Update on Terri Schiavo
(10-22-2003)

Praise be to God for rescuing Terri Schiavo from the hands of those who think her life is no longer valuable! Six days without nutrition may have added to her trials, but perhaps God will spare Terri from additional long-term consequences so that she can begin the work of rehabilitation to whatever degree he sees fit.

Shame on the husband, the lawyers, the judges, the hospice workers, and the law enforcement officers who conspired together in this matter. It has highlighted the sad state of affairs in our country. How often are individuals starved or drugged to death without widespread media attention?

I already disliked labels. Now I dislike them even more. The label "persistent vegetative state" (PVS) was introduced in 1972 by two doctors. Like all diagnoses, it is an attempt to describe conveniently a particular set of symptoms. Some diagnoses are highly subjective, however. Doctors may have great knowledge, but they do not and cannot know everything. God can still work in mysterious ways to accomplish his purposes, with or without the intervention of doctors. In this case, a convenient label nearly led to Terri's death, because a judge, not a doctor, said she should die. (I'm not saying that doctors should authorize death, either.)

On Monday I spoke to an officer at the Pinellas County (Florida) Sheriff Department. I couldn't understand why the local law enforcement was not willing to protect a woman being starved to death. His main argument, and that of many others, was that "the courts have decided." Who made the courts king? Is the judicial branch the most important? If a judge makes a bad decision, is that still the final word? The courts have said that Americans can kill their babies in the womb. Is this decision right? Can an unjust law or legal decision be enforced justly?

According to the information publically available, Terri Schiavo has been treated worse than a condemned criminal because her adulterous husband doesn't want her in his life anymore. He has squandered the money set aside for her care and tried for years to let her die. He has proved that he is not willing to give Terri what she needs.

I pray that God would let Terri's family seek proper care for her. I pray that she would recover. Regardless of the outcome, our trust must be in God and our allegiance must be to him. We cannot trust in princes or doctors or judges.