Terri Schiavo

1. Severely brain damaged people have their feeding tubes removed all the time, what is so different about this case? Ruthless grandstanding by the parents or some thing else?

2. If I had a severely hurt cow that I let starve to death I would be charged with cruelty and thrown in jail but it is okay to let a human being starve to death? If we as a society, through our elected officials and court systems, are going to make the decision to kill people we need to do it quickly so the person will not suffer a slow agonizing death.

3. If we as a society, through our elected officials and court systems, are going to kill people if their mental facilities are not all there, isn't this leading us down a slippery slope it might be hard to come back from? As the father of an autistic child I worry that maybe society will decide since these children's brains don't function right should we just exterminate them.

4. Who gets to make such decisions about a person's life? Parents, children, spouses, politicians, judges, the bum on the street? Who has the right answer for not keeping someone alive? I know who does but he keeps pretty mum about it.

5. Does all the political grandstanding by politicians help the family in this situation? Do they really need to make all this noise while someone is dying.

6. At this point, shouldn't Terri Schiavo's parents be with her and supporting her in her finally time instead of standing in front of TV cameras stirring the pot?

7. There was a horrible tragedy in Red Lake Minnesota and it seems to have taken a back seat to the Terri Schiavo situation. Which is more important to society? I guess the news coverage answers that question?

I don't know what the answer is to the Terri Schiavo situation. I feel as a society it is wrong to execute someone who has done nothing criminally wrong to society but when someone is so severely brain damaged is it ethical to keep them alive? If you don't know what the affected person wants in the situation who gets to decide what to do? I don't know that society in general has answers to this, the individuals involved need to consult their souls and Gods to find the answer to that. It's a sad situation that will never have a good outcome.

We do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

William Shakespeare