Despite Terri’s parents’ claims otherwise, the autopsy results supported Michael Schiavo’s statements that Terri had been in a persistent vegetative state, meaning she was unable to respond to her environment whatsoever. Not only was she completely blind, Terri had been unable to feel and think. The videos, meanwhile, which had allegedly showed Terri’s ability to interact with other people, move, smile, and laugh were proven misleading, being only automatic responses and not evidences of consciousness on Terri’s part.
The autopsy also showed that Terri’s brain had been severely atrophied, weighing less than half of what it should have weighed, and in accordance with Michael Schiavo’s claims, Terri’s condition was completely irreversible.
After Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed in March 2005, Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had wanted Terri to be fed by mouth, but after the autopsy, doctors said that this would not have been possible. Dr. Thogmartin said Terri easily might have even choked to death if they would have tried to feed her by mouth.
The Schindlers had also claimed that Terri’s collapse in 1990 might have resulted from Michael Schiavo abusing or poisoning Terri, though Michael insisted he had not done anything of that sort. Here he was proved correct too, as the autopsy revealed Terri had not been abused or poisoned. The autopsy also did not give any evidence to the widely suspected theory that Terri’s collapse had been caused by an eating disorder, leaving the reason for Terri Schiavo’s collapse fifteen years ago a mystery.
Previously, in spite of numerous court decisions otherwise and multiple doctors’ opinions, the Schindlers insisted on arguing that their daughter was not in a persistent vegetative state and that with treatment, Terri could recover. For some reason, the news media focused on this story and decided to side with the parents, flying in the face of facts contrary to the parents’ claims. Thus, with news everywhere blaring incorrect statements about Terri’s medical condition, it was hard not to believe them. Only now, when the results of the autopsy have been published, and the news media has been proved incorrect, as they always were, can people settle down and believe the original facts, the facts which this autopsy have revealed and soundly proven.
OK, a couple of things.
First of all, you denounce the news media for “focusing” on this story, and for “deciding to side with parents,” and for “blaring incorrect statements about Terri’s medical condition.”
Unless by “news media” you are referring specifically to political, religions and social commentators on tv shows, this statement is unfounded and inaccurate. Throughout this whole ordeal, the media was, if anything, pro-Michael Schiavo. (This pro-Michael bias has become especially evident since the autopsy was released). I’m not sure why you’re criticizing them for “focusing” on a story like this—after all, this is a newsworthy story that evokes a lot of emotion. Considering the media ignored this story for the first, oh, I don’t know, 10 or so years, I don’t think we should be criticizing them for “focusing” on this story when it is coming to a conclusion.
“The Schindlers had also claimed that Terri’s collapse in 1990 might have resulted from Michael Schiavo abusing or poisoning Terri, though Michael insisted he had not done anything of that sort. Here he was proved correct too, as the autopsy revealed Terri had not been abused or poisoned.”
If you read the autopsy, you would find on page four of the summary that “Autopsy examination of her neck structures 15 years after her initial collapse did not detect any signs of remote trauma, but, with such a delay, the exam was unlikely to show any residual neck findings.”
And again: “Without the orginal bone scan and radiographs from that period, no other conclusions can [be] reasonably made.”
I think it’s very interesting that there was no evidence of an eating disorder being the cause of her collapse, SINCE THE EATING DISORDER IS SOMETHING MICHAEL HAS STRESSED AND THE MEDIA HAS TRUMPETED AS BEING A CAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE.
“Despite Terri’s parents’ claims otherwise, the autopsy results supported Michael Schiavo’s statements that Terri had been in a persistent vegetative state”
This is not necessarily true either, but more on this later.
The last paragraph of the medical examiner’s report states that I”t is the policy of this office that no case is ever closed and that all determinations are to be reconsidered upon receipt of credible, new information. In addition to fading memories, the 15-year survival of Mrs. Schiavo after her collapse resulted in the creation of a voluminous number of documents many of which were lost or discarded over the years. Receipt of additional information that clarifies outstanding issues may or shall cause an amendment of her cause and manner of death.”
In other words, the medical examiner has pledged to keep an open mind . . this is something that a lot of people have refused to do and still refuse to do.
“The autopsy also showed that Terri’s brain had been severely atrophied, weighing less than half of what it should have weighed, and in accordance with Michael Schiavo’s claims, Terri’s condition was completely irreversible.”
http://pullonsupermanscape.typepad.com/pull_on_supermans_cape/2005/06/terri_schindler.html
In the future I would also like to address (unless other people beat me to it!) the idea that Terri was blind this whole time, the part about swallowing, and other related issues and topics. I guess this is probably enough for now though.
For once, I agree with Derek. Personally, I find it suspicious that Michael Schiavo had a “common-law wife” while his real wife was in this condition. There were also reports that he denied her medical treatment of any kind.
Hey, see my post about this: http://theaccount.blogspot.com/2005/06/one-evangelical-many-bickering.html.
Go Derek!
Just a few thoughts:
1. Doctors are not God.
2. God can make a person in a vegetative state whole again.
3. Mrs. Schiavo’s reduced brain size may have been from dehydration.
Pro Christo et Libertate
Derek,
By the news media “focusing” on this story, I simply meant that the Schiavo story carried the headlines for several weeks; I did not denounce the news media for this—just said “For some reason, they focused”— , and I agree that it “is a newsworthy story that evokes a lot of emotion.”
Perhaps you got a different impression, Derek, but as I read through many of the news articles several months ago and even when I went back just now to re-read them, I felt a lot of the articles were siding with the parents.
You said you would post more on this later…?
Elizabeth,
“1. Doctors are not God.”
No, doctors are NOT God. I totally agree.
“2. God can make a person in a vegetative state whole again.”
Well, Elizabeth, God can do anything. God can make a dead person alive again.
“3. Mrs. Schiavo’s reduced brain size may have been from dehydration.”
Well, no, actually this isn’t true. For one, brains cannot reduce to half the size from dehydration. But, also, Mrs. Schiavo’s brain was half the size of a normal brain, before the feeding tube was removed. This was shown in a CT scan taken of her brain in 2002.
Theresa, my local newspaper was definitely not siding with the parents. And I live in a very religious and Republican area.
The autopsy does not prove a thing. For instance, do you know who the doctors relied upon for information regarding Terri at the time of her ‘accident’? You guessed it! Michael Schiavo’s men. If they hadn’t taken his information, then they wouldn’t have had enough information to make a conclusion.
Sorry for taking so long to respond. I did say I would post more later, but I was sorta hoping/assuming that the discussion would have taken off more than it did. Considering the amount of discussion that took place before this was published I would have thought more Virtue writers would have posted thoughts here.
But anyway, I digress.
I would like to hear your thoughts on why it took Michael Schiavo an hour to call for help after his wife collapsed. I haven’t heard anything about it lately, but I did read something a week or two ago about how Gov. Bush is going to push for an investigation.
Theresa, do you know where to find this alleged CAT scan?
Michael, here is a link to an article that discusses and shows Terri Schiavo’s CT scan:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7328639/