Terry Schiavo's case almost certainly has no place ending up in Congress. It is an intensely private medical decision that should be resolved at the state level at worst. It has gone this far for many, many sad and partisan reasons (read the article), but the underlying cause is because she did not have a Living Will.
I would hope that my husband or loved ones would not allow me to persist in this condition and respect my wishes, but they would not be able to do that easily if there were disagreements among family members (as in Terry's case) unless I had left clear, written intentions to that effect. Without them, the legal and political circus that has surrounded the Schiavo case can, and may occur again.
All patients are required to complete an "Advanced Healthcare Directive" form prior to receiving any care whenever they present in a hospital to avoid just this situation in the event that the unthinkable happens. But the unthinkable can happen anytime, anywhere.
Please - spare your loved ones the pain of Terry's family. Get one today. You never know what could happen.
You can download or create Living Wills online here, here, and here.
And just as an aside, starving to death is a horrible way to die, but the only seemingly "approved" method of euthenasia in this country. Congress should be focusing on the broader issue of ethically based euthenasia laws in the US instead of intervening on a case by case basis. We treat our pets better than we treat our terminally ill. However, given how polarizing that subject would be, they will use Terry Schiavo as a political tool to further divide an already divided country while she suffers an ingnoble and painful death.
