Do Individuals Have a 'Right to Die'? ....

and if so, who gets to make that decision if the individual is incapacitated?

Those are the questions that have been argued and fought by the husband and parents of Terri Schiavo during the last eight years. Mrs. Schiavo suffered heart failure at the age of 26 and has been in a vegetative state since then. She did not have a living will, but her husband has fought to have her feeding tube removed to fulfill what he says would have been her wishes. Mrs. Schiavo's parents have been on the other side of the fight, saying that their daughter responds to them during their visits with her and they believe she can recover someday.

The courts in Florida have sided with Mr. Schiavo in nearly every situation, but the Florida legislature has passed at least two special pieces of legislation allowing Gov. Jeb Bush to order Mrs. Schiavo be kept alive against her husband's wishes. This legislation was declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals related to this case on at least two occasions.

Now this week, the Republican U.S. Senate and House attempted several manuevers to prevent the removal of Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube in what became a largely politically motivated activity and one which the Democrats were unwilling to challenge. At what point does the incapacitated person's closest relative have the ability to make the decision to let the loved one die in peace? It could be argued that Mrs. Schiavo might not have survived this long if some doctor had not made the initial decision to place her on life support after her heart failure. Should not a person's life first be guaranteed dignity and respect? The political and media circus that has surrounded Mrs. Schiavo's life for the last eight years certainly cannot be misunderstood as dignity and respect.

I think we all should say a prayer for Mrs. Schiavo and her family that the turmoil they have gone through come to an appropriate end with peace and understanding on both sides. Let the woman find her rest. 'Not our will, but God's be done.'