Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

By the time I finish writing this, my opinion could be obsolete because one woman in Jeb Bush’s Florida might have already died. That woman, Terri Schiavo, has been the focal point of news bulletins and legal briefs as various parties argue about whether to remove her feeding tube, the very thing that has kept the severely brain damaged woman alive for fifteen years.

There probably isn’t a person in the entire country who doesn’t know the story, since it is now chronicled daily – no, hourly — by television, radio, and print media. And there probably isn’t a person who doesn’t have an opinion about it. Here is mine.

I am saddened that two families with opposite points of view regarding Terri’s future have become the flashpaper for a political brushfire. This morning I heard a talking head specifically blame the Democrats and their pro-abortion position for the Schiavo case. I’ve also read that it isn’t the Dems, but the Republican evangelicals who want the President to be more pro-active about the right to life. How sad that we cannot step back and leave the families involved to resolve their situation without turning it into a cause.

I went on line to research the thorny issue of keeping someone in a “vegetative” state alive via mechanical means. Several ethicists presented divergent opinions as they struggled to arrive at some universal standard. One thing I learned was that the Pope has said feeding tubes are within the bounds of “normal” care. Although many other learned theologians disagree, Terri’s parents include that statement in their argument for keeping her alive. At the same time, there seems to be medical agreement that, short of a bona fide miracle, she will ever recover.

Some say that if Terri had signed a living will, none of this would have occurred. I don’t agree. Someone would have challenged the document, since the real issue has moved beyond Terri Schiavo to how we treat both ends of the bell curve of life. Somewhere in the discussion, respect for opposing beliefs also sank into a coma.

As for me, my living will is firmly in place and it clearly does not include feeding tubes. I’m stating this publicly so there will be no misunderstanding should the time come to implement it. Hopefully my last hours will not include media intrusion or political debate either.