April 1, 2005
Erring on the side of life
The Debate about Terri Schiavo
by Elaine B. Holtz
My condolences and heart go out to the husband and parents of Terri Schiavo. Experiencing the death of a spouse or child has to be a devastating experience. Add that she was in a vegetable state for fifteen years &endash; that must be hard to bear for all involved. When I look at her pictures when she was young and alive I see a beautiful young women who because of a disease called bulimia had a heart attack due to low potassium levels in her body.
People who suffer from bulimia routinely "binge," consuming large amounts of food in a very short period of time, and immediately "purge," ridding their bodies of the just-eaten food by self-inducing vomiting, taking enemas, or abusing laxatives or other medications. If left untreated, bulimia can lead to serious and even life-threatening problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, heart damage, kidney damage, injury to all parts of the digestive system, and severe dental damage.
Bulimia itself is complex psychological disorder in which an individual's eating patterns are developed -- and then habitually maintained -- in an attempt to cope with other problems in their life. Generally speaking this disease is an outgrowth of concerns over weight and body image.
Terri Schiavo had the best possible care, which enabled her to live that long in an unconscious state, and the biggest question I have is, "didn't anyone know, didn't anyone close to her try to get her to seek help?" Probably not because most likely nobody really knew it was happening and that is the saddest part of this disease, it is a disease that is done in secret. Where is the demand of those who were praying and crying over Terri Schiavo to make sure other young women do not suffer from this disease?
What is more mysterious to me is the way people reacted over this woman who was in this state for fifteen years. What is also a mystery is how people went to such lengths to save this person's life. I have to ask what makes this life, the life of Terri Schiavo more important than children in this country and around the world who suffer from malnutrition and thirst?
What makes this issue more important then human beings who are suffering from the devastation of AIDS or having their countries bombed or having such strict sanctions put on them that poverty and disease become rampant?
Surfing the TV reports on this story, I could hardly believe that President Bush made a special trip from his Crawford Ranch to push through legislation to help put the feeding tube back into a women who was already well on her way to death. He said, "I believe that in a case such as this, the legislative branch ought to err on the side of life, which we have."
Well, President Bush, how come you didn't "err on the side of life" when you started dropping bombs on the Iraqi people, or when you found out our soldiers did not have the right equipment or when you supported the idea of cutting so many social programs for our citizens? How come you or those involved in this issue do not put the same energy into making sure all of our citizens have a decent health care system or seniors have affordable prescriptions. It feels like it takes years to get anything done yet with this issue Congress was able to act under your direction so quickly. I ask you, what makes Terri Schiavo more important then any other person in this country or on this planet?
When I see the hysteria around Terri Schiavo of people praying and crying with tape on their mouths saying, "life," I wonder how come there is not the same outcry to stop the war, stop hunger, stop abuse of citizens of other countries?
Where is the debate about removing the toxins out of our air, water and food? Where is the debate regarding the US not participating in the Kyoto Protocol?
Where is the debate over genetically modified foods, where is the debate over the causes of cancer, where is the debate about mercury and all the other substances that the earth has been polluted with?
Where is the recognition that before Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, four percent of Iraqi children suffered from hunger and malnutrition &endash; and now the number has risen to eight percent?
A Vatican cardinal denounced the removing of the feeding tube as "an attack against God." I ask, is not everything I mentioned an attack against God, against this great mystery called life?
Yes life is a precious gift and in my mind needs to be treated as such. It is my prayer that the experience of Terri Schiavo causes all of us to think a lot more deeply about what life itself means and what is needed in order to sustain a quality life It is my hope that because so many of us got to experience her life and the transition of that life we will become more conscious, loving and sensitive to the gift of living and giving.
Elaine Holtz , a retired motivational professional, is a member of the Sonoma County Women's Council.