Ends of Eras
Illness of one kind or another seems to be in the headlines these days. On one hand, you have the Pope, who has been in and out of the hospital for some time now, and the latest is that he's had a tracheotomy. Personally, I think he's in the process of dying, but top Vatican officials are putting a lid on it. Anyone who's been following the Pope's health lately knows he's been on the decline for quite some time.
While I don't wish death on anyone, I am looking forward to the election that will take place once he's gone. He's been one of the longest occupants of the Holy See; the third-longest reigning Pope, if I remember right. Last summer, we went to San Diego for a brief vacation. Part of it was to see an old friend, and part of it was to see an exhibit in Balboa Park on Vatican treasures. It contained artwork and material about the Vatican that has never been on display in the States before, and included some items that have never been on display, period. It was interesting and illuminating in some cases. There was a mockup of Michaelangelo's scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel, and an explanation of how he painted his famous frescoes. There were diagrams, maps, blueprints, and all sorts of material on the building and expansion of the Vatican. But some of the most interesting items and the best text explained how the Pope is selected, the materials used during the secret balloting, and the regalia and ceremonial props used during the entire ritual. I remember the last time a Pope was chosen, after Paul VI died. I watched on TV the shots of the Vatican, with the white and black smoke coming out. All too soon, the cardinals repeated the process over again, as John Paul I died under what are still somewhat mysterious circumstances. That was in 1978, so it's been a while. I expect to be watching the smoke ascending from the chimneys in the Vatican fairly soon.
Another tracheotomy was recently performed on Chief Justice Rehnquist. Here, I'm not as enthused at the possibility of change. The Rehnquist court was one that for the most part tilted to the right, and threatens to tilt even further rightward. In most cases, I've disagreed with Rehnquist's stances, and even more sharply with Scumlia and Uncle Clarence. The possibility that either of these two stooges might become Chief Justice very soon is frightening. Yet, looking at the makeup of the court, I suspect if Junior nominates from the current Court, his choice will probably be Kennedy. He'll never nominate Stevens or Ginsberg. O'Connor has already made her own noises about leaving soon. Scalia and Thomas would be way too controversial. Souter and Breyer are too moderate, too nuanced for the Right. Add to that the fact that most members of the court are either pushing 70 or way over it. Kennedy leans right in enough decisions, usually flies under the radar compared with Scalia, is smarter than Thomas, and is still reasonably young enough (68 at this writing) that he'd stay on as Chief Justice for a while. Right now the consensus is that Rehnquist will retire at the end of this term, if not before. He could surprise everyone and stay as long as he's able, but given the seriousness of his illness, his age, and the fact that without him, there's a danger of 4-4 decisions that would provide no clear-cut decision in cases, I think June will be the latest. That means at some point this year, we're going to see a Supreme Court nomination or two. I am disappointed with the Democrats, but if they can hold on long enough to grow something of a spine, it's going to get contentious before the dust settles.
On a somewhat more personal level, it looks like the beginning of the end is finally arriving in the Schiavo case. This poor woman in Florida has been essentially a vegetable for the last fifteen years, and her case has been in and out of the courts, and shamefully politicized in 2003 with the so-called "Terri's Law" passed by Jeb and his legislative henchmen. While the passing of a papal reign is noteworthy, and a change in the Court is always historic (and this time, threatens to influence legal decisions for a generation or two-- bye, bye abortion, consumer rights, and a host of other things...), this case I think touched a lot of people. It certainly gave me pause. I'm in my mid-30s. Still quite young, thank you, but I've known people who have died in their late 30s and early 40s, and as time passes, more and more people I know will shuffle off this mortal coil. What decisions or plans have we made for our final days and moments? This particular case makes me realize I should probably make some kind of legal notation regarding how I want to be treated. On one hand, I really don't want to leave this life, not before I absolutely have to. But on the other hand, there's the "quality of life" factor. At what point do I see myself saying, it's not worth it? More importantly, at what point do the *people* around me decide that it's not worth it? That's what poor Terri Schiavo is suffering right now-- she can't indicate what she'd like, so she's left with her husband and her parents battling it out.
I think it's difficult on both sides. From what little I know, it doesn't sound like her husband was a great guy during their conscious period of their marriage, but he has obviously been changed by the experience. He's since become a nurse, in large part because of his experience with Terri. As her legal spouse, technically he has the right to make the final decisions.
Conversely, you have the understandably distraught parents, who gave birth to this woman, raised her, and of course, don't want to let go. But at what point does the situation become about you and not about your daughter? I think that bar was passed quite some time ago.
All I know is that I would not want to be in either of their shoes. I think it's unfair that the husband has been slammed; from what the news reports say, all allegations of abuse are unfounded. The fact that he now has a girlfriend and children is debatable, but he shouldn't be punished for it. Some people can and will deprive themselves of everything that comes with a marriage, in order to stay faithful in all ways to their vows. Some people can handle that, or are willing to make the sacrifices to do that. Most people can't and won't, and this guy is one of them. For all intents and purposes, Terri is being kept alive on a machine. Why should he give up his life as well? One life has already been destroyed; why effectively end two?
But I also feel for the parents. No parent should ever outlive their child. That's not how the natural order is supposed to work, and I'm sure at some primal level, that is their real intent: to make sure the natural order isn't perverted. But when court-appointed doctors all agree that nothing is going to change, when they agree the cortex is gone, that there has been no new development since this case erupted in 2003, then maybe it's time to make your peace and let go.
It certainly doesn't help that the religious right has gone gangbusters with this issue. But I think that what they're doing is repugnant. They are essentially forcing their beliefs about the end of life on us, just as they do their beliefs about the beginning. While these fanatics might be okay with being hooked up to a machine for the remainder of their lives, that's not necessarily the choice others would make. It boils down to an *individual* decision. That's a decision *I* want to make, or that I want my *family* to make, NOT a bunch of Bible-thumpers, thank you.
The positive benefit and legacy that Terri Schiavo will leave behind is forcing people to at least consider the issue and face their mortality. I know when this case first appeared in the news back in 2003, it prompted a discussion between me and my wife about what we wanted. While we have yet to formally put our feelings and decisions onto paper, at least we have communicated our thoughts and opinions on this matter. Hopefully it will be some time before we again need to seriously talk about this, but at least we have a sense of what each of us wants.
We all have choices to make in this world. For some of us, working as long as we are able, like John Paul II and Chief Justice Rehnquist, is what works for us. Some will undergo treatments and therapies such as tracheotomies. Some, like Christopher Reeve, will make peace with the abbreviated quality of life that is left to us. Still others cannot accept this, and instead make the final, irreversible choices that are left. Yet for every person that can consciously make the last declarations of their lives and give those decisions meaning, there are others that are unable to do so. That I think is where the real struggle is: how do we dignify a person's last days? For Terri Schiavo it boils down to either life in a long-term care facility, or euthanasia by starvation. I think what both sides in this sad struggle need to realize is that there are no right choices, and no wrong ones left. There is simply the question of dignity and closure.
In order to best achieve that, they need to stop the circus, end the politicization, quit using and abusing the courts, and start accepting that the Terri they knew is no longer here. For their sakes, I hope that the parents and the husband can achieve a measure of peace with which to steel themselves for what comes next.
While I don't wish death on anyone, I am looking forward to the election that will take place once he's gone. He's been one of the longest occupants of the Holy See; the third-longest reigning Pope, if I remember right. Last summer, we went to San Diego for a brief vacation. Part of it was to see an old friend, and part of it was to see an exhibit in Balboa Park on Vatican treasures. It contained artwork and material about the Vatican that has never been on display in the States before, and included some items that have never been on display, period. It was interesting and illuminating in some cases. There was a mockup of Michaelangelo's scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel, and an explanation of how he painted his famous frescoes. There were diagrams, maps, blueprints, and all sorts of material on the building and expansion of the Vatican. But some of the most interesting items and the best text explained how the Pope is selected, the materials used during the secret balloting, and the regalia and ceremonial props used during the entire ritual. I remember the last time a Pope was chosen, after Paul VI died. I watched on TV the shots of the Vatican, with the white and black smoke coming out. All too soon, the cardinals repeated the process over again, as John Paul I died under what are still somewhat mysterious circumstances. That was in 1978, so it's been a while. I expect to be watching the smoke ascending from the chimneys in the Vatican fairly soon.
Another tracheotomy was recently performed on Chief Justice Rehnquist. Here, I'm not as enthused at the possibility of change. The Rehnquist court was one that for the most part tilted to the right, and threatens to tilt even further rightward. In most cases, I've disagreed with Rehnquist's stances, and even more sharply with Scumlia and Uncle Clarence. The possibility that either of these two stooges might become Chief Justice very soon is frightening. Yet, looking at the makeup of the court, I suspect if Junior nominates from the current Court, his choice will probably be Kennedy. He'll never nominate Stevens or Ginsberg. O'Connor has already made her own noises about leaving soon. Scalia and Thomas would be way too controversial. Souter and Breyer are too moderate, too nuanced for the Right. Add to that the fact that most members of the court are either pushing 70 or way over it. Kennedy leans right in enough decisions, usually flies under the radar compared with Scalia, is smarter than Thomas, and is still reasonably young enough (68 at this writing) that he'd stay on as Chief Justice for a while. Right now the consensus is that Rehnquist will retire at the end of this term, if not before. He could surprise everyone and stay as long as he's able, but given the seriousness of his illness, his age, and the fact that without him, there's a danger of 4-4 decisions that would provide no clear-cut decision in cases, I think June will be the latest. That means at some point this year, we're going to see a Supreme Court nomination or two. I am disappointed with the Democrats, but if they can hold on long enough to grow something of a spine, it's going to get contentious before the dust settles.
On a somewhat more personal level, it looks like the beginning of the end is finally arriving in the Schiavo case. This poor woman in Florida has been essentially a vegetable for the last fifteen years, and her case has been in and out of the courts, and shamefully politicized in 2003 with the so-called "Terri's Law" passed by Jeb and his legislative henchmen. While the passing of a papal reign is noteworthy, and a change in the Court is always historic (and this time, threatens to influence legal decisions for a generation or two-- bye, bye abortion, consumer rights, and a host of other things...), this case I think touched a lot of people. It certainly gave me pause. I'm in my mid-30s. Still quite young, thank you, but I've known people who have died in their late 30s and early 40s, and as time passes, more and more people I know will shuffle off this mortal coil. What decisions or plans have we made for our final days and moments? This particular case makes me realize I should probably make some kind of legal notation regarding how I want to be treated. On one hand, I really don't want to leave this life, not before I absolutely have to. But on the other hand, there's the "quality of life" factor. At what point do I see myself saying, it's not worth it? More importantly, at what point do the *people* around me decide that it's not worth it? That's what poor Terri Schiavo is suffering right now-- she can't indicate what she'd like, so she's left with her husband and her parents battling it out.
I think it's difficult on both sides. From what little I know, it doesn't sound like her husband was a great guy during their conscious period of their marriage, but he has obviously been changed by the experience. He's since become a nurse, in large part because of his experience with Terri. As her legal spouse, technically he has the right to make the final decisions.
Conversely, you have the understandably distraught parents, who gave birth to this woman, raised her, and of course, don't want to let go. But at what point does the situation become about you and not about your daughter? I think that bar was passed quite some time ago.
All I know is that I would not want to be in either of their shoes. I think it's unfair that the husband has been slammed; from what the news reports say, all allegations of abuse are unfounded. The fact that he now has a girlfriend and children is debatable, but he shouldn't be punished for it. Some people can and will deprive themselves of everything that comes with a marriage, in order to stay faithful in all ways to their vows. Some people can handle that, or are willing to make the sacrifices to do that. Most people can't and won't, and this guy is one of them. For all intents and purposes, Terri is being kept alive on a machine. Why should he give up his life as well? One life has already been destroyed; why effectively end two?
But I also feel for the parents. No parent should ever outlive their child. That's not how the natural order is supposed to work, and I'm sure at some primal level, that is their real intent: to make sure the natural order isn't perverted. But when court-appointed doctors all agree that nothing is going to change, when they agree the cortex is gone, that there has been no new development since this case erupted in 2003, then maybe it's time to make your peace and let go.
It certainly doesn't help that the religious right has gone gangbusters with this issue. But I think that what they're doing is repugnant. They are essentially forcing their beliefs about the end of life on us, just as they do their beliefs about the beginning. While these fanatics might be okay with being hooked up to a machine for the remainder of their lives, that's not necessarily the choice others would make. It boils down to an *individual* decision. That's a decision *I* want to make, or that I want my *family* to make, NOT a bunch of Bible-thumpers, thank you.
The positive benefit and legacy that Terri Schiavo will leave behind is forcing people to at least consider the issue and face their mortality. I know when this case first appeared in the news back in 2003, it prompted a discussion between me and my wife about what we wanted. While we have yet to formally put our feelings and decisions onto paper, at least we have communicated our thoughts and opinions on this matter. Hopefully it will be some time before we again need to seriously talk about this, but at least we have a sense of what each of us wants.
We all have choices to make in this world. For some of us, working as long as we are able, like John Paul II and Chief Justice Rehnquist, is what works for us. Some will undergo treatments and therapies such as tracheotomies. Some, like Christopher Reeve, will make peace with the abbreviated quality of life that is left to us. Still others cannot accept this, and instead make the final, irreversible choices that are left. Yet for every person that can consciously make the last declarations of their lives and give those decisions meaning, there are others that are unable to do so. That I think is where the real struggle is: how do we dignify a person's last days? For Terri Schiavo it boils down to either life in a long-term care facility, or euthanasia by starvation. I think what both sides in this sad struggle need to realize is that there are no right choices, and no wrong ones left. There is simply the question of dignity and closure.
In order to best achieve that, they need to stop the circus, end the politicization, quit using and abusing the courts, and start accepting that the Terri they knew is no longer here. For their sakes, I hope that the parents and the husband can achieve a measure of peace with which to steel themselves for what comes next.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 7:33 PM
<< Home