Ughh! Don't remind me!

 I don't think anyone can know whether or not Terri Schiavo would have preferred death to 'living' in a vegetative state.

I do know I'd want to be taken out as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Was a personal matter made public.  Under Florida Law, the Husband had the say.  The Parent's had 9 years to change the law in Florida.
In the end it was the decision of the Judge presiding over the case that ordered the feeding tube removed.

This was a very sad case, and in my opinion there was absolutely no reason to starve this woman to death. In the first place, she was breathing on her own with no aid of a ventilator. I can just picture this woman crying out from the very depths of her soul and no one to listen. Disability does not equal death. Her husband obviously lied when it came to his wedding vows. "In sickness and in health" means just what it says.

Poor woman.  A victim of rightwing ideology and the sick Christian notion that a life of agony, or dramatically reduced quality with no reprieve, is better than death.  Her parents didn't give a crap about her.  They just wanted the 15 minutes of fame afforded by her tragic condition.  People tried to make a demon out of her husband, which was pretty unfair, because he was on the right side of the issue, irrespective of whatever flaws he had as a person.  And what was especially pukey was all these GOP types wading in to make some political hay.  At least she was finally allowed to die with dignity, but, all these meddlesome creeps jumping on the bandwagon kept that option from her for too long.  Although it's quite sad that she passed, at least she was liberated from a life that wasn't a life at all.

I mourn that fact that she died, 10 years ago. I understood that her parents wanted to keep her alive, but she wasn't alive. She had irreversable brain damage. She had no soul when she died, because that part of her left 10 years ago. She WAS NOT responsive in any way at all. Her autopsy results came out today, PROVING that she was blind, and that she could not have EVER been able to make any decision. She did not think, or feel. Hopefully that should bring some comfort to her family, to know that she didn't feel herself physicaly dying. But i do believe that her husband is a jerk and he did just want insurance money.

Mourn....she's a lot better off right now. I could see people feeling bad for her the first 5 years, maybe 10. Just because it hit the media as a political circus and brought every knot out of the woodwork, I never knew anything about the woman, except for everything the media gave us. I'm happy she's not suffering anymore, but people die every day without having to go through that hell for 15 years.

I feel very sorry for her. Although she may be in peace now, it was the way she died and the fact that she didn't have to die. I am very angry at the cruel and inhumane way she died. It was all because her husband wanted her dead. As far as I'm concerned, he has pretty well committed murder. All of her family wanted her alive, so why did her husband and the courts fight for death? Even if it was here say about Terri uttering those words 'I want to live,' since I hold to the Scripture in James where it says 'Mercy triumphs over justice,' I would have allowed her to live if I were a judge. This whole next of Kin business is a lot of rubbish. How unfair that is, that the life of the wife is in the husbands hands. So that means if he wanted her dead and her family wanted her alive, but she was powerless to speak her mind, then he wins. How unfair is that? It should he a case where both the family and the husband have equal next of kin. If there is a life and death situation, her whole family and her husband have to vote. The only way someone can die is if EVERYONE who has the next of kin comes to the same decision. But if there were 3 people, 2 wanted her dead but one wanted her alive, and then she lives. The law should be based on mercy and compassion, not this fairy tale thing. It sounds so sweet and lovey dovey to put our lives into our partners hands. But in reality, it doesn't always work that way and Terri is the example. I really hope they change the laws. Although I agree with most of everyone's comments and some of them have shown us that we don't always know what is really going on, I am not very keen on her husband because if I were her husband, for a start, I wouldn't want her to die and even if she wished it, I would not only take her family into consideration, but if there was ANY sign of life or the fact that she would want to change her mind about wanting to die (like Terri did), I would be the first person to put the feeding tubes back in. I would love my wife too much. But just the fact that her husband was the one even suggesting that it couldn't be proved that she did, sounds like he had a sinister death wish. If he initially cared for her, it seems illogical for him to suddenly stop caring and to be the one to make the decision for her death. Plus he was acting guilty on the cameras. He didn't want to say much and he was illusive. He knew that he would get hack because of this. If I were guiltless, I would want to tell everyone my side of things and how I earnestly cared for her, not run away. It was a pointless death. The American courts were more concerned about the welfare of the Alkaidi terrorists then Terri because they thought it was caul to even deprive the terrorists of sleep and food for a few days just to get questions answered. But they happily did it to a defenceless, sweet woman. Where is the justice in that? UPDATE: To clear my own conscience, because we shouldn't judge one another, I will give Michael Schiavo some credit. Although I still maintain my views, God loves him and wants him to give his life to Jesus. No matter what you've done, God will forgive you IF you repent of your sins and give your life to Jesus. This isn't written to have a preaching session, but I don't want any condemnation of any sort to fall on Michael because of my thoughts. He is in God's hands.

At least Terri Schiavo's finally at peace, even though she really was no longer with us. Frankly, this entire situation turned into a spectacle with actors that had no place in what was completely a personal family matter. The media coverage of this tragedy in particular was disgraceful. As I've always said, sensationalism is the name of the game. In this case, they gave a voice to fanatics who allowed them to make wild and ultimately unsubstantiated allegations about Michael Schiavo and the Florida judges deciding this case. The media truly has sunk to a new low with their disregard for truth, only to be replaced by the trivial and sensational. One untruth, constantly repeated, was that Terri's wish to be kept alive was based on hearsay, which was untrue. Legally hearsay refers to information received from secondhand sources; person 1 said that person 2 told him what person 3 had said. That's not admissible in US courts. In this case, 3 people testified to what Terri told them after the funeral of an elderly relative. The opposition could not produce any evidence to prove otherwise, hence why the state and federal courts constantly upheld this decision time and time again. Michael Schiavo and Terri's parents did not have a falling out over Terris fate, but over money. A malpractice suit resulted in a monetary reward in excess of $700,000, which was put in a trust fund devoted to Terri's medical expenses. In addition Michael got $300,000 for his losses under the law. The parents wanted Michael to split the cash but refused to, and with this came the disagreement. Before that, Michael and the parents worked closely trying to rehabilitate Terri. Michael Schiavo had been told from the beginning that Terri's case was hopeless, but for many years he actually refused to believe it. He insisted that she receive the best of care, and nursing home officials have testified that he indeed sought the best care for his wife, even to the point that he was referred to as a nursing home managers worst nightmare. A man who didn't care about the well-being of his wife would not have gone to such excessive lengths. When he accepted the truth, he went to court, only to have the parents oppose him. Truth be told, if this family dispute had not been seized upon by large organizations with political agendas that essentially used this poor woman as a marketing and fundraising tool, none of us would have heard about this case. You don't hear about it, but everyday families have to make similar decisions like this one. Sometimes the parties don't agree. In those cases, a judge decides the question at hand. That was done and based on solid testimony, the Florida courts decided that indeed her condition was hopeless and her wishes were not to be kept alive by artificial means. There was no doubt on either of these points, despite what people with no interest or knowledge of this case have attempted to insinuate. It was shameful, and indeed, unlawful, for Jeb Bush, the FL legislature, the US Congress and President Bush to get involved in what was completely a private family matter. The courts, all the way to the Supreme Court, correctly realized this. The bottom line is that the human essence is defined by intellect; the body exists as the vehicle which carries the brain and to obey its orders. When the brain ceases to function, the body may still continue to work, but that essence which is required for living leaves. Terri Schiavo left us a long time ago. One thing is for certain, we ought to be encouraged that the rule of law was preserved, even against slanted and sensational media coverage, politicians looking for political advantage, and the mob mentality afflicting some here.

She has been virtually dead for a long time. Once your cerebral cortex is gone, You have no chance of recovery.

This was one of the only news stories I've really followed closly, and I was amazingly saddened by her condition. THen, I heard of her death last night, and although it was heartbreaking, I realize that she is probably much happy now. Her case was very touching, and I'm sure she'll be remembered for a long time. My condolences go out to the family of Terri. I'll keep them in my prayers.

Its kind of hard to mourn for Terri as to all intensive purposes she had been dead for a long time. To trap a soul in a body that can no longer function well enough to communicate, eat or do any thing for its self with out artificial means is probably one of the cruelest things one being can do to another. Leaving the feeding tube in was playing God and denying Terri her final rest. Should we mourn for this tormented soul, yes, but would we should also be glad that her spirit is free

I am not here to take sides of who is right with the families. I just hope she can rest in peace. I doubt if Terri would have ever wanted her life to be so public.

No longer trapped between two worlds or a pawn in a bizarre game of chess. There is a better place and I believe she's finally there.

Pretty crappy way to die, as the main attraction in a grisley three ring circus.

People starve to death every day--without hospital beds and pain medication. I mourned her death, but it's seriously nothing special compared to what other people around the world go through. I just wish they had ended it in a way that was more humane. Either way, it should have been ended a long time ago. Too bad some people couldn't have let her die peacefully, with some dignity. Discard her life? WHAT life? Seriously, what kind of life was she living? How would you know what she was feeling in the hospital for those fifteen years? You can walk, talk and feed yourself. It's easy for you to say that we are discarding life. It saddens me that she had to spend fifteen years in a vegatative state instead of being able to die peacefully. Imagine yourself in her situation, in her hospital bed, without being able to do the daily things we take for granted. Now, imagine fifteen years. I would have wanted to pass on with some dignity long before now.

Very sad and a horrible death. My heart and prayers go out to her parents. I can not imagine losing a child especially having her killed through our justice system.

Yes I have mourned her. She's resting comfortably in God's hands. I'm sorry that she had to die the way she did. Starvation, no water. That's too much suffering. ... I just wished politics had nothing to do with it. If I had it my way, I would've called Dr. Kevorkian to end the suffering immediately.

She deserved a better way to pass on.

Well some people would aruge that Teri Schiavo has been dead for a long time, and that her body is just joining her spirit now. But I hope the ugliness of this situation ends quickly and that her family can make peace with everything. People need to learn a lesson from this that planning for death should be done early, so that people don't find themselves in her or her family's situation.

Well, if her death is able to keep even just one teenage girl from throwing up her dinner for the sake of fitting into that bikini- it would not have been in vein.

She died the way she wanted. She died of a terrible disease (bullemia) although it took 15 years and was dramatized by the right to life lunatics. RIP Terri.

She shouldn't have been a celebrity; she should have passed peacefully amongst her loved ones, but instead her loved ones bickered their way into the hysteria it has become. Though I am sure she is at last alleviated of any pain she may have been suffering, I still don't think starvation/dehydration is acceptable, for anyone. It's shameful how the goverment, the media and other groups used her cause for their own gain. But, it's over a decade too late for any truly right decisions to be made. The circumstances around her life/death were horrible, and it's still not over yet. They haven't even agreed on her burial yet.

I mourn the precedent set in this case. The fact that Americans in such high numbers so callously supported discarding life through such a brutal means is saddening. Essential to the divide magnified by this debate is the issue of freedom- how it is created and sustained. To many of those who argued in support of the feeding tube's removal freedom is essentially about individual rights. Positivism is therefore a form of extreme counter-majoritarianism that protects individual claims from the encroachments of government- even hearsay claims for death. Conceptually those who hold this solipsistic view see the world through their eyes outward- it's a simple empiricism. The arguement for them comes down to authority- to power. When it's pointed out that the procedure by which the authority is being executed could be flawed or the concept of exercising the authority in such a manner might be brutal, the discussion immediately falls to the notion of quality placed on life. In reality there should be no need as the license to the claim creates freedom but the brutality of certain acts changes the face of the discussion. The quality issue is purely subjective but illuminates the assumption of what human life is to those making the argument for death- the ability to fulfill earthly desires. Absent the ability to do so life ceases to have value and can subsequently be discarded. This is why you'll see the same people who argued in favor of death will also support abortion. Those who opposed the removal of nutrition argue that the sanctity of life is paramount to the foundation of our laws. That regardless of our ability to choose or make claims the essence of life exists as a gift from a Higher Authority; that our positive institutions should therefore reflect a respect for life absent our ability to lay claims to earthly wants. Now, life exists in a complex world of competing principles not in a vacuum, so yes there are times when extreme measures that prolong infinite suffering for instance should not be taken. But these discussions are complex and need to be deliberated at nauseum until we argee on the proper procedures to apply in various instances. This is done through the creation of our laws- in our elected legislatures and a pluralistic debate- not simplistically solved by the notion that any human claim should be met as that notion will erode upon the principle of power nothing more. We have actually assumed as much in numerous other instances regarding death penalty debates, retarded children and the care for the elderly. In this instance the attempts to apply our current procedures is brutally deficient. The precedent set by this standard opens the door for infanticide and execution of the elderly in cases where life can be categorized as lacking quality.

I will not mourn the death of her, but I will mourn because of the fact that she lived far too long.

Not a celebrity in the traditional sense. I feel for her family right now. In my opinion she didn't just die. She was killed. Rest in peace Terri, you deserve it and God Bless you.