Terri Schiavo - A Tragedy Compounded

Abstract

The ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo, a woman who was in a persistent vegetative state after suffering cardiac arrest and who became the center of a national debate on euthanasia, are examined. When family members could not agree on whether Schiavo should be kept alive, the courts decided that her feeding tube could be removed, resulting in her death 13 days after the tube had been removed. It is hoped in future instances that the patient's voice as expressed through family members and close friends will dictate decisions of this nature, rather than placing them in the hands of legislators and judges.