Why I Have Not Blogged About Terri Schaivo Until Now

It's because the last thing that Terri Schaivo's family needs is yet more yammering from political activists who have never been through what these people are going through.

Four years ago, we held our 14-year-old cat, Oliver, while our veterinarian administered two injections: one to make him go to sleep, and the other to stop his heart. He'd been suffering from heart disease for a year, and kidney failure for a few weeks. For a year, he'd endured having medicine he hated forced down his throat twice a day, and had suffered bouts of obviously painful projectile vomiting. After he was gone, the first thing I said (and I said it over and over and over and over), was "It was so easy!" I wasn't referring to it being so easy to "dispose" of him, but that his passing was so easy.

It amazes me that we as a society are so willing to provide this final kindness for our critically ill pets -- to give them the opportunity to pass peacefully, surrounded by people who love them; and yet we are so unwilling to provide the same kindness to people at the end of their lives.

No, I'm not comfortable with the idea of this woman having her feeding tube removed so she can slowly starve to death. It's none of my business, but something strikes me as very wrong about this. But the answer is not to leave her indefinitely in a living hell that those of us who are healthy can't even imagine. Why NOT allow her, and others at the end of life, the final kindness of a peaceful passing, surrounded by those who love her?

Instead, what we have are vociferous activists, screaming their prayers for the benefit of the camera -- right wing religious nutcases who preach life for the fetus and life for the dying -- and as far as they're concerned, everyone in between can go fuck themselves. And instead we have showboating Congresscritters, who see much political hay to be made out of tubthumping this case to death on C-SPAN for the benefit of the same folks at home they're screwing over while they stuff their pockets with corporate cash.

Meanwhile, as the media's attention is focused in Florida, a similar case in Texas ended on Tuesday, and none of the activists, none of the Congressmen, no one uttered a peep.

On Tuesday, Sun Hudson, a 5-month-old infant died at Texas Children's Hospial after his life support was removed. Hudson, diagnosed with a fatal genetic disorder called thanatophoric dysplasia, a condition characterized by a tiny chest and lungs too small to support life, had been on a venilator since birth. His mother, Wanda, fought against having life support removed, to no avail.

You see, Texas law allows doctors to remove life support from patients where there is no hope of survival, but they are required to allow the family 10 days to find another facility. No other facility would accept Sun Hudson, the consensus being that his condition was terminal.

I understand Wanda Hudson's wanting to keep hope alive, but I believe that removing life support from this child and allowing him to die peacefully was the right thing to do, just as I believe that allowing Terri Schaivo a peaceful and comfortable passing would be the right thing to do. However, it's interesting that in the state of Texas, home of the rabidly pro-fetus George W. Bush and the even more rabidly pro-fetus Tom DeLay, a baby was removed from life support on Tuesday -- and no one uttered a peep. Not Bush, not Tom DeLay, not Randall Terry, not James Dobson, no one. There was no outcry for the "life" of Sun Hudson.

Sun Hudson and his mother, Wanda, are black.