The results of the Terri Schiavo autopsy have been made public, and the manner of death has been ruled as “undetermined”. The ruling came from Dr. Jon Thogmartin, the doctor who performed the autopsy.
“Manner of death” is not the same as “cause of death”, which officially is listed as “complications of anoxic encephalopathy”. Dr. Thogmartin put it into layman’s terms when he said, “She died of dehydration”. That of course was self evident – what isn’t, is the manner – thewhy that would explain her collapse over fifteen years ago.
Another thing that is clear is that Michael Schaivo, and his attorney, George Felos, are using the autopsy as a means of justifying the fact that they successfully killed Terri. Felos has been selecting the parts of the report that tend to back up their actions, while conveniently ignoring that which does not. For example, Terri’s brain size - the report indicates that Terri’s brain weighed only about half of a normal sized brain. An expert in pathology was brought in by Thogmartin, who concluded that nothing in the report was inconsistent with a diagnosis of a “persistent vegetative state”, the legal terminology used by Felos during the numerous legal proceedings leading up to Terri’s death. Still, the doctor, Stephen Nelson, also said that conclusion “is a clinical diagnosis, it's not a pathologic diagnosis that has precision associated with it”.
Perhaps Terri was in a PVS, perhaps not. That really isn’t the point here. What to me seems relevant are two things – one is that nothing in the report supports the contention of Michael Schaivo’s lawyer that Terri’s original collapse was the result of an eating disorder. Michael Schaivo won an award of $2 million from a successful medical malpractice suit that alleged she suffered from a heart attack due to a low potassium level caused by undiagnosed bulimia. Dr. Thogmartin could not confirm this with any degree of certainty, summing it up by saying, “since I don't know the circumstances or can't tell, actually, what the underlying cause is, the manner of death has to be ‘undetermined’”. Does that mean that Michael Schaivo, as some have suggested, had a hand in causing his wife’s original collapse? No, but it can’t be ruled out – so I suppose one could say that is also “undetermined”.
The second point, and actually, the more important one, is that regardless of whether or not Terri was in a PVS, is the fact that there was no good reason to end her life. Terri’s parents wanted – in fact, pleaded repeatedly with Michael Schaivo to allow them to assume guardianship of their daughter. Why was Mikey so adamantly opposed? He had since fathered two children with a girlfriend, so it hardly seems like he should have felt any compelling need to do otherwise. He kept babbling about some supposed statement made by Terri one night years ago about not wanting to end up “like Karen Ann Quinlan”, while the two were viewing a television program about Ms. Quinlan’s tragic case. Nothing was ever written down, nor expressed to Terri’s family that she would wish to have her life ended, especially by means of dehydration. I would certainly hope that nothing I ever said verbally, while watching an emotionally wracked TV program, would be used years later as justification for some judge to effectively kill me. But that, is exactly what happened to Terri Schaivo.
Dehydration is a particularly cruel manner of death. Even the worst serial killers on death row could not be put to death legally using such a method – it would violate the principle of “cruel and unusual punishment”. Yet, it was done to an innocent human being, who regardless of her brain size, was still a human being. Also, Terri was evidently in good health otherwise, as she survived being deprived of water (and food) for thirteen days – longer than many in full control of their faculties could endure. That is also all the evidence I need to know that, at least at some level, Terri Schaivo very much wanted to live. Terri kept hanging on, waiting for someone to come to their senses and allow her food and water. No one ever did, of course – the judicial deck of cards was stacked against Terri from day one. When an innocent being is killed, especially when tenaciously clinging to life as was Terri, it is murder, no matter how some may wish to dress it up and call it something else.
I hear that Michael Schaivo already has a major book deal in the works. I have no plans of reading anything he has to say about how much he loved Terri and that this was what she wanted. The very thought makes me nauseous enough to go in search of some motion sickness bags. Nauseating as well is the thought of Mikey once again taking advantage of the system to line his pockets. Yes, it seems unjust that such things happen. Nonetheless, ultimate justice will someday prevail. Mikey had better spend his money now while he can – he won’t be able to take it with him come judgment day.
Sources: Autopsy Report
Copyright© 6/19/2005 Chip McLean and CHCH News.
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