Pulling a Vegetable from the Garden patch!
By now, many Americans have heard about the “right to die” controversy in Italy. The case involves a young woman who’s been in a coma for 17 years. Doctors stated she’ brain dead, ain’t coming back so, let’s stop feeding her and send her on her way. The right to die opponents have another word for what ended this young woman’s life, they call it “murder”.
Now, I have to agree with that assessment, as pulling her tube and letting her starve death is akin to depriving “life” of sustenance. Maybe she was brain dead, maybe not. Who knows what she felt during the last 48 hours of starvation. What we do know is she died a slow and painful death, the exact opposite of what her father wanted, which was for her to die with dignity.
There’s nothing “dignified” in dying a slow painful death. Just because she can’t communicate, does not mean she did not suffer. Just because she could signal with her eyes, limbs or utter a word, does not mean she did not suffer. Let’s all stop eating for two days and see how we feel (in a healthy state) and then imagine being bed ridden for 17 years and all of sudden – sustenance STOPS!
There are some things in life that just don’t happen in time to stop an injustice (or in this case, murder). Just as the legislators were trying to pass a law requiring that doctors provide nourishment to incapacitated patients, Ms. Englaro’s time ran out. The hour glass was turned upside down and the sand of time just ran out.
I have known (as many have) human beings (friends and family) who were on the brink of death and asked for (pleaded) for every single second they had left to live. They made bargains with God and promised to cherish every second of the day if God would grant them more time. Then again, I’ve known more than a few friends who committed suicide over the stupidest reasons any one could ever have for killing themselves. How about girl leaves boy, boy can’t take it and shoots himself or, idiot buys motorcycle and thinks it’s cool to speed up the highway at 125 MPH and hits back of garbage truck. Yes, some deaths are by self-inflicted stupidity, while others are over “she doesn’t love me anymore” last words. However, in the case of Ms. Englaro, the father felt she needed some dignity and well, 17 years is a long time to be visiting a vegetable in the garden patch.
I don’t agree with the Pope on many issues, however, I do agree with the Pope (and the church) on the issue concerning euthanasia. The Pope states “euthanasia is a false solution to suffering” and I agree with that statement. In the case of Ms. Englaro, it may be that her being deprived of nourishment (over a 48 hour period) is the false solution imposed by her father for his own suffering.
As for her father telling the world that his daughter had expressed her wish to NOT be kept alive if she was ever in a coma, he’s simply full of crap. I think he lied to himself. He convinced himself over a period of 17 years that he had some type of conversation with his daughter in which she said “daddy, if I’m ever in a coma, just stop the food and let me die”. This is B.S., as I don’t anyone (let alone a 20 year old) who has ever sat down to have a heart to heart (with mom and dad) and spelled the “what ifs” associated with coma+car accident+17 years in coma = pull out my feeding tube – please.
So, here’s my living will…Please let me live as long as possible. If I’m on a ventilator, don’t pull the plug or, accidentally pull it out the wall. If I’m being feed through a tube, serve me up three meals a day and I also like a midnight snack. If I can blink, it’s not just a reaction like pinching a nerve, it’s really ME trying to communicate. If I can’t blink, look down at my toes as I’ll wiggle my right toe for “yes” and my left toe for “no”. Whatever you do, don’t transfer my bag of breathing bones to any private clinics. If any lawyers or judges or process servers show up in my room, show them the door, as they’re uninvited. If any long lost relatives show up claiming to have had any conversations with me in the past stating, “I wanted that or needed this”, they’re NO relative of mine. If the doctor ever says two words, “brain dead” yes, I was brain dead sometimes (when I was alive and moving about the place) but, I’m NOT brain dead now, I’m just talking a long nap. In other words, while I’d like to hear Ms. Englaro’s side of story some day, I’m in no hurry to get there - too quickly:-)
I had not heard about this, as I’ve barely read or listened to a thing all year. But I agree that this was a cruel way to let someone die. We don’t know what someone is feeling, or even thinking when they’re in a coma but it’s hard to believe they feel nothing.
As you say, the father probably invented the conversation with his daughter in his head to make himself feel better. 17 years is a long time to get round to granting her wishes.