:

I think we are about to see some astronomic changes in our world now with the lastest developments in the news.  First, with Terri Shiavo's death, I'm not really sure what this is goingto spell for our culture. Our society already has an unbelievably sketchy viewpoint of the dignity of the individual. With the Shiavo scandal, I'm

Comments

[blueyezsm]

Not to make waves honey, but I think it was WAY past Terri's time to go. It was a crime keeping her on life support as long as she was. I know a lot of people say it "wasn't her time" but any time she had was a result of science, not God. He was trying to call her home when she had her heart attack...and when she went brain dead...but doctors stopped the natural process of death. I suppose it's the choice of each person but I don't think life support is really "living"

And as far as the porn goes... I don't like it any more than you do...but that's the separation of church and state. The last time America messed with it people were burning "witches".

[celticpunxie]

Terri's case is an interesting study when it comes it comes to drawing the line between what's "living". Terri was not on life support like some other famous cases. In cases where someone is basically dead and machines stop the dying process, like respirators and whatever they call the things that pump the heart...well, the ethics there are incredibly sketchy (I'm thinking non-existent). But Terri was not on a resirator and her heart was beating just fine. She could respond to her parents and communicate which I'm pretty sure means she was not brain dead. (I know the doctors performed an autopsy to examine that question) She suffered brain damage because her heart stopped for a couple seconds so apparently she had the mental capacity of a four year old which you can see in the video from this link

[blueyezsm]

While I personally don't see any conclusive evidence from that tape, I understand where you're coming from. Yes her parents believe she can communicate but Terri's physicians have testified again and again that this isn't the case. Was there a system where Terri could blink here eyes for yes and no? If she really could communicate the courts could just ask her if she wanted her tube removed. She was considered, from all accounts I've seen, in a "persistent vegetative state." Her parents (not any member of the medical community) said that she could improve with "intensive therapy" but the evidence says she won't get any better. "Rat" or not her husband has the right (as next of kin) to make this decision. If we mess with the way things are we could potentially take those rights out of families hands

[celticpunxie]

Ooh, I just noticed I screwed up on terminology here. I wasn't very clear on what I meant with Terri's "communicating" ability. My bad. Since she suffered brain damage she can't communicate with an adult's full capacity thus the reason is was impossible to ask her what she thought of the matter. She was however responsive. I found this definition of the "persistent vegetative state" and based just on video clips, Terri was not

[aeris_lives]

Hey, Meghan, I hope you're doing well. Stay strong on the anti-porn protest, I'm there in spirit!

I'm torn on the Shiavo situation. I think her husband is a total rat, but in a way, she wasn't truly living. My biggest problem with it is the way they kill someone. Do they really have to starve someone, which is one of the most painful ways to die? Heck, they give murderers lethal injections, why not starve them as well? It might be kind of shallow, but if these people absolutely must die, it should be done as painlessly as possible. Even if it's not natural, ala starvation.

[celticpunxie]

Yeah, when it comes to the method of death...I mean, everyone has the right to food and water. It took her about two weeks to die and her family said she looked like an Aushcwitz victim and by the end she was panting because she was so parched. And yeah, her husband's a rat. He's got a girlfriend and has two kids with her, and why wouldn't he just divorce Terri and give her parents guardianship? I dunno. I guess based on the autopsy, the doctors are trying to figure out if therapy could have helped rehabilitate her. Pretty stinking dumb to research that NOW.

A bit on Terri and Porn

[mayth]

Hi Meghan and Shannon (i only know you from what i read in Meghan's journal, hi Shannon, my name is Dustin, nice to meet you *waves*) I don't mean to butt in if this debate is limited to just the two of you, but i'm obnoxious. Everything in italics was taken from a full transcript of a radio commentary you can find here: http://www.pfm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=BreakPoint_Commentaries1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=15754
Terri Schiavo was not terminally ill. This case was not about “end-of-life” decision-making; it was about intentionally killing a disabled woman by denying her food and water

Re: A bit on Terri and Porn

[celticpunxie]

Wow, I had no idea, but I'm going to thank God He led you away from that. With everything you want to do with your life, which I admire so much by the way, this awareness will make you so much more understanding of others and more realistic about these things. It's easy to get vague about things like free speech, but the Constitution was developed by men who no longer tolerated being suppressed. The Constitution protects the rights of its citizens. Porn has never done anything good for people. Also, on a technical note, a permit to allow porn is actually up to local or state governments precisely because it is not one of the rights protected by the Constitution. One of the things about America is that while it does set down certain "inalienable rights" which cannot be taken away from its citizen, there are others issues which are up to local government. So if a community decides it doesn't want porn in its neighborhoods it is constitutional to do so.