Law Essay Example: Terry Schiavo's Case Controversy

The controversy between Schiavo's parents and Schiavo's spouse Mr. Michael was primarily about the right to die. Terry Schiavo has all been living without water and food for a long time. Michael her husband, who is also acting as her legal guardian, had contested for the removal of her brain-damaged wife's feeding tube. However, Ms. Schiavo's parents Bob and Mary Schindler wanted their daughter's life to be prolonged by continued feeding on the tube. A Florida Judge who was presiding over the case, ruled in favor of Ms. Schiavo's husband since he claimed that, her wife revealed to him and others that, she never wanted to stay alive through artificial means. The parents of Schiavo said that their daughter was close to death after being for 12 days without food and water. The controversy further attracted third parties among them being a civil right activist Reverend Jesse Jackson who sided with Schiavo's parent and their supporters and termed the death as being unnecessary. He described the death as being a form of injustice hence making him support Schiavo's parents. The activist further said that without water and food there is significant evidence that the patient was being starved to death and that does not show any form of humanity.

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The controversy heightened when the court-appointed doctors said that, Ms. Schiavo had been in a vegetative condition for many years and that, she will never regain consciousness, hence prompting the court to uphold Michael's right to disconnect the feeding tube. Consequently, Ms. Schiavo's parents were against the decision which made them appeal to the federal courts after passing of the emergency action by the United States Congress. However, the federal courts and the Supreme Court ruled against the appeal of re-attaching their daughter's feeding tube. The parents have ever since maintained that their daughter never expressed any decision regarding the feeding tube and she could regain some brain consciousness with intensive therapy. Her father said that her daughter looked pretty well under the given circumstance but the condition of 12 days without food has led to serious negative consequences and prayed to God that her daughter could strengthen on.

Technology and a better understanding of the brain can help reduce this kind of controversy in the future since technology entails conducting an autopsy. Ms. Schiavo's parents who initially opposed the carrying out of an autopsy to be subjected to their daughter after death, now wants the technological procedure to be conducted since they claim, their daughter suffered at the hands of her husband and that autopsy could prove that fact. However, Michael has refuted such accusation. Through his lawyer, George Felos, Michael believes that conducting an autopsy is vital in disapproving the idea that his wife could have recovered. He strongly supports the idea an wants the general public to be aware of the extent of the brain damage to his wife that she suffered as a result of cardiac arrest. On the other hand, understanding of the damaged brain and believing on a qualified report from the court doctors or other qualified doctors should help reduced such controversy. These reports indicate and reveal the extent of the damage and give out a possible suggestion on whether the victim can regain brain consciousness or not. If Ms. Schiavo's parents could have relied on the court doctors comment that, their daughter could not regain brain consciousness, such controversy could have been eliminated at an earlier stage.