Can we know what Terri Schiavo would have wanted?
What would Terri Schiavo have wanted? That remains an unanswered question for many who followed the media frenzy that attended the extraordinary court and legislative battles that preceded her death 13 days after her feeding tube was removed for the last time. What would she have directed her physicians to do if she had "miraculously" regained capacity and awareness of the consequences of her cardiac arrest that left her in a persistent vegetative state? Who would she have wanted to make that decision for her if she were unable to do so? How are we to understand the meaning of statements that she purportedly made about life-sustaining treatments approximately 20 years ago, and how can we apply them to the current situation? This article reflects on those questions from the perspective of two small exploratory studies. These studies considered the meanings and interpretation of statements by terminally ill patients concerning desire for hastened death and the relevance of previously made statements to their current clinical situation.
Schwarz
Judith
J
Compassion and Choices of New York, 450 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10023, USA. judithschwarz@earthlink.net
Coyle
Nessa
N
D016223:Advance Directives; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D005431:Florida; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000266:history / Q000628:therapy; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics* / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence