[extropy-chat] Thoughts on Schiavo

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

Quoting Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com>:

 I said her responsiveness is no
> less than Stephen Hawking. I assumed, perhaps, that your reading
> comprehension was higher.
>
> Terri's ability to move is perhaps even greater than Hawking, because
> at least she can grunt and groan words roughly.
>
> Now, I have to ask: are you saying that Stephen Hawking with ALS has
> more right to live only because he can articulate due to many years of
> technological assistance, but Terri does not because she suffered under
> her husbands neglect?

### Stephen Hawking has loss of two neural populations: the upper and the lower
motor neurons, which defines ALS. Schiavo has loss of the majority of cortical
neurons in the frontal cortex, as well as parts of the parietal and temporal
cortex, verified by SPECT.

Her responsiveness is as a result of this fact much less than the responsiveness
of Stephen Hawking - she does not track visually, does not recognize objects,
does not have reactive EEG, does not have intelligible vocal output, which is
in agreement with the SPECT.

Stephen Hawking can think, but not move, because only his motor neurons are
damaged, while all the other parts of the cortex are more or less intact.
Schiavo can move but not think because her motor neurons are intact, while most
of the rest of the cortex is destroyed.

The reason why Schiavo cannot think is not neglect (in fact, her survival for so
long is proof of excellent care), but the fact that she killed her brain by
inducing cardiac arrest in the course of an eating disorder. There are no
interventions (physical therapy, occupational therapy or whatever) or gizmos
proven to significantly improve recovery from prolonged global ischemia (the
DBS studies are iffy).

Of course, Stephen Hawking has the right to live, despite being immobile,
because he is still a human person. Schiavo is not a person anymore, and
therefore no right to life exists.

--------------------------
>
> BTW: corrections to others' statements: Terri does not have to live on
> the public dime, her parents have offered to take her home and care for
> her at their own expense. Nor is she living on the public dime now, she
> is living on a $1.3 million court award, which her husband wants the
> remainder of, which is why he is on record saying "When is that bitch
> gonna die?"

### How much is left? The yearly cost of PVS patient support is about 150 000 $.
The court award is gone, or will be very soon.

Rafal