With what shift and pains we come into the World we remember not; but 'tis commonly found no easy matter to get out of it.
Thomas Browne (1605 - 1682), physician and writer
It appears that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay could be one of the most hypocritical and low life politicians American has seen since Boss Tweed. DeLay was among the first in Congress to push for sticking its nose into the Terri Schiavo case because of its right to life issues.
DeLay was among the strongest advocates of keeping Schiavo, who doctors say has been in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years, connected to her feeding tube. DeLay denounced Schiavo's husband, as well as judges, for committing what he calls "an act of barbarism" in removing the tube.
Yet, according the Los Angeles Times story in Sunday’s newspaper, when it came time to pull the plug on his father, DeLay had no issues about the right to life. But then DeLay was not trying to distract attention away from his alleged illegal lapses of taking gifts and accepting contributions.
DeLay’s father and Schiavo were and are severely brain-damaged patients. Both were incapable of surviving without medical assistance. Both were said to have expressed a desire to be spared from being kept alive by artificial means. And neither of them had a living will. Still, DeLay ended his father’s life without government intervention, but denied Schiavo’s husband the same right.
We can only hope that further investigations of DeLay continue and quickly find him guilty forcing him out of the House – the country will be better served.
1 comment:
A distinction can be made between the disconnection of artificial life suppot and removal of a feeding tube -- in the first case, the body can not sustain its own support functions, and needs breathing/circulation/etc. assistance. In the latter, the body supports itself but requires food to maintain functions (as do I, right now).
Not to be contrary for the sake of being so, but the two states are not equal. Not being hooked up to a machine that keeps your lungs working is different than not being fed. That said, the decision should lie in the hands of Mrs. Schiavo's husband, and not the state.
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