Jason over at Antioch Road offers a book review of Fighting for Dear Life: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo and What It Means for All of Us. It has been a while since I have thought about this. Jason is an Iowa attorney who had some insightful thoughts about the Schiavo case. He and Brian had some great debates in the comments about Terri Schiavo. I chimed in a few times. I still feel (though not as strongly as I did then) that these pro-life issues have a tendancy to redivert attention from saving preborn babies. What do you think?
Schiavo Redux
Jason over at Antioch Road offers a book review of Fighting for Dear Life: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo and What It Means for All of Us. It has been a while since I have thought about this. Jason is an Iowa attorney who had some insightful thoughts about the Schiavo case. He and Brian had some great debates in the comments about Terri Schiavo. I chimed in a few times. I still feel (though not as strongly as I did then) that these pro-life issues have a tendancy to redivert attention from saving preborn babies. What do you think?
4 comments:
I love to get comments and usually respond. So come back to see my reply. You can click here to see my comment policy.
This was a difficult issue especially because I watched someone close to be slip away because of ALS. Her new husband unable to cope and generally being a jerk tried several ways to make it go faster. I know when it was close to ending her life on earth I prayed to make it end soon to stop her suffering. The thing is that her children wanted more time. I remember sitting with a friend in the hospital as her sister was losing the battle with her illness she said she felt selfish in asking for one more day because that meant a day of pain and suffering. When my aunt made the decision to let my uncle go we all felt it was the right one, non the less it’s hard. I don’t think it selfish and I didn’t feel it selfish when the doctors told me that mom on life support wouldn’t really be with me. I still wanted to hold her hand but she was gone. That’s not selfish it’s human. I don’t know that we will really know Terry’s true story each side gave us a different picture. I do know that she has given us a lot to think about. I’m sure that some have benefitted from her. She’s in a happy and peaceful place now.
ReplyDeleteInstead, I think that they give credence to the anti-abortion effort. Life is life is life, from conception to natural death.
ReplyDeleteA person is both always and never a "clump of cells." Our natural life is given to us not by the Constitution, to be interpreted away in murder, but by our Creator (see that same Constitution).
The "seamless garment" equating ending abortion to ending poverty is easily made into a teeter-totter with the weight given to the loudest cries. But the "natural life" argument that we are souled individuals from conception to natural death should not be turned into separate islands of consideration. Life is life is life.
On the "plus side" the Schiavo case and the abortion controversy has done an awful lot to unite Christians of different stripes and fosters fellowship among us.
About Therese' comment ...
ReplyDelete"On the "plus side" the Schiavo case and the abortion controversy has done an awful lot to unite Christians of different stripes and fosters fellowship among us."
... maybe a common cause is what it takes for unity ... my guess is that many of those who unite around pro-life issues would also unite around other spiritual issues ... when they get a chance :)
Unite around spiritual issues? Maybe not (I just read those five hallmarks of the Emergent Church below and I was a little verklempt - NONE of those are on MY list of church). But I hope for more understanding, more openness to talking about faith and worship, and therefore less ill-informed. If we could get those misconceptions knocked down and were left with sincere disagreement, it would be a lot happier around the Christian world.
ReplyDelete(And Milly, thank you for giving that witness. You had to think about these things, pray over them, let people you love go, weep with those who weep. I know you must have benefited from the suffering of your heart and the growth of your intellect.)