Terri Schiavo Case

Recent cases have drawn attention to the issue of individual autonomy, and what is sometimes referred to as ‘the right to die’. Adult patients who are mentally competent have the right to refuse medical treatment even when that refusal can lead to worsening ill health and even death. This refusal of treatment may only be ignored when statutory law provides for treatment without consent, or a judge makes an order that overrides the patient’s consent. While this is largely accepted when patients are physically and mentally competent, it becomes a complex issue when a person is mentally competent, but due to physical incapacity are in care because they are unable to care for themselves. A person may be mentally competent but due to being a quadriplegic
How can it be that medicine, ethics, law, and family could work so poorly together in meeting the needs of this woman who was left in a persistent vegetative state after having a cardiac arrest? Ms. Schiavo had been sustained by artificial hydration and nutrition through a feeding tube for 15 years, and her husband, Michael Schiavo, was locked in a very public legal struggle with her parents and siblings about whether such treatment should be continued or stopped. Distortion by interest groups, media hyperbole, and manipulative use of videotape characterized this case and demonstrate what can happen when a patient becomes more a precedent-setting symbol than a unique human being (Quill, 2005). At the time of Terri’s heart attack, she did not have a living will or power of attorney. The question is, should Terri’s husband (Michael Schiavo) have the right to remove her feeding tubes? Michael stated that Terri told him before her heart attack that she would not want to be kept alive by artificial means. On that basis, since 1998, he repeatedly asks a local circuit court to order the removal of a tube that had been surgically implanted in her stomach to provide hydration, nutrition, and medication. On the other hand, Terri’s parents and siblings (who believed that she still have some cognitive function and at least limited potential for improved quality of life) repeatedly blocked Michael’s requested by various legal
Therefore, one function of caregiver is to prevent and, if possible, end suffering. Hence, to achieve such a goal, actions involving assisted suicide and euthanasia would be permissible (Corr, 2013). Not to many of us, especially those who are younger, have a will or power of attorney. Living wills and advance directives are important components of patients’ medical records, which all too often do not indicate the appropriate palliative care measures the patient desires. A review of the current literature indicates that approximately 85% to 95% of the population does not have adequate advance directives or palliative care measures written in their medical record. Furthermore, these orders may not follow the patient when he or she is transferred to other facilities for intermittent care. Unwanted tracheal intubations can be both costly to the facility and distressing to the patient and family members. By instituting a change in policy, organizations can ensure that patients’ wishes for end-of-life care are met appropriately (Alfonso, 2009). It is very important to meet the needs of the patient as well as the family. However it can be troubling when the patient and family’s do not