Shoot the dog

With all the hand-wringing over "due process" for Terry Schiavo, and the sudden, stunning obsession by Leftists with "states' rights", I can't help but feel particularly thirsty today. All I seem to think about is a cool glass of water. I wonder if Terry is feeling something similar.

Sure, she has the right to die. So did my dog Spooky some years ago, but we could not stand to see him suffer so we took him to the vet and had him put down. Of course, we can't do that to Terry, because that would be murder. When you take a lethal action against a person, with the intent they die, that is murder. Injecting Terry Schiavo with a lethal dose of sedative would be murder.

So, instead we cut off all food and water... with the specific intent that she die.

I'm not sure how much difference the technique employed makes when we consider murder charges against someone. I think a knife, gun, garrotte or club would all be about equal as murder weapons.

But to starve someone to death? I think that qualifies as torture.

We hear the Left talk on about how merciful it is to "pull the plug". A laudable sentiment in a hopeless case where someone is being kept alive through extraordinary measures. We have all seen television movies where a patient is unconscious, on a respirator. The "plug" is pulled, and they die quietly and quickly. Peacefully.

But Terry is not being kept alive by anything other than food, water and ordinary nursing care. No plug to pull.

Imagine the outcry, had I simply left poor Spooky to die of thirst and starvation. We would describe such behaviour is "inhumane". But in Terry's case, she is not even entitled to food and water. Not even a few chips of ice to alleviate suffering. Not only is she not entitled to extraordinary means to keep her alive, but we take extraordinary measures to specifically deny her even basic sustenance. Why not just shove a pillow over her face and deny her air as well?

Extraordinary, indeed.