Not exactly. Why was Terri
Not exactly. Why was Terri Schiavo's battle so important?
To protect those who could not protect themselves. We have failed miserably. Just ask 81 year-old,
Mae Magouirk.
Her living will states that she does not want to receive nutrition through a feeding tube only if she is terminal or in a vegetative state.
Mae's diagnosis?
Glaucoma and a heart condition which her doctor says is "contained and non-life threatening."
She is not terminal. She is not in a vegetative state. Yet, she has been denied food and water to survive against her orders; just because her grand daughter who does not have medical power attorney thinks that her grandmother's life is not worth living.
Her 36 year-old grandaughter's rationale for letting her grandmother suffer this horrible death?
"Grandmama is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus. She has glaucoma and now this heart problem, and who would want to live with disabilities like these?" (emphasis added)
I am sure the millions of people truly living with disabilities would like the opportunity to explain to Beth Graddy why her grandmama would want to live. I am confident that so many people with the same medical conditions as Mae Magouirk would like a chance to enlighten this truly narrow view of life presented by Graddy.
Of course, Mae's other family members are fighting against this granddaughter but they are racing against a clock.
First, the helpless with no voice; then the elderly; then the disabled...then...
Why should you be concerned? Because ultimately when life becomes nothing more than a commodity then it can it be valued and devalued according to the whims of society. I for one, would rather trust in God than trust in man to make my life and death decisions.
(H/T:
NIF)
Update (4-12): I meant to update this Saturday but that didn't happen. This story has a happy ending in that Mae has been given a chance to live. Mae was airlifted to the local hospital and immediately given nourishment after 10 days of being denied food and water. Click here for the complete story.
An interesting aspect of this story is the fact that the family members who supported Mae's right to live, give credit to the blogs set up to support Terri Schiavo's fight for getting out the message. BlogsforTerri was an instrumental component of helping save Mae's life. It is nice to know that the organization to support life and to fight against euthanasia can now branch out and help others.
Never is the work for good done in vain.
