Feeding tube dilemma poses questions
By Marcos Moreno
It seems that whenever I sat down to watch the news over spring break, all talk focused on the Terri Schiavo debate. This woman, who basically had been in a coma-like state for 15 years, was being kept alive via feeding tube. On March 18 her feeding tube was removed, and that's when the nation began to pay attention. This national media coverage was followed by demonstrations outside Schiavo's hospice in Florida and numerous court appeals by her family and even Congressional involvement.
No court order to re-insert the feeding was ever granted and appeals to keep her alive fell by the wayside. Sadly, Terri Schiavo passed away on March 31. But the question of health care ethics remains.
The Schiavo case raises a number of moral concerns and incites discussions that affect the whole nation, if not the world. Is it right to, essentially, let someone die? Who is in the position to make a decision like that? Doctors? The courts? Family members? Who is responsible?
If you're going through the strife and the anguish of trying to answer these questions, have no worries, because I'm going to shed some light on the whole situation.
First, a doctor, no matter how skilled, cannot make the decision to "pull the plug;" that decision can only be made by the person being admitted for treatment.
And, in many cases, the person being admitted signs a waiver deferring that decision to a family member, a spouse or to a close friend if he or she is unable to make a competent decision.
A legal document, called a living will, can be obtained that clarifies the matter. A living will, according to LegalZoom.com, is "a document that specifies your wishes while you are still alive. Unlike a typical last will and testament, a living will does not specify how you want your property divided when you die. It simply states that you do or do not want artificial life support."
Terri Schiavo did not have a living will when she fell into a coma in 1990. Why would someone do a thing like that? Well, it comes down to the quality of life. Schiavo had a condition that slowed the flow of oxygen to her brain, even if she had pulled through the coma, she would not have been the same person. With each passing year her brain and muscles deteriorated more and more and she was in that hospice for 15 years.
What would you have done? What would you want for yourself?
The truth is nobody can answer that question but you. My guidance ends here. I hope at least I've provided you with some things to consider. In all honesty, these are really tough decisions that I hope you never have to make.
* Marcos Moreno is a sophomore.