COLUMN: Congress Schiavo decision made based on what matters
Life on a feeding tube certainly wouldn’t be the most pleasant. In fact, 78 percent of Americans say they would rather die first before living like that. Personally, I count myself among the 78 percent. Yet, when such a tragedy does occur, a family will go through no greater struggle than to actually remove the support and watch a loved one pass away.
Such is the case of Terri Schiavo.
For those watching the case, things seem to change by the minute. Just this past Friday, the vegetated woman’s feeding tube was removed according to a ruling by a Florida court. Now Congress and the president have stepped in and moved the case to federal courts to be reheard. Meanwhile, Terri continues without food or water.
Such difficult decisions are best left to the family, not government. But this time, they were in disagreement. Terri’s husband and legal guardian, Michael, is adamant about her wishes to end her life rather than being sustained artificially. Yet her family disagrees. They believe she shows signs of coherence despite significant brain loss and the dependency upon a feeding tube.
Despite that, the court sided with Michael and the feeding tube was removed. So, with the Supreme Court refusing to hear the case and nowhere else to turn, Congress has stepped in. The House and the Senate called an emergency session over the weekend to push the case into a federal court, an unprecedented move.
Many are irate that Congress would overstep its bounds and interfere. And frankly, they have a point. Checks and balances are the whole essence of our government. By overriding a court’s decision, you essentially take away their check on you and the whole system becomes imbalanced.
Others have criticized Congress and the president for taking time away from more important affairs to hear about the Terri Schiavo case. There are social security reforms to be made, budgets to be balanced and democracy to be spread.
But amidst all the talk of programs, sometimes we can lose sight of the people.
I am enthralled that Congress would pass such a bill, and not because I side with her parents on the matter. The reason why I’m so gung-ho about Congress’s move is because it shows we care. While the world spins around and around, sometimes we lose track of what really matters, the individual.
But not this time.
Terri Schiavo holds no great personal wealth ready to be doled out in the next election. She isn’t the close relative of some important world leader. She’s just Terri Schiavo. Yet, the most powerful political body in the world took a weekend to pass a bill just for her.
Many in today’s world characterize democracy simplistically as a “rule of the majority.” But it is much more than that. In addition it requires a protection of the minority. Any organization, country, university or otherwise will ultimately fail if its focus is on anything but the individual. In essence, by returning to Washington, D.C., early from vacations for the Terri Schiavo emergency session, Congress is showing they care about people not just programs.
I’ve only been to Washington, D.C., once before. I’ve walked around the chambers of Congress, passed the White House and seen the memorials dedicated to greats like Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. But the place I stayed the longest and remember the most was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here as a country we pay our respect to someone just like you and me. His name and rank are not mentioned, yet we honor his sacrifice and most importantly, the good that just one insignificant person can do.
And it is in that spirit I believe, Congress decided to give Terri Schiavo one last chance.
Such a waste, some would argue. There are bigger and more important things out there that deserve our attention, not just some incapacitated young woman.
But isn’t that the point?
Jon Cox is a junior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to jcox@cc.usu.edu.