Michael Schiavo

I read this just after reading 'A life that matters', because I was interested in contrasting the story as told from the side of Terri's parents and the story as told by Terri's husband.

I don't read a lot of non fiction, and thought they might be a bit of a slog, but the books - particularly read as a pair - were very gripping and hard to put down.

It's a heartbreakingly sad story. There's a young couple, she collapses one night and ends up in a persistent vegitative state, her husband eventually wants to remove her feeding tube, and her parents fight against this with all they have. It has lots of shadows where the truth will never quite be known - was she bullemic? Was he abusive? How much was it about Terri's life, and how much was it about the million dollar settlement awarded to her for medical malpractise? Did she ever really say she wouldn't want to be left like that? What was her medical condition, when carefully edited videos showed her following things with her eyes and smiling? And it's petrifying for watching how quickly things turn toxic between the warring sides of the family.

[Unexpectedly turned out to be a sort-of-polyamory book as well - he falls in love again while Terri is still alive in PVS, and refers to his new partner as his 'fiance' and has kids with her, while still married to Terri and claiming publically to love Terri.]

You don't often get to see things from both sides, and these books - carefully checked and groomed as I'm sure they are - manage that in a fascinating way.… (plus d'informations)

Collapsing one night at home for no apparent reason Terri is rushed to the emergency room only to be left with a half life never to recover. This is her story told from her husband's perspective. It is his belief, after conversations with his wife whom stated that she would never want to be hooked up to a machine, that it is time to end her life. And so begins the fight of 'pulling the plug' on the person he thought he was to grow old with who is now in a vegetative state.

What a touchy subject. Book gave me a lesson that without a living will you really are at the mercy of those that are left living.

I thought Terri's husband was courageous in his efforts to keep fighting for his wife's rights even though it was putting him through hell. I previewed another book on Terri this one is more from the other side of the story, mainly her parents who are fighting to keep her hooked up. Until I read it, the jury's out on which side I believe. I can say that this book was filled with a lot of convincing documents and such that if a person wanted to they could check into to verify sooo, I'll read the other one then decide. It's gonna take a very strong book to sway me though as Terri's husband did an excellent job laying the facts out.… (plus d'informations)

I found this a very convincing and well-done book. Although Schiavo is telling the book in the first person, he has kept it well focused on the issue of Terri Schiavo's case. I was somewhat surprised, for example, that he didn't tell us more about his studies and efforts to enter medical fields, but on the whole, I think that's best. The book is written almost as if Schiavo is talking directly to the reader. It is extremely clear; he often notes if he thinks the succeeding section is particularly important, or ask the reader to remember a point that he will come back to, without talking down.

I still plan to read other books on the case, but honestly, I will be surprised if they change my mind. The book is extremely well-documented, with quotes from depositions, affidavits, and trial transcripts to back up his claims.

Michael Schiavo occasionally gets a bit venomous and sarcastic, but I can only sympathize after vicious slander and libel that he has endured, not to mention the disgraceful political circus.

I often wondered during the case why Michael Schiavo wouldn't turn care of his wife over to her parents. I say this not because I think it would have kept her alive, but because I think she was effectively dead already. I never criticized him for it, never having been in such an emotionally fraught situation. After reading this, I feel that I understand and sympathize with his reasons.

There are a few things I might have done differently if I had been dealing with the situation, but this doesn't convince me that Michael Schiavo was dishonest or ill-intended. The Schindlers certainly got more than their fair share of days in court, publicity, and government oversight. In the glare of all the publicity, I find it difficult to believe that Terri Schiavo was simply a bed-ridden, perhaps slightly brain-damaged woman who was otherwise alert and aware.

I trust that those who claim that they have attacked Michael Schiavo because of their concern for protecting women from abusive husbands are active supporters of battered women's shelters.

The book includes numerous websites for further information about various aspects of medical and legal issues. Unfortunately, there is no index, which I find quite frustrating when I want to go back and check something.

August 24, 2006

I have now read the Schindlers' book, A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo -- A Lesson for Us All, which came out at approximately the same time as this. It is interesting to see how the two books use the same witness, Cindi Shook, pp. 105-113 of the Schindlers' book and pp. 179-189 of Schiavo's. One might think that there were two different women.

The Schindlers argue that Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). With all the oversight that the case received, they simply don't convince me of this argument. Michael Schiavo would have to have organized and sustained a large cabal of amoral doctors and judges, beginning before the case became famous and he became a poster-child for right-to-die issues, and continuing through a glare of publicity. Even assuming that they had no morals or professional ethics, Schiavo wasn't a politically powerful man, and the malpractice settlement simply wasn't that large, considering the expenses.

I do wish this tragic case could have been worked out with less rancor.… (plus d'informations)