The end of the Terri Schiavo saga After almost 15 years, the sad story of Theresa Terri Schiavo has come to an end under the eyes of the nation. The public has long been fixed upon the battle that has raged over her fate. However, the real tragedy ---the state of Schiavo's life -has been overshadowed by the selfish maneuverings of politicians and special interest groups who seemed to be more interested in using Schiavo as a means to a political or moral end than actually protecting her best interests.
No matter your individual beliefs about Schiavo's circumstances, the simple truth is her fate should have remained a private matter between her husband, her parents and her doctors. When disputes arose about the future treatment of Schiavo -whether to remove or leave in her feeding tube (her only means of survival) -multiple courts heard the case and have consistently ruled in favor of her husband, Michael. However, political leaders made repeated attempts to override the binding court decisions and circumvent the well-established balance of power between the branches of government. The involvement of politicians, lobbyists and special interest groups in the case was unethical, inappropriate and wrong.
Most Americans agree that the political jockeying surrounding the Schiavo case was unacceptable. According to recent polls taken before Schiavo's death yesterday from CBS News and www.pollingreport.com, about seven in 10 people polled approved of the rulings issued by the various courts in which the case has been heard. Also, about two-thirds of those surveyed thought that the political leaders who attempted to keep Schiavo alive were more concerned about using her case to gain a political advantage than about protecting her life. According to another CBS poll, about six in 10 people polled said they would want a feeding tube removed from a child or spouse given circumstances similar to Schiavo's condition.
In addition to the concerns about the motives of political leaders seeking to prolong Schiavo's life, it is important to be skeptical about the potential ramifications that these political actions could have in the future. Although government officials have declared that their actions in the Schiavo case will set no precedent, by simply doing anything they've set one. In future cases similar to this one, will government officials rush to defend another average citizen? How many American tax dollars will political leaders spend on future flights to and from Washington, D.C., just to enact legislation that only affects one individual?
The situation involving Terri Schiavo escalated from a private matter to a public campaign. Somewhere in the course of the saga, people have diverted their attention from the real tragedy of a woman's life to a means for political gain. All those involved with the prolonging of Schiavo's life -not for her sake, but for their own image -should be ashamed of their exploitation of an innocent woman. The correct legal channels were followed and the dispute was being handled properly. But the sad truth is that because of the legal and political maneuvering, Schiavo's passing could never be peaceful or respectable, and she deserved more.
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