Object 1 Object 2 Object 3 NYTimes.com no longer supports Internet Explorer 9 or earlier. Please upgrade your browser. LEARN MORE Sections Home Search Skip to content Skip to navigation View mobile version The New York Times U.S.|From Private Ordeal to National Fight: The Case of Terri Schiavo campaign: bar1_nons_USGM_bauAugust_0817, creative: bar1, source: optimizely, last modified by: RTF Subscribe News you can act on. Reporting you can use every day. From $15.99 $9.99 a month. SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW Share Tweet Email More Save Search Subscribe Now Log In 146 0 Settings Close search Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com Clear this text input Go https://nyti.ms/1hMTeIT 1.U.S. 2. Company Scrambles as Weinstein Takes Leave and a Third of the Board Resigns 3. 'My Stomach Dropped': Harrowing Night for Twin Brothers of the Las Vegas Police 4. The Victims of Las Vegas: Remembering Their Lives 5. Now a Hurricane, Nate Is Aiming for Gulf Coast 6. Object 4 7. 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By Retro Report on Publish Date April 20, 2014. Photo by Chris O'Meara/Associated Press. Watch in Times Video embed Share Tweet Her surname in Italian means \"slave,\" and is pronounced skee-AH-vo. Grim as it may be, the word could apply to Theresa Marie Schiavo, even with its Americanized pronunciation: SHY-vo. For 15 years, Terri Schiavo was effectively a slave slave to an atrophied brain that made her a prisoner in her body, slave to bitter fighting between factions of her family, slave to seemingly endless rounds of court hearings, slave to politicians who injected themselves into her tragedy and turned her ordeal into a national morality play. To this day, the name Schiavo is virtually a synonym for epic questions about when life ends and who gets to make that determination. It would be nice to believe that since Ms. Schiavo's death nine years ago, America has found clear answers. Of course it has not, as is evident in Retro Report's exploration of the Schiavo case, the latest video documentary in a weekly series that examines major news stories from the past and their aftermath. Object 7 Ms. Schiavo, a married woman living in St. Petersburg, Fla., was 26 years old when she collapsed on Feb. 25, 1990. While her potassium level was later found to be abnormally low, an autopsy drew no conclusion as to why she had lost consciousness. Whatever the cause, her brain was deprived of oxygen long enough to leave her in a \"persistent vegetative state,\" a condition that is not to be confused with brain death. She could breathe without mechanical assistance. But doctors concluded that she was incapable of thought or emotion. After her death on March 31, 2005, an autopsy determined that the brain damage was irreversible. Between her collapse when she \"departed this earth,\" as her grave marker puts it and her death when she became \"at peace\" the nation bore witness to an increasingly acrimonious battle between her husband, Michael Schiavo, and her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler. Mr. Schiavo wanted to detach the feeding tube that gave her nourishment. Terri never would have wanted to be kept alive that way, he said. The Schindlers insisted that the tube be kept in place. That, they said, is what their daughter would have wanted. To Mr. Schiavo, the woman he had married was gone. To the Schindlers, a sentient human was still in that body. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Florida courts, while sympathizing with the parents, consistently sided with the husband as a matter of law. That did not satisfy Florida politicians. In 2003, the State Legislature passed a bill giving the governor, Jeb Bush at the time, the authority to prevent removal of the feeding tube. This legislation, later declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court, was called Terri's Law. (This is a common legislative tactic: identifying a bill by some unfortunate's name to enhance its emotional appeal. It is worth noting that first names and diminutives tend to be used when the person is a woman or a child. Men are usually accorded greater dignity. Hence, we had the Brady Bill, a federal gun-control law named for James S. Brady, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, who was shot in 1981. No one thought to call it Jim's Bill.) Continue reading the main story Retro Report Essays and documentary videos that re-examine the leading stories of decades past. Special Ops Forces: How Elite Forces Became Military Muscle SEP 25 What the Kitty Genovese Killing Can Teach Today's Digital Bystanders JUN 4 Chasing Cures for Deadly Scourges, and Getting in Our Own Way MAY 14 Who's Fueling Conspiracy Whisperers' Falsehoods? APR 30 A Closer Look at the Evidence APR 26 See More Recent Comments Sharon, Brooklyn Heights April 22, 2014 I think Mr. Haberman's overwrought use of the word "Slave" to describe Ms Schaivo's existence toward the end of her life is completely... Dana Seilhan April 21, 2014 I'm pro-choice, always will be, but...No one knows for sure what Terri Schiavo wanted. She didn't have any documentation of her wishes, just... Jeff Hartman April 21, 2014 Terri Schiavo was denied food and water. She died a death that would be inhumane for condemned prisoners. She was not being kept alive by... See All Comments Advertisement Continue reading the main story As if the failed attempts at intervention by Florida politicians were not enough of a cautionary tale, Congress and President George W. Bush plunged into the fray in early 2005, enacting legislation with dazzling speed to transfer jurisdiction of the case from state courts to the federal judiciary. More legal toing and fro-ing ensued, but it did not last long. State court orders prevailed. The feeding tube was removed, and Ms. Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla. What, if anything, is the enduring legacy of this painful episode? For what it is worth, USA Today, on its 25th anniversary in 2007, put together a list of 25 lives that had \"indelible impact.\" Terri Schiavo ranked No.12, just below Mother Teresa and Oprah Winfrey. (No.1 was \"9/11 heroes.\") But the Schiavo case was then still fresh in collective memory. Seven years later, would she rank so high? Similarly, when she was in the news almost daily, there was a discernible increase in the number of Americans who prepared living wills and comparable directives, according to groups like Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit organization that supports end-of-life wishes. California Today The news and stories that matter to Californians (and anyone else interested in the state), delivered weekday mornings. Sign Up Thank you for subscribing. View all New York Times newsletters. See Sample Privacy Policy Opt out or contact us anytime Perhaps some politicians have learned a lesson: that these life-or-death decisions are probably best left to families and, should irreconcilable differences surface, to the courts. Was anyone well served, for example, when Bill Frist, the Republican Senate majority leader in 2005 and a transplant surgeon, said it was clear to him that Ms. Schiavo responded to external stimuli, a pronouncement based on his having seen a videotape of her? Larger questions remain, affecting an estimated 25,000 Americans deemed by doctors to be in a vegetative state. Complicating matters are studies like those reported last week by a team in Belgium and earlier by Adrian M. Owen, a British neuroscientist working in Canada. They have found through brainimaging techniques that residual cognitive capacity may exist in some people classified as vegetative. Another issue is what qualifies as death with dignity. Is it allowing a person to go gentle into that good night of Dylan Thomas? Or does providing him or her with tools like a feeding tube allow the person to rage if possible against the dying of the light? Write A Comment In recent months, two cases focused new attention on such questions. In one, Jahi McMath, 13, was declared brain-dead, the result of complications after surgery to correct a sleeping disorder. Her parents have fought, thus far successfully, to keep a hospital in Oakland, Calif., from shutting off Jahi's ventilator. The second case, in Fort Worth, is a polar opposite. There, Marlise Muoz, 33, was declared brain-dead after collapsing with a blood clot while 14 weeks pregnant. Her family wished to have the ventilator turned off, but the hospital refused, citing a state law that required life-sustaining measures for pregnant women. Finally, a judge ordered the removal of the life support. On Jan. 26, Ms. Muoz's heart stopped. In both those ordeals, the Schiavo case was not a guide, and it may not be in new situations likely to arise. Then again, the woman born Theresa Marie Schindler had no control over the powerful forces that controlled her own fate. Just as if she were a schiavo, a slave. The video with this article is part of a documentary series presented by The New York Times. The video project was started with a grant from Christopher Buck. Retro Report has a staff of 13 journalists and 10 contributors led by Kyra Darnton, a former \"60 Minutes\" producer. It is a nonprofit video news organization that aims to provide a thoughtful counterweight to today's 24/7 news cycle. Previous Retro Report videos can be found here, and articles here. Continue reading the main story We're interested in your feedback on this page. Tell us what you think. From Our Advertisers Object 8 Object 9 Object 10 Object 11 Close this panel 146 Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. The comments section is closed. To submit a letter to the editor for publication, write to letters@nytimes.com. All 146 Readers' Picks 134 NYT Picks 9 Newest Sharon, Brooklyn Heights Brookyn Heights, NY April 22, 2014 I think Mr. Haberman's overwrought use of the word "Slave" to describe Ms Schaivo's existence toward the end of her life is completely irresponsible and a bit histrionic. No one can know what Ms. Schaivo's existence was actually like in the last months of her life. No one. She was loved and well care-for and in peace. To give the power to end her life to a person who clearly had a secondary benefit to himself in mind, was wrong. He was no more in a position to say what she wanted than her parents were. But he had self-interested motives that he felt superceded Ms. Schaivo's right to continue to live as she was. For people to look at her outward state and think of what THEY would or wouldn't want and assume anything about what's right for someone else, is solipsistic and shallow. Her quality of life may have been wonderful. We just don't know. And with new evidence to suggest that quite a bit may have been happening in her brain, there is a great deal of room for doubt, caution and responsible dialogue when similar cases come up in future. Flag 4Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Dana Seilhan Columbus, Ohio April 21, 2014 I'm pro-choice, always will be, but... No one knows for sure what Terri Schiavo wanted. She didn't have any documentation of her wishes, just the word of a man who'd spent up a lot of her rehab money from the lawsuit, and who had a vested interest in getting on with his life. (Why he didn't just file for divorce and hand her over to her parents like they wanted, I wish I knew.) How many times have men killed their wives? How many times, I wonder, have they gotten away with it? I was just reading about a case the other day that happened back in the 80s where a man injected his wife with a horse tranquilizer that at that time was undetectable. The lab had to *invent a new method* to pick it up because cops were suspicious. He came *that close* to getting away with it. What happened here with the Schiavos? We don't know. We're supposed to trust Mr. Schiavo though. Given the choice between trusting a guy who says "I want this person dead" and someone else who says "I will take care of this person the best I can" I'm going to go with the latter. And if she really was brain-dead then she wasn't suffering. She wasn't even on life support. She was on assisted feeding. She was breathing and her heart was beating without any help. They starved her to death. I am not OK with that. Sure, they said she was brain-dead. Probably she didn't feel it. Still. If we're going to kill her because being brain-dead is suffering, what in the world is the starvation thing about? Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Jeff Hartman Maryland April 21, 2014 Terri Schiavo was denied food and water. She died a death that would be inhumane for condemned prisoners. She was not being kept alive by mechanical interventions. She was not a dying person until she as denied the care any parent would provide their child and any rational person would provide to a fellow human being. Flag 1Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Mausam Kalita Salt Lake City, UT April 21, 2014 It is blatant disrespect shown to the lady by the political class. Let her go, let her be free. Lets not play politics over an invalid human being. Mausam www.mausamkalita.blogspot.com Flag 4Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter LS NY April 21, 2014 I wonder if those leaving comments that Terri Schiavo shouldn't have had her feeding tube removed, ever cared for or even seen a person in a vegetative state. They are unresponsive, unable to eat, talk or express themselves, unable to ambulate, and unable to care for themselves in any way. Their muscles atrophy and they are spastic. Their skin is even different. I wonder what the definition of humanity is in these cases. If you have a pulse and brain stem function but nothing else is that still "human"? In my opinion, it's really higher neurological function - the cortex, which makes us human. Take a walk in any ICU - MICU, PICU, NICU - and you will have more a basis to make these opinions. Flag 23Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter mj michigan April 21, 2014 Situations such as the Schiavo case, the McMath case and the Munoz case are rarely about the convalescent. They are typically about the inability of the people left behind to come to grips with what has happened. To pretend anyone is acting in the best interest of the patient other than those who do not have a vested interest is absurd. We are raised to value human life above all else, even it means keeping a body where no one lives any longer in a state of medical stasis. I have great empathy for those that must make these decisions but emotion often overrules logic. We as the witness to these horrifying moments, should keep our peace. It's difficult enough without a peanut gallery second guessing every decision. Flag 11Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Paxton Williams ROT (Republic of Texas) April 21, 2014 Did the lawyer, medical directive, living will, blanket Hippa, power of attorney thing about a year ago. Took copies to my primary and specialists to scan into their mutual digital data base. Then marched down the hall to the front desk of the associated, spanking new, regional, public hospital. The young lady at the admitting desk informed me that the list of 'shall nots, will nots' that I forced my attorney to include, practically at gun point, on 'the list', most likely would not be followed. And, since only my primary could write a DNR for me, certainly all heroic measures deemed necessary by the ER/emergency responders would be performed; without regard to my wishes. And, once intubated, etc., 'you'd be staying that way.' She said that there was caution to be had because of lawsuits by competing family members, possible prosecution from our not so freedom loving state, and 'other' issues, such as my tender young age (63 at the time). I imformed her that were my directive NOT followed to the letter that certainly my immediate family would be taking ownership of their fine new hospital; that she darn well better scan the documents and now. Anyway, I used a list provided by someone at Compassion and Choices in Denver. May I suggest you all get on the legal bandwagon before some politician with the IQ of a grape gets involved and forces their superstitious beliefs down your feeding tube. Flag 18Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Xiaoshan Cai Memphis April 21, 2014 The worst cruelties hide behinds the seemingly best intentions. There are only two scenarios to consider: 1. Terri Schiavo was unconscious. 2. Terri Schiavo was conscious. In the case of 1, what is the point of keeping her body alive? She would have no wish of either being in that state or death. The only benefit is for her family to maintain a desperate hope that one day someone may be able to revive her, which is itself a painful thing compared to letting go. In the case of 2...how horrifying would that be? It is a decade of consciousnesses while being imprisoned by one's own body. This is comparable to the most painful torture that one could imagine. In short, the more alive Terri Shiavo was when she was in the "vegetative" state, the more horrifying it is to keep her alive that way. Having brain activities and reaction to outside stimuli would justify her death even more than justify keeping her alive. Flag 27Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter DW Philly April 21, 2014 Thank you. Flag 6Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter LG Albany April 21, 2014 Personally, I found very disturbing the number of people who presumed that they knew more about this woman and her medical case than the judges and lawyers who had spent years analyzing every element while arguing the case. Every week, our media encourages people to second guess findings based on a few minutes of a TV story while ignoring the large quantities of detailed information analyzed, reviewed, and debated by the legal parties assigned to arrive at a correct decision. Flag 14Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter NA Fortis Los ALtos CA April 21, 2014 I vaguely remember this. So I do not know if there was something like an Advanced Health Care Directive. But given the enormity of the Republican's meddling here, perhaps the existence of such an instrument would have been of no benefit to the Schindlers. Perhaps this is a little off topic, but my father had no such instrument; nor powers of attorney or anything similar. When he had his devastating stroke 1985, I, being the eldest son in our European family, and given that father was a widower, had to make the call. I did, my siblings agreeing . I pray I was right. Naf Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter CathyZ Durham CT April 21, 2014 She did not have an advance directive. That is why the husband and parents argued "what she wiuld have wanted". The lessonb is put what YOU want in writing..and don't go to Texas. Flag 6Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Tom is a trusted commenter Midwest April 21, 2014 If one does not want a politician or legislature or court or church to decide your fate, use every method to make sure your own instructions are as clear as possible and a copy of those instructions are sent to everyone who needs to see them. Schiavo is just one of numerous instances where someone other than the individual invades your privacy (usually some unwelcome politician, political party or religious zealot). Flag 7Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Viveka East Lansing April 21, 2014 I think equally disturbing was the politicization of the Schiavo case with Bill Frist, the Bushes, and other Republicans trying to appease their rightwing evangelical base by keeping this poor woman alive in a vegetative state. These very politicians have no qualms cutting food stamps and medicaid letting the poor go hungry and sick but their morality and ethics come into play in such cases. Flag 35Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter EMWMD Bethesda, MD April 21, 2014 As a neurologist and neuroscientist, I find the functional imaging data from minimally conscious states very disturbing. They mean that I have probably facilitated the deaths of people with ongoing internal lives and, at least partial, perceptions of the world. I also remember how certain I was about the doctrines of the time. A sobering thought and one which makes me wish, above all else, that the politics would go away. Flag 9Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter mj michigan April 21, 2014 I think you should read Xiaoshan Cai's comment and be at peace. For most of us, I believe it is spot on. Flag 9Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter DocM New York April 21, 2014 Even if it can be shown that there's some degree of responsiveness in some vegetative patients, the question of the quality of what's left of that life is critical and unanswered. Fifty years ago, before the development of all of our present means of life support, it was easy to find the border between life and death. Now, it has become increasingly hazy. At any rate, it should be a medical matter, not a political one. The politicians in Schiavo's case mostly made themselves look ridiculous. Further, there are clear lines of authority (at least as I understand them) as to who has the strongest right to decide: spouse, then adult children, then parents, and so on down the line. Mr Schiavo's decision should have been respected from the start. Flag 15Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter See All Replies Roy Brophy Minneapolis, MN April 21, 2014 "Perhaps some politicians have learned a lesson" Mr. Haberman, how could you write something so silly? The Schiavo case had nothing to do with the end of live but was about Politics, the Republicans were using Ms. Schiavo to bolster their "Right to Life" abortion fight. It was a disgusting Political Circus and had nothing to do with anything but politicians enhancing their careers. Flag 30Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter EJS Granite City, Illinois April 21, 2014 To this day I am extremely suspicious and skeptical about her husband. I suspect that he had something to do with putting her into the persistent vegetative state and that he had a financial incentive to pull the plug on his wife, thereby preserving the funds from the settlement of her malpractice suit. I'm especially suspicious because he was so cold-hearted and adamant about not even considering the request of her parents for the right to keep their daughter and their hope alive at their own cost. I don't buy his cock and bull story about Terry Schiavo watching some made for TV movie and making a legally binding direction (presumably during a commercial) that extraordinary means not being used to keep her alive. I heavily fault the trial judge for his unrealistic rulings. All that having been said, the politicians and our governments do need to keep out of these personal family issues. I don't think the law worked even close to perfectly, but that's our system and somebody has to decide. Flag 5Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Spike5 Ft Myers, FL April 21, 2014 In addition to keeping politicians and governments out of personal family matters like these, perhaps we should also stop accusing their family members of murder, greed, and dishonesty when we have absolutely no proof. Flag 34Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Viveka East Lansing April 21, 2014 I don't recall there was any suspicion of foul play on the part of the husband in this case as being implied. Flag 17Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter See All Replies John Canada April 21, 2014 "It would be nice to believe that since Ms. Schiavo's death nine years ago, America has found clear answers. Of course it has not. . . " There, have, however been some very significant advances in medical knowledge, especially by Professor Adrian Owen, sometime of the University of Cambridge, now at the University of Western Ontario. He has made astonishing breakthroughs in communicating with patients who are supposedly in a "vegetative" state. There is an article about his research in the current (April) issue of Scientific American and more information is on his website: http://www.rotman.uwo.ca/members/adrian-owen/ I do not know what he thinks of the Schiavo case, but the outcome might have been very different had his breakthroughs been available nine years ago. Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter don honolulu April 21, 2014 The outcome may have been different. The autopsy showed very intact pain pathways and very non-intact regions related to consciousness. So, in effect, they may have kept her in a tortured state even longer. Flag 10Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Surgres New York April 21, 2014 The Schiavo case elicited strong emotions on both sides. On one hand, you have grieving parents who wanted to keep their daughter alive. On the other, you had a grieving husband who tried to do what he thought was best for his wife. As a result, people identified with one party or the other and wanted to help them. People need to remember that the politicians became involved because her parents invited them to come in. Any claim of unwanted government interference is biased because it ignores that fact that each party wanted the government to decide who could make the decision regarding life support. In the years since, it is sad that so few readers here have any compassion for the parents. It is also sad to see so many readers expressing their opinion that the government should not intrude in the lives of people, and yet they want the government to decide what type of health care to have, what type of foods to eat, and other intrusions. I guess self-awareness and self-righteousness don't go together. Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Spike5 Ft Myers, FL April 21, 2014 The husband didn't want the government to decide anything. He merely wanted to make end-of-life decisions for his wife in accordance with Florida law and custom. It was the parents who turned to the courts because they refused to accept that a husband's rights supersede those of the parents. After that, everything that happened was unjustified government interference. Flag 23Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter MarkB3699 Santa Cruz, CA April 21, 2014 You can't generalize about government regulation. The health care law has nothing to do with the kind of moral second guessing that went on in the Schiavo case. Flag 7Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Dawn Cartwright West Long Branch, NJ April 21, 2014 What an awful time that was. My father was in the same hospice as Ms. Schiavo. The demonstrators were an nuisance at such a delicate time. Identification checks had to be instituted at a place where speed sometimes means the difference between seeing your loved one for the last time alive. Flag 16Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Sue Vancouver, BC April 21, 2014 Very sorry to hear that, Dawn. I hope you were able to be at your father's side when the time came. It was terrible to see the death of my father but it would have been more terrible not to have known for myself just what happened. Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Sue Vancouver, BC April 21, 2014 Just an annotation: The "night" to which Dylan Thomas refers is blindness - not death. His father was losing his sight. Flag 7Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Maureen O'Brien Middleburg Heights, Ohio April 22, 2014 It transfers well to the other interpretation, doesn't it? Flag 3Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter harry Michigan April 21, 2014 There should be death panels. We leave these decisions to untrained medically ignorant family members. All they care is if it costs anything. If people were confronted with even a modest copay they may have a different mindset. Our health care system is out of control because of end of life care. We all die, the question is who pays. Flag 9Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter MarkB3699 Santa Cruz, CA April 21, 2014 But if the hospital says it won't disconnect the feeding tubes who should pay then? Flag 5Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Michael is a trusted commenter Los Angeles April 21, 2014 The issues raised by the life, medical condition, and death are many, but they do not include the definition of death. Quality of life; the right of self-determination, even by individuals who cannot speak for themselves; and who decides on behalf of individuals who cannot speak for themselves are the issues raised by this personal and family tragedy, which was hijacked by others with political purposes. This is an area where government should not intrude in the lives of people. I want my wife to make these decisions on my behalf, even to decide when further maintenance of my vital functions is not warranted by my quality of life. I do not want the governor,state legislature, Supreme Court, media commentators, or other on-lookers who do not know me and my family involved in the decision in any way. Flag 12Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter IKK Los Angeles, CA April 21, 2014 One quick point not mentioned in the documentary. The case of Terri Schiavo is medically and legally distinct from the case of Jahi McCath, the Oakland Children's Hospital patient who was declared brain dead after an unfortunate procedure. For patients who are brain dead (without brain stem function) and are medically dead, there should be no debate about the removal of ventilatory support. Flag 21Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter ca Key West, Fla/ Washington Twp, NJ April 21, 2014 Only in America, this exceptional Christian society. We rile over a woman, who no longer had any quality of life and at what financial cost to this very cheap un-Christian society. Flag 8Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Boo East Lansing Michigan April 21, 2014 This hideous decision by Jeb Bush is the reason why he should never be elected president of the United States. Flag 53Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter J deMaine, MD Seattle, Washington April 21, 2014 Paradoxically, the turmoil around the Schiavo case helps generate the discussion about end-of-life conversations, value statements, and directives that we all should be carrying out. In giving frequent presentations called "Your Life Your Choices", people often bring up the fear that they will be in a situation where they have severe neurological damage. They'll say, "I want a peaceful death with good care for comfort - no tubes. Will my wishes be honored?" The Schiavo case circus atmosphere is rare, but the clinical situation is not 70% of all deaths in the ICU occur by withdrawing life support after all curative attempts have failed. The need to go to court is rare, and politicians getting involved is absurd as has been commented on. To read more please see my many stories at www.endoflifeblog.com Flag 2Recommend Share this comment on FacebookShare this comment on Twitter Loading... Read More View all 146 comments 146 Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. The comments section is closed. To submit a letter to the editor for publication, write to letters@nytimes.com. All 146 Readers' Picks 134 NYT Picks 9 Newest Trending 1. Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades 2. Company Scrambles as Weinstein Takes Leave and a Third of the Board Resigns 3. As Overdose Deaths Pile Up, a Medical Examiner Quits the Morgue 4. Op-Ed Columnist: A German Who Explains Trump 5. Op-Ed Columnist: Out of Control on Contraception 6. Trump Administration Rolls Back Birth Control Mandate 7. White House Memo: What Did President Trump Mean by 'Calm Before the Storm'? 8. 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