Pro-Death To Pro-Life

A euthanasian has second thoughts in the Terri Schiavo case:

John Grogan said in a column published today, "I no longer so blithely believe Schiavo's feeding tubes should be pulled and her life allowed to end. I'm no longer so sure her parents do not deserve a say in their daughter's future. I no longer am totally comfortable assuming her husband, Michael, who now has two children by another woman, is acting unselfishly."

But Grogan points out Terri Schiavo's heart and lungs function on their own, and she requires only a feeding tube that might not be necessary if she were given physical therapy.

The columnist notes Michael Schiavo, as her legal guardian, has forbidden any therapy.

What more needs be said about the doting "husband?"

Terri Schiavo cannot eat without help. This is the foundation upon which the case for her termination has been built. Since this is the apparent criterion for killing the helpless, why not kill all quadraplegics? And if not, why not?

When it comes to who is best to decide, Grogan wrote, it's clear that Terri Schiavo's parents "have proved themselves nothing if not fiercely loyal, utterly committed parents. They might be misguided. They might be in denial. But no one can argue their devotion. They have not given up. They have not stopped caring. They have not stopped loving. Who are we, as a society, to tell them they must?

Grogan concluded:

Clearly, Schiavo's husband has moved on to a new life, and who can blame him? It's been 15 long years. But parents cannot move on. Parents cannot give up. Their child will always be the precious gift they brought into the world.

If the Schindlers want to dedicate the rest of their lives and resources to caring for their brain-damaged daughter, if they want to shower her with attention and affection she likely will never recognize, who among us will tell them they cannot

It won't be me.

God bless you, Mr. Grogan. I think Michael Schiavo is a monster with ulterior motives. His singleminded determination to see his wife's death sentence carried out, alone, makes me question his actions and words. The Scriptures speak of a man and woman coming together as husband and wife, and becoming "one flesh." Biblically speaking, then, isn't this a case of self-mutilation? Of course, this "man" is a husband in name only. What astounds me most about the case is the lengths to which the court system will go to grant his death-wish.

Let me share a personal story. My cousin, Michael, was born a seemingly normal child. He ran and played and dreamed, just as normal children do. But at about age eight, he began exhibiting symptoms of the dreaded genetic disorder, Muscular Dystrophy. His control of his body rapidly degenerated, and in just a few short years, he was wheelchair-bound. The doctors' prognosis was not good: he would live only into his late teen years.

My cousin lived into his late thirties. He lived the last two decades of his life as a quadraplegic. He was forced to utilize an artificial device in stimulating his vocal cords for speech.

In spite of his infirmities, Michael loved life. He had a brilliant, razor-sharp mind and was a master at chess. He worked toward and received a college education through corresspondence courses from a Bible college. He had a great sense of humor and brought a lot of joy to everyone who knew and loved him. Best of all, he loved God with all his heart, mind, and soul.

In a broken world, sometimes people are born with broken bodies. But unlike a toy soldier with a missing limb, or a Tonka truck with no wheels, we do not discard people. That's part of what makes us in God's image. That's what differentiates us from mere animals.