We all die a little when Terri Schiavo dies

WorldNetDaily: The whole Terri Schiavo story:
"Major media organizations paint the pitched battle over the life of Terri Schiavo as a clear- cut debate between pro-life and right-to-die advocates, bankrolled by big money activist organizations on both sides. But the case of the 41-year-old brain-injured Florida woman is anything but clear cut."

Follow this link to an excellent recitation of the long sad saga of Terri Schiavo as presented in a copyright story by WorldNetDaily.com. I must admit I only read half of it as it was just too painful to continue. I've written about this before and I don't have the heart to go into it again now when the end is so near, but I wanted to preserve the link to this important history. Perhaps we can return to this in future.

For now, let me share one of the reasons this story strikes me so strongly. The son of a very dear friend of mine, just a little older than Terri I think, suffered hydrocephaly as a young child. As a result, he cannot speak. He can vocalize and and make gestures which the family manage to interpret. He can walk haltingly and, although he lacks sufficient dexterity to feed himself or otherwise attend to his personal care, he has learned how to operate a tractor and can use one to cut grass and plow snow - activities which bring him obvious joy. I once had to try to keep him occupied for about half an hour in a real estate development office while his father was on the phone. The office overlooked a small harbor and there was a model of the proposed development on a table and maps and aerial photos on the walls. I started asking him to point out the window to things I pointed to on maps or photos or the model and he was immensely happy to study the view from the windows and point out the same features outside. That afternoon helped me to understand that just because a man cannot speak plainly doesn't mean his brain isn't there. For the sake of that man and many others like him, the Schiavo case troubles me very deeply.