Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Seems Elisabeth Kubler Ross was right on target with her stages of dying. Except that they are a better fit for those left alive and healthy, struggling with their loss.
My sister died of unknown causes more than a year ago at age 30, leaving behind a 4-year-old daughter, a husband and a motley crew of cats. The call came as I was on my way back to Arizona to start my sophomore year. The full force of all five of Ross' stages hit at once, in a catastrophic eruption of emotion and anger. I know what it is like to cope with the death of a loved one, to wonder where her life went and why, to struggle with closure. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain associated with watching someone struggle through 13 years on the brink of death.
Terri Schiavo was 26 when a chemical imbalance triggered by an eating disorder caused a heart attack that left her in a persistent vegetative state for the last 13 years of her life. Five years ago, her husband, Michael Schiavo, petitioned the state to remove her feeding tube and let her die. On Oct. 10, a federal judge in Florida finally cleared the way for the tube to be removed. Six days after the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush passed a bit of emergency legislation known as 35E, Terri's Bill, allowing him to issue an executive order to replace the feeding tube.
A disgusting display of executive power and disregard for the judicial branch under ordinary circumstances, Bush's actions have used a vegetative and possibly dying woman to make a political statement. Death, once an anguishing journey for friends and family, is now a tool for promoting political ideology.
Schiavo's case is no doubt difficult, with swirling allegations of mistreatment and insulations of greed concerning a potential $1.9 million settlement. Then there are the parents, who claim their daughter still responds to her favorite music and to her family.
There is no correct answer. There is no easy answer. For Terri's parents, accepting death is not an option when there is still hope for her life. But what real chance does she have at life - a real life - and not one confined to a chair and attached to tubes? For whom is she being kept alive? No parent can bear the torture of outliving his or her child. I saw my mother when my sister died: Her empty eyes and stretched voice have not returned to normal yet - and probably never will. Neither Terri's parents nor spouse are in the wrong. Though I respect the decision to let her die, I understand how extremely difficult such an action would be for her parents.
The actions of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, however, are inexcusable. He does not know Terri Schiavo. He would not experience the gouging pain of her death. He has no personal investment in her life.
What he has is an opportunity to turn a lengthy and agonizing family battle into a poignant political testimonial. Right-to-lifers will toast his benevolence. But at what cost?
Bush has ignored the decisions of the court and exercised a gross, unconstitutional display of authority. He has meddled in a personal affair, turned a life into a statement. Moreover, he is usurping judicial authority for no greater reason than to push his own agenda.
Schiavo's parents have the right to fight for her life. Her husband has the right to fight for her death. Jeb Bush has no right to do either.
Regardless of whether or not the feeding tube should be replaced, regardless of whether or not Schiavo has a chance at life, Bush cannot be allowed to disregard the court because he disagrees with its decision or because its decision runs counter to his platform.
What he has done is horrifying, its implications for the future tremendous.
Are future right-to-life battles to be fought in the exclusive arena of politicians instead of in the open forum of law courts? Is the judicial branch to be stripped of its authority because a high-ranking politician feels it chose wrongly? Is it acceptable for a politician to use a real person to gain ground on a controversial issue?
Absolutely not.
What Bush did was appalling. Politicians have no place dealing with death.
Katie Kelberlau is a religious studies and history junior. Reach her at katie.kelberlau@asu.edu.
