# Terri Schiavo Dies



## Deermeister (Feb 7, 2005)

Heard on the news this morning that Terri Schiavo passed away this morning. What are your opinions on this whole case?


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

In politics.


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## Bert (Sep 11, 2003)

I think that people are kept alive these days far beyond what the Good Lord intended simply because we can.

I think there will be a lot of living wills and updated wills flying through lawyers hands real soon.

I think that somebody smelled a book deal or is simply nuts for this to get so big. People all over the country go though this every day. Why this case got such attention is beyond me.

I think that doctors and lawyers laugh all the way to the bank because of cases like this.

I think that many people save all their lives for their kids only to give it to hospitals during their final two weeks on the planet.

I think that the government, especially the pres of the US oughtta keep their noses out of things like this.

It is written that if and when I get in such bad shape that pulling a plug or hose or whatever would ease my pain and get me to a better place, it needs to be done ASAP.


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## PSDC (Jul 17, 2003)

Bert,

I would have to agree with your post. The problem is most 
people have nothing in writing when it comes to THEIR wishes
when they are in Teri's physical/mental state.

So, unless you have a living will or a revocable trust stating
your intent, such stories will surface on a daily basis.

I did think of one solution, why not have you make such a
decision when you apply/reapply for your driver's license
or valid ID. Easy for each state to implement, just like
checking for organ donor.


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## frosty (Dec 6, 2002)

Terri Schaivl has been dead for the past 13 years. She was given life yesterday.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

> I did think of one solution, why not have you make such a
> decision when you apply/reapply for your driver's license
> or valid ID. Easy for each state to implement, just like
> checking for organ donor.


Also known as "practicing law without a license" by the state DOT employees! You know you could just do it the old fashioned way...GET A LAWYER TO DRAW IT UP


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Absolutely NJS! My wife and I did this about 15 years ago and update it reasonably frequent! We keep a copy in our safe, our attorneys office, our kids have one, etc. (and we have theirs, too!) There is a fine line between prolonging life and prolonging death!
Lots of folks have different feelings about this though, and there is no right or wrong answer, so it is IMPORTANT you get YOUR OWN feelings and wishes clearly down in writing while you can and see an attorney to be sure it is drawn up properly! 
And no, I don't think attorneys or physicians like to get involved in the Schiavo type of thing! Nobody wins..... It's a terrible situation!


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## jdpete75 (Dec 16, 2003)

are you available Nick and what would you charge for a husband and wife to document thier wishes?


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## jdpete75 (Dec 16, 2003)

agree completely with huntnwhatever


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Okay Simonson you sitting down. I agree with you " get a lawyer".
A close friend and co-worker just went thru this a while back. His wife is a RN and they ended up with different levels of support. Oh and by the way the lawyer who did the work, his LA is also a RN. They put a lot of time and effort into the process. They claim it was worth it and their kids do not have that burden put on their backs.


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## PSDC (Jul 17, 2003)

Also known as "practicing law without a license" by the state DOT employees! You know you could just do it the old fashioned way...GET A LAWYER TO DRAW IT UP [/quote]

I don't think you need a lawyer to make such a decision. Like I stated
it can be done via your Driver's license renewal, if the state implemented.

Though I do agree a living will is necessary for everyone, especially
someone with special wishes or minor children.

If you are talking trust, of course, go see an Estate attorney.

Just because you go to an attorney, does not mean someone can
contest the will!!!! To me a waste of money, unless he or she is
an Estate attorney.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

You don't need an attourney to *make* the decision but having one there to make sure everything you want to happen, happens legally. That way if your will is contested you have taken legal precautions, and the judge can rule in your favor( even though you are deceased).

I see it as money well spent on clearity.


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## rap (Mar 26, 2002)

there is a huge thread on this in the "politics" forum to anyone interested. it's a really tough issue. i didn't like the govt. interfereing with the courts decision, but it upheld. i don't think anyone of us should believe that we are right on this issue since we didn't sit in the courtroom when this case has been discussed for the past 15 years... as far as congress interfering, i am a republican, but i thought we used to stand for states rights?


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

I'm glad you see that rap. The conservatives pushed as hard as possible for states rights during the clinton administration and are now shifting all of that power to the federal government. Apparently they feel that they should get to play by different rules than anyone else.


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## rap (Mar 26, 2002)

MT- hey, we agree on something! i am still po'd about the weekend session of congress over this.. bush's approval ratings absolutely plummeted over this issue, and i am not surprised...


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

As Maverick says, PSDC, the lawyer doesn't MAKE the decision on life prolonguing care for you, he/she only draws up a document making your wishes clear to survivors. Good insurance to have it in legalese. I suppose you could draw it up yourself and have it notorized to save
a buck, but be sure you have your wishes clearly stated. Then keep the original safe and maybe give copies to loved ones for safekeeping and talk it over with them so they understand what YOU want. That way families aren't divided and lawyers and doctors aren't left tearing out their hair and it being a big mess. 
Checking off an organ donor thing on a drivers licence and deciding on your own end of life care are two different things. Shouldn't and can't be done on a driver's licence.


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## PSDC (Jul 17, 2003)

The problem is with today's society, the vast majority is either
too lazy or cheap to write a living will or go to an attorney
either for a will or trust. Just think how much federal/state
dollars would be saved if there was a system requiring each
legal adult to make that decision. My guess would be in the
billions a year in nursing home and medicare/medical 
assistance cost alone. Just food for thought! How many 
on this site do you think have a will or trust? I would guess
less than 10%.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

PSDC said:


> The problem is with today's society, the vast majority is either
> too lazy or cheap to write a living will or go to an attorney
> either for a will or trust. Just think how much federal/state
> dollars would be saved if there was a system requiring each
> ...


I agree with your thoughts on this PSDC. I'm not sure the issue is as simple as being too lazy or cheap. It also has to do with a lack of urgency by many on this site who are too young (or think they are) or they are avoiding making tough end of life decisions due to a reluctance to admit the inevitable certainty of death.

For those concerned with cost being an issue, yet are willing to setup these documents, you can do much of this yourself nowadays. Simply visit Best Buy or Barnes and Noble and purchase a Do-It-Yourself legal kit. Many of the kits are able to be setup on a homecomputer and walk you step by step through the creation of different legal documents.

I'd urge everyone to discuss this with every member of their family. It is too important to blow off.

Benelli


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Maybe not the place for this on a hunting/fishing website, but food for thought, at least. And I'm the most middle of the road non political but open minded guy around!

Subject: FW: living will

From the St. Petersburg Times, Mar 27, 2005
-------------------------------------------
Living Will Is the Best Revenge
By Robert Friedman, St. Petersburg Times Deputy Editor of Editorials

Like many of you, I have been compelled by recent events to prepare a more detailed advance directive dealing with end-of-life issues. Here's what mine says:

* In the event I lapse into a persistent vegetative state, I want medical authorities to resort to extraordinary means to prolong my hellish semiexistence. Fifteen years wouldn't be long enough for me.

* I want my wife and my parents to compound their misery by engaging in a bitter and protracted feud that depletes their emotions and their bank accounts.

* I want my wife to ruin the rest of her life by maintaining an interminable vigil at my bedside. I'd be really jealous if she waited less than a decade to start dating again or otherwise rebuilding a semblance of a normal life.

* I want my case to be turned into a circus by losers and crackpots from around the country who hope to bring meaning to their empty lives by investing the same transient emotion in me that they once reserved for Laci Peterson, Chandra Levy and that little girl who got stuck in a well.

* I want those crackpots to spread vicious lies about my wife.

* I want to be placed in a hospice where protesters can gather to bring further grief and disruption to the lives of dozens of dying patients and families whose stories are sadder than my own.

* I want the people who attach themselves to my case because of their deep devotion to the sanctity of life to make death threats against any judges, elected officials or health care professionals who disagree with them.

* I want the medical geniuses and philosopher kings who populate the Florida Legislature to ignore me for more than a decade and then turn my case into a forum for weeks of politically calculated bloviation.

* I want total strangers - oily politicians, maudlin news anchors, ersatz friars and all other hangers-on - to start calling me "Bobby," as if they had known me since childhood.

* I'm not insisting on this as part of my directive, but it would be nice if Congress passed a "Bobby's Law" that applied only to me and ignored the medical needs of tens of millions of other Americans without adequate health coverage.

* Even if the "Bobby's Law" idea doesn't work out, I want Congress - especially all those self-described conservatives who claim to believe in "less government and more freedom" - to trample on the decisions of doctors, judges and other experts who actually know something about my case. And I want members of Congress to launch into an extended debate that gives them another excuse to avoid pesky issues such as national security and the economy.

* In particular, I want House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to use my case as an opportunity to divert the country's attention from the mounting political and legal troubles stemming from his slimy misbehavior.

* And I want Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to make a mockery of his Harvard medical degree by misrepresenting the details of my case in ways that might give a boost to his 2008 presidential campaign.

* I want Frist and the rest of the world to judge my medical condition on the basis of a snippet of dated and demeaning videotape that should have remained private.

* Because I think I would retain my sense of humor even in a persistent vegetative state, I'd want President Bush - the same guy who publicly mocked Karla Faye Tucker when signing off on her death warrant as governor of Texas - to claim he was intervening in my case because it is always best "to err on the side of life."

* I want the state Department of Children and Families to step in at the last moment to take responsibility for my well-being, because nothing bad could ever happen to anyone under DCF's care.

* And because Gov. Jeb Bush is the smartest and most righteous human being on the face of the Earth, I want any and all of the aforementioned directives to be disregarded if the governor happens to disagree with them. If he says he knows what's best for me, I won't be in any position to argue.

Robert


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## jdpete75 (Dec 16, 2003)

I think Ill just copy that one and insert my name in the appropriate places. Thats about the best description of this crap I have seen


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## swift (Jun 4, 2004)

Every person that is admitted to a hospital in ND is supposed to be given the opportunity to have a living will written up. This is usually done by a pastor/ chaplain. So I don't know why a pastor couldn't help to have one done outside the hospital also.


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