Life and Lawsuits

The Terry Schiavo issue has just about been discussed to the ground, but briefly:
In some respects, I can realize that this is an extremely complex issue.
When I was a teenager, my grandfather was dying in the hospital. One day, while I was spending the afternoon with him by myself, a nurse came in and announced, "You know he's going to die without a feeding tube." Did she not realize that with numerous health problems, including breathing problems, a barely-beating heart, cancer and a hernia that required further surgery he was clearly dying anyway? As it happens, he had a living will and had clearly stated his wish not to be put on a feeding tube. He may have looked great after the first surgery, but that artificial, after-surgery glow was not lasting. All of us did the best we could weighing decisions, but at times, we wished that we had not been convinced to have the first surgery by well-meaning doctors. While some might argue that we should have proceeded with further surgeries and feeding tubes, I ended up feeling that the first surgery was not such a great idea. My grandfather was dying, and my mother has not gotten over the fact that he was not able to die at home.
When my grandmother was dying a few years later, we had learned out lesson. She developed diabetes at about age 90, which we treated, and had breast cancer, which we did not. At 90, she was not in shape to recover from treatment. Her doctor graciously visited the house, and after some discussion realized the wisdom of not pursuing aggressive treatment. She died at 92, at home, surrounded by her family.
On the other hand....
With the help of a feeding tube, Terri Schiavo was not dying. The quality of life argument doesn't work for me. As a society, we are to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Being a cautious person, I suggest that we err on the side of caution. To me, irrevocable death is not caution. Furthermore, despite evidence of Mr. Schiavo's caring behavior in earlier years, I didn't find his over-all behavior such that he seemed to me to be the one to make Terri's life decisions. Would I want to live "like that"? No. Would I want my parents to make my decisions? Yes.
This issue is still timely and will be for the foreseeable future. Take a look at this case in the U.K. in which doctors sued for the right to not treat an infant whose parents want treatment...

Doctors win...?

Health-care advances have opened a pandora's box of bio-ethical problems. In this case, though, I'm more alarmed than baffled. Perhaps the parents need to let go. Perhaps the doctors are right. But when doctors are sueing to withhold requested treatment, the problem seems to be first and foremost one of physician failure to understand the hyppocratic oath. Is it worse that they won?

after midnight

I've been researching blogs for a presentation on the personal essay...Interesting links I've run into so far:

1. http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html early definition of blogs/blogging

"In early 1999 Brigitte Eaton compiled a list of every weblog she knew about and created the Eatonweb Portal. Brig evaluated all submissions by a simple criterion: that the site consist of dated entries. Webloggers debated what was and what was not a weblog, but since the Eatonweb Portal was the most complete listing of weblogs available, Brig's inclusive definition prevailed."

2. http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/javascript/2002/06/13/megnut.html

This article works to define “blog.” Of note:

“Blog posts are short, informal, sometimes controversial, and sometimes deeply personal, no matter what topic they approach. They can be characterized by their conversational tone and unlike a more formal essay or speech, a blog post is often an opening to a discussion, rather than a full-fledged argument already arrived at.“
(Of note because I'm comparing blogs to personal essays...underlined because I thought this part was particularly pertinent to something that seemed important at the time, and I can't get rid of the underlining with my very limited html. I suppose I could re-paste it into this post, but it's 12:14, and I've been on my way to bed for an hour.)

3. Edward Cone: A Personal Look at Blogging Tue, May 28, 2002; by Dave Winer.

http://davenet.scripting.com/2002/05/28/edwardConeAPersonalLookAtBlogging

“This is part of blogging’s true power, the democratization of the distribution of information. Goldberg says that bloggers can only feed off the work of the mainstream press, but bloggers will lead, drive, and shape the news coverage of the major media, too. (")

“And blogging provides a forum for stuff I don’t have room for elsewhere-ephemera, short items, personal notes, my pet theory that the Dwarves are Tolkien’s Jews-as well as a testing ground for work in progress."

All very interesting in it's way (ugh- the underlining is now inescapable!)...

Why I've been avoiding blogs...

I'm a perfectionist, and I take myself too seriously.

As a result, I graduated from college with a 4.0, the pursuit of which kept me too busy to blog or do anything else, and I have an annoying desire to edit anything I write. I have too many interests and would be a news junkie if I could be. I over-analyze myself, those around me and obscure ideas.

In short, I knew before I dared so much as to read a blog that I would become enmeshed in what I now know as the blogosphere. I don't have time for this, and besides, the word itself is awkward, possibly because it rhymes with "slog."

I am responsible to a fault and perhaps a bit paranoid.

I cannot write a letter to the editor of my local newspaper because I may have cause to regret having done so, either through some carelessness of my own or the misinterpretation I know that whatever words escape me will be subject to.

I can also be quite indecisive.

In the end, though, I have arrived at The Foggy Bank and moved in, more or less, with one coffee pot, three tea pots and 16 kinds of tea.

April 9 2005

Beeeeeeeeeep...