Terry Schiavo

Terry Schiavo

Introduction

The ethical framework for this case includes the issues of the sanctity of life, discrimination towards the disabled community, and the moral character of the people with the power to make decisions. Many consider this case to be a struggle between the sanctity of life versus quality of life. In the case of Schiavo, the main political question that arises is that who will decide about what is right and wrong in front of the public eye? The answer for such a question is the morality of an individual.However, the answer would be different for a conservative which would be true morality that is disclosed, dictated and discovered by those who are much appropriate in the upper authority (Klugman, 2006). Therefore, the law must conserve and bear the rights to act according to one personal morality. That said, living wills and durable powers of attorney are the blatant driving forces of autonomy, yet by removing the issues of autonomy and liberty from the equation, it is the courts that are left to make decisions in the best interest of the individual according to their own values, even if they no longer have the ability to communicate for themselves (Perry, Churchill, & Kirshner, 2005).

Discussion

Removing Ms. Shiavo's artificial nutrition and hydration resulted in an ethical dilemma. There was much concern over the potential cascading effect that would result if people who are disabled may be perceived to have a poor quality of life and felt disregarded. While there is no general policy for what should be done to and for people living in a persistent vegetative state, the notion of liberty ought to be stressed as the fundamental issue involved, that all individuals will be able to choose for themselves and that their living wills, if in existence, will ...