Rahman Akinlusi

3/16/2018
Terri Schiavo Written Assignment
Terri Schiavo’s case is very intriguing saga that navigates the question of who really knows you
best and who ought to be your next of kin. Terri Schiavo was a woman in Florida who suffered
from a brain disease that caused her cerebral cortex to atrophy and degenerate. Her husband who
had been supporting her along with her parents became a controversial figure after her doctors
informed him that there would be no way to treat Terri—she’d remain in a vegetative state for
the rest of her life. Weighing the scientific facts, he decided to take her off the ventilator.
However, Terri’s family vehemently disagreed with this and wanted to take her home to care for
her. The case was taken to court, three times and each time, it was decided in her husband’s
favor.
I think the ethical issue in this case is not so much whether someone has the right to dies, but
who can make the call when you’re in an incapacitated state. The question that the courts faced
was whether Terri Schaivo’s husband had to right to decide on whether she lives. The other
ethical question posed is whether the right to life should still exist even though the person is
practically brain dead. Terri was for all intents and purposes no longer a conscious being—this
was ascertained as she did not maintain consistent response to stimuli like the voices of her
husband or family. Even in this state, did her husband have the right to decide whether she lives
or dies?
There are other political issues that were inherent in this saga. Like whether the courts had a right
to interfere in this case, whether the governor of Florida could issue an injunction and interfere in
the ruling of the courts? And so much more.
I thought the presentation of the video was fair in the sense that it gave a balanced representation
of both parties and the lengths to which they were willing to get their way, and how this
appeared to the general public at the time.
I don’t think it was appropriate for the courts, Congress, or the governor to interfere. I think that
this was a family matter.
In my opinion the best course of action would have been to let the family take care of Terri.
Granted that it’s always possible that she might have wanted to die, it’s more difficult to restore a
life than to give one. I think the courts should have decided on a solution with the least
involvement. By deciding to let Terri die, they actively involved themselves in the situation. It
would have been better precedent to let whoever is wiling to take care of Terri do so.