HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Feb. 18, 2005 Disclaimer. Please note that this article contains only my opinions, plus opinions of others. Some of the information here may be fact, while other information may be fiction. I have done my best to present fact, mostly gathered from the Internet, but cannot be held responsible for information that I present, which may be untrue. The Case Against Terri Schiavo (part 4).
(Picture of Terri
just after she suffered from her
brain injury George Felos, the attorney working on behalf of Michal Schiavo to end Terri's life, can certainly make statements that evoke emotion. Recently Mr. Felos has said in an interview with, Greta Van Susteren, (taken from "**On the Record," as reported in the Fox News Channel.). George Felos :And after five years of legal wrangling, it's time for her wishes (Terri's ed.) not to be force-fed against her will to be carried out." Before looking at what Mr. Felos said, I would like to suggest that if you don't know who Terri Schiavo is, you would benefit by reading my previous three articles. You can also visit Terri's web site, or my site. In my first article on Terri, I shared my observations regarding Terri's gastronomy tube, (the tube that provides Terri with hydration and nutrition). The Case Against Terri Schiavo (part 1) In my second article on Terri, I shared my observations regarding the suggestion (that is now a 'rule' of the court), that Terri is in a PVS (persistent vegetative state). The Case Against Terri Schiavo (part 2). In my third article on Terri, I shared my observations regarding her alleged 'Death Wish'. The Case Against Terri Schiavo (part 3). I have just done a Google search with the words 'Force fed' and came up with one site that has a vehicle for sale, another site that suggests that Americans are being force fed high fatty foods, and another one mentioning, if I recall correctly, force feeding of ducks! I don't think those definitions would fall in line with what Mr. Felos was hinting at. Force feeding, that is to say the forceful feeding of an adult or child, is certainly an unpleasant situation to be in. That's for sure. When our own severely disabled child is hospitalized for seizure control, he is in the same ward where the teenage anorexics are. These teenagers, many highly intelligent, with so much to look forward to, simply refuse to eat. The level of force feeding to get them to eat can range from having nurses sit with them during every meal to make sure that they eat what is in front of them, to other situations where the children have naso- gastric tubes (tubes inserted into the nose), and are force fed that way. Even when the children go to the toilet, there activities are monitored very closely, in case they might try to force themselves to vomit. Some of the teenagers are so determined not to be force fed, that they are under 24 hour surveillance, by nursing staff. Some of these children if not constantly watched will simply not eat much at all, and will slowly kills themselves through near starvation, resulting in the vital organs being effected. I remember one girl in particular, because she seemed to be in the hospital every time we were there, over probably a five year period. She was a very good pianist, having reached a high standard. She had the potential of becoming a concert pianist. With her anorexic condition, she had lost all interest in the piano, and had lost almost all interest in her self worth. The parents were at wits end to get her to eat. All these anorexics are force fed in one way or another. Many of them can be completely rehabilitated, although it can take many years for this to be accomplished. Many of them, when they are helped and rehabilitated, do extremely well in life and provide much to society. Then there are the young children in hospital, who live in fear of the next time that they have to have medication, that perhaps is life saving. They might have an illness, which requires them to take antibiotics four times or more daily. These children will do everything they can, not to be forced to have the antibiotics. If these children didn't take these antibiotics regularly and on time, then some would probably die. Even though these children don't want to be force fed, the doctors, nurses and parents, realize that they must have their antibiotics. It is a very distressful site when a child refused to take his antibiotic or life saving medication. The nurses have a routine of course to get the children to take the medication. The first step is usually to try and reason with the child. If that doesn't work, then the nurse might give an ultimatum, saying that the child must willingly take the medication within 15 minutes, or else the child will be forced to take it. If the child decides that he won't take the medication, he will be moved out of the room into a small room and physically restrained, while a nurse forces the medication down. Although we can't see what is happening, the cries of the child coming from the room are quite heart disturbing. If you have children of your own, you probably would yourself have been in the situation at home, where your child might be on an antibiotic or essential medication, which the child simply must have. You have probably used different methods to force your child to have the medication against his will. Mr. Felos suggests that Terri is force fed. If we don't know much about Terri, perhaps in our vivid imagination we could picture her being forcefully held down by a handful of able bodied nurses, while one nurse forces the feed down the gastronomy tube. What a tragic site that would be. How stressful for Terri. It seems that this is not what is happening to Terri at all, at least physically that is. Terri is being fed by a gastronomy tube, which is a medical procedure that is simplicity itself. A person could be trained in the procedures of giving gastronomy feeds, in about an hour. It is not rocket science. Looking at the videos of Terri from her site, I personally get the feeling that Terri is quite relaxed. She doesn't seem to be in pain and it would seem that she is contented. She is of course profoundly brain injured, and if we dare to be honest, only God knows her true emotional condition, although, please correct me if I am wrong, my understanding is that Mr. Felos has said something along the lines that he can commune with people who are supposed to be PVS (persistent vegetative state). Conclusion One of the reasons for ending Terri's life is the proposition that she is being force fed by a gastronomy tube. It is a defense that seems to be very weak indeed. Many thousands of people worldwide are being fed via gastronomy tubes. Children with gastronomy tubes can go to school and adults can go to work. If they didn't have the gastronomy tube, they would probably die. I doubt if any of them would want the tube removed and I further doubt that many of them would consider it force feeding. Lets just for a moment assume that Terri is being force fed.. Even if she is being force fed, Terri's parents believe that she can with more therapy be rehabilitated. Perhaps if she received more therapy she could be helped to the point, where the alleged force feeding is not an issue. We must wonder if Mr. Felos, with his strong dislike for force feeding, would defend an anorexic and help them not being force fed? Would Mr. Felos, defend a young child who didn't want to be forced to have antibiotics, by seeking a legal ruling so that the child doesn't have to have the antibiotics, because that would involve force?. Only Mr. Felos has the answer to those questions. It might be a good idea to ask him to clarify his position! Perhaps in Mr. Felos' next interview, he could be gracious enough to just say that Terri is being fed via a gastronomy tube. Links mentioned in this article **On the Record interview at Fox News As of this writing Terri's situation is critical. The courts, may as early as 22nd of February allow Michael to remove the feeding tube, and so kill her. Please consider visiting Terri's site at www.terrisfight.org and see how you can help save Terri. There is a great deal that you can do to save Terri. The perceived injustices mentioned in my
articles are only the tip of the iceberg,
regarding Terri's plight and what would seem to
be the totally unfair treatment that she has
endured
because she is disabled. . I will write another
article soon.
Paul Copeland is 58 years young. He is
happily married to Alison. Their
children are Tim, aged 16, who is profoundly
disabled and Alicia who is 22 and
engaged to be married. Paul's family are
Christians. He, is very concerned about
Terri's welfare and has set up a site at www.saveterri.com,
to alert folk about Terri's plight. Paul can be
contacted at:
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
