« Boycott Bell | Main | Why I Think Bell Is So Off Base »
The Medical Community Stands Up
Seventeen medical experts have reportedly filed affidavits questioning whether Terri Schindler-Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state and supporting the need for additional neurological, neuropsychological, and other testing of her abilities, particularly with new technologies.
The affidavits are available on the web at Terri's family's website. Here's a quotation from one of them: "She obviously is not in a vegetative state."
09:00 PM | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/14410/1964204
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Medical Community Stands Up:
» A potential big break for Terri Schiavo from Blind Mind's Eye
The state government is finally stepping in now, in order to get Terri's past looked into. It seems that the Department of Children and Families is concerned that as many as 30 counts of abuse may have occured and have... [Read More]
Tracked on Mar 5, 2005 2:34:17 AM
Comments
I don't know whom to believe on this one. Many people are convinced that medical science shows that this woman IS in a persistent vegetative state. See, for example, http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/medicine_/index.html
An interesting question is: Why has this apparently become a left-wing/right-wing issue? Is there a connection to attitudes about abortion?
Posted by: taylor | Mar 4, 2005 10:24:43 PM
I understand how you feel, and, really, it's important for the judicial process to be able to do it's proper work. I looked at the site you referenced. I agree with you that it's problematic to cast this woman's life as a left-right issue. In fact, casting the problem as a left-right issue, for me, detracts from the fact that she is a person, not an "issue." The blogger makes the case sound utterly cut-and-dried; however, even this area of science is not so cut and dried as the blogger makes it appear.
I find it striking that 17 medical affidavits were filed today. I have no personal knowledge of Terri's case, but new technologies do exist that might clarify the nature of her abilities better than they have been in the past. What would be the harm in having her reassessed? It seems that the benefits of doing so would far outweigh the costs of not doing so, don't you think?
If you read my post about Terri and the nature of personhood, you will see more of my thoughts on these kinds of matters.
Regarding the Schindlers having a well funded campaign of propoganda, I guess I'd ask this question: Would you fight for your daughter?
I find this case to be compelling, and I care about what happens to Terri. I don't have a "right-wing agenda," but I do believe that we all have the right to live, even if we have minimal cognitive capacities.
Posted by: tz | Mar 4, 2005 11:09:14 PM
