“The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.”
I feel that Euthanasia should be a choice. …

An autopsy on Terri Schiavo backed her husband’s contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind, the medical examiner’s office said today. The autopsy also found no evidence that she was strangled or otherwise abused.

Well well well what do you to say now, TeacherVet????

I am NOT pro death when someone is sitting at their kitchen table eating supper with thier children when a 20 000 LB bomb lands on the diner table.

The good thing about all this is that it damaged the presidents approval ratings and the republican party in general. So yay!!

While I’m at it, let’s clear something else up: Are the pro-death people for or against the war? What about those other four wars?

This aggression will not stand, man!

I associate with only one Catholic, and he is a rather detestable man. I have personal family reasons for my distaste for the Catholic church, and John Paul was certainly not my pope. I’m not even as religious as you assume (meaning that I am not as involved in church activities as I should be), although my arguments might lend themselves to that conclusion - I have always argued only that the right to believe and worship, free of persecution, is Constitutionally protected by the First Amendment.

You posted a reaction, but I have still received no response to my post. I fully supported the four wars under Bill Clinton because of humanitarian considerations. They (the four wars of the 90s) could all be defined as pre-emptive, the ultimate goals were essentially the same, and none of those countries represented an immediate threat to the U.S. Based on your criteria, those conflicts were equally illegal…but, in my opinion, necessary.

Just like when Iraq invaded Kuwait, this too is an illegal war.

Saddam Hussein’s attempts to shoot down our aircraft constituted a threat to us, and he posed a constant threat to our friends in the area by financing suicide bombers; that made him a terrorist, and we declared war against all terrorism. No WMD found. Connections? Please refer to the findings of the 9/11 Commission - their report detailed several connections to terrorist activities. Who are the couple hundred countries who were afraid to enforce the U.N. resolutions against Saddam’s regime (besides the obvious three profiteering nations)?

Illegal implies the breaking of laws. I don’t know which laws were broken, but all four wars of the 1990s must also have been illegal - or am I simply unaware of the threat posed by Kosovo (still, by the way, a cesspool of ethnic cleansing) and the other nations we invaded in that decade.

And, oh my God, you mean people get killed in war?!

Illegal. Immoral. Period.

You have lost all credibility.

I’m still confused by the use of the word “illegal ” with regard to the war in Iraq. At the conclusion of Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein made promises to the world, then: he violated almost all of his agreements; he executed many thousands of Kurds; he ignored U.N. mandates; he thwarted attempts by U.N. inspection teams; he made numerous attempts to shoot down our planes over several years time; every nation in the world acknowledged that he maintained an illegal weapons program; Congress passed a war resolution; a huge coalition of countries joined the effort. Where is the illegality?

Is it illegal because the Oil for Palaces profiteering countries failed to support efforts to enforce U.N. resolutions, or because thirty-some countries choose to join the coalition to enforce those resolutions during a Republican administration? Is it illegal because the WMD, the existence of which was certain throughout the world, was never found? Was it illegal because intelligence sources haven’t been proven true? The term has become a meaningless mantra, even a cliche, through repetition.

Killing is when an individual intentionally harms someone to the point where they are no longer alive. Like for example, the thousands that have died from that illegal war in Iraq. Or when terrorists struck the towers on 9/11. That’s what killing is.

I know what motivates me to suspect the guys actions and motivations - all rehabilitation efforts ceased immediately upon gaining the money that was ear-marked for that purpose, and he used “her” money to have her killed without complete evaluation. I don’t know what motivates people to defend his actions unless it is founded in politics.

I think what angers me the most about this case is people throwing around falsehoods without knowing the facts.

“Some of the things that these relgious people do and say to me are probably the most un-relgious things that anyone could ever think of.”

Ethan: I do respect that you don’t believe in God, alright, but since you are Living and breathing, why are you even here at all? I have to address the word “killing” as you call it, you would say that it is not exactly killing when some one pulls a feeding tube or whatever, but you do forget often times, that it contains a HAND to pull the thing. A HAND that has to pull in order to ASSIST, in that process killing her to the End by Starvation.

Jan:

These semantics are sorta bullshit. A HAND did pull the feeding tube…but what if, instead of a HAND didn’t pull the tube out. A MIND just forgot (or decided not to) refill the feeding tube’s reservoir? Would that make the action the same? Did the MIND just kill someone? So what’s the difference then? I wouldn’t call the latter killing anyone, so I extend that to the former. This is the same kind of logic that prohibits euthenasia. A HAND injects morphine into a person, killing them (peacefully). If we just…let them die (albeit painfully), it’s OK — because “God did it”, removing any personal responsibility (this is the logic behind religious terrorism as well…”it was God’s will”).

As far as why I’m even here at all, I’m not sure what you’re getting at. Are you suggesting that the only reason to live is believing in God? Without your understanding of why we’re here, is there just no point in going on? I really hope that’s not the case, because this is a sad and self-centered worldview.

Ethan, I can understand what you mean about not believing in some one’s God. I don’t even believe the Pope himself, he is just a Man. But one has to wonder why we are even here at all?

I have went all over and studied most Religions. Except for Jewish. I have found that Muslim and Christians have the same belief “You treat the Person as you would do yourself.” And another they believe that Messiah, the Prophet from Muslim and do believe that Jesus is also a Prophet, a Messiah. A Messenger…

…I would talk to a Friend, who would just lay down on his Bed staring at the Ceiling, counting the dots…counting….and counting…oh start all over again…but never come to a Million. Always fails every time. Then he sat up, wondering why he is there at all? Then he forgot to breathe, (da dum), then wondering why am I even here at all? You see? He is full of questions. If he is so sure of himself, he would not be asking the questions at all. He is so Suicidal. Then he asked me if it was the right thing to do.

You’re pretty hung up on this God thing. I’ll address it. First of all, yes. The message from most organized religion is a healthy one. However, the healthiness of the phonomena begins and ends there. Christians have fucked up Jesus’ message so much they may as well give up on it and start a new religion. “God hates fags”? Using Christianity to hate people for who they are is a bunch of hipocritical, hateful crap. Jesus should roll in his grave. Using his name for killing people? Yep, he’d be pissed about that too. I think that Allah would be pretty pissed that there are guys in the middle east are blowing people up in his name (and calling it his will). It’s a sad state of affairs. In my experience, once organized, however well intentioned, religion will be used to control, and then used as an excuse to do whatever horrible shit that it can be stretched into.

As far as having questions of our origin and purpose…sure, I have a few. I don’t necessarily believe that we have a specified purpose on this planet. As far as our origin, I do not look to metaphysical reason to answer that question…and I’m not willing to believe whatever crap the nearest organized religion is willing to shovel down my throat. The metaphysical does not make any sense, and is entirely unprovable by nature. I believe that I am here due to a sequence of pseudo-random biological events and that’s that. To being it back into context, I do not think that belief on God prevents suicide, and I don’t believe that those who lack belief in God are more prone to suicide. There are other factors that drive people to taking their life, and these are mostly psychological in nature.

Anyway, I can go on and on and on with my anti-religious cynacism, but I’ll stop just after saying that I do not believe in good and evil in the traditional and absolute black-and-white sense. However, that which purports to know the difference between absolute good and evil is absolutely frightening and harmful to us all.

Check out an excert from this op-ed by Frank Rich.

When those leaders, led by the Bush brothers, wallow in this culture, they do a bait-and-switch and claim to be upholding John Paul’s vision of a “culture of life.” This has to be one of the biggest shams of all time. Yes, these politicians oppose abortion, but the number of abortions has in fact been going down steadily in America under both Republican and Democratic presidents since 1990 - some 40 percent in all. The same cannot be said of American infant fatalities, AIDS cases and war casualties - all up in the George W. Bush years. Meanwhile, potentially lifesaving phenomena like condom-conscious sex education and federally run stem-cell research are in shackles.

Read the whole thing…

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/10/opinion/10rich.html

I have went all over and studied most Religions. Except for Jewish. I have found that Muslim and Christians have the same belief “You treat the Person as you would do yourself.” And another they believe that Messiah, the Prophet from Muslim and do believe that Jesus is also a Prophet, a Messiah. A Messenger.

Most break Bread and even dipping in Oil, Wine, or whatever. Even an atheist I talked to, could not talk about Facts at all, in having not studied at all. I noticed most Religions have long robes, what is the obession about long robes? and Veil and Turbans? Even the Pope has one. Was shocked to see more Black coming into Catholicsim.

But most People in all Religions agree on one thing: “You treat one Person the same as you would do yourself.” Everybody believe in Paradise, as they also call it Heaven. We all believe in something, and some believe in Nothing. It is more of a Choice. I would talk to a Friend, who would just lay down on his Bed staring at the Ceiling, counting the dots…counting….and counting…oh start all over again…but never come to a Million. Always fails every time. Then he sat up, wondering why he is there at all? Then he forgot to breathe, (da dum), then wondering why am I even here at all? You see? He is full of questions. If he is so sure of himself, he would not be asking the questions at all. He is so Suicidal. Then he asked me if it was the right thing to do. I told him I am not the Person to ask and told him I am not helping in assisting him to kill himself. Then he starts babbling, worried about his Girlfriend, and another one. Don’t know which one to choose. Then he woke up, he needs to Live, so he can choose his lovely Lady. ;) He does not want to disappoint her. Ah there you go. Our Body tells us we do in fact CARE. Just like Teacher Vet and I, for one do Care about Terri.

Like Star Trek always say: “Live and Prosper.”

Peace Out ~ Jen

We can starve up to 3 days, then back to normal by eating again. We often feel the pains of bad headache, dizziness, lightheadness, cramps in our stomach, and dryness on our lips, pain on our throat. I have starved 3 days before, and I am telling you it is not CALM or beautiful about it, it is painful.

Terri moaned and moaned in Pain, that is why they gave her Morphine. It is not beautiful. It is cruel. When she in fact died, then it is calm there after. Notice the word AFTER. Not during the starvation phase. If I starved for two weeks, that must be feeling like hell. I never never want to feel that –bad headache, it is worst than a hangover. I am telling you for a fact. Throbbing pain. I would suggest you starve for at least 2 days and report back to me. It is not calm and beautiful as they claimed. Listening to Music while starving? What if she hated that Music over and over?! Die with Dignity? yea my ass. I have to agree with Teacher vet, Micheal’s actions are suspicious. Why did he use Terri’s Medical Trust to pay for all the Legal Fees instead of caring for Terri? He took the money for himself, and he is in hiding right now, and told the Media that he is moving from Florida soon, of course with Terri’s Death Money.