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The Terri Schiavo case has stirred a public debate on world ethics. People around the globe are faced with the similar agonizing decisions that the loved ones of Terri Schiavo faced. Making life-and-death choices on behalf of a person you love and would give everything to keep alive is difficult, tough and emotionally straining.
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One thing about this case that has sparked my interest is the fact that this dilemma, which has shaken the walls of the Judiciary in wealthy nations, is no more than an incomprehensible concern for those in the third world.
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In countries like India and ours for that matter, life care that would cost millions is tantamount to “killing” the patient’s family. Hundreds (or even thousands) of ailing people here die due to the lack of medical services. There are even reports of high suicide rates among HIV patients in Africa on a suspicion that these patients fear that they will become a burden to their families.
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One thing about this case that has sparked my interest is the fact that this dilemma, which has shaken the walls of the Judiciary in wealthy nations, is no more than an incomprehensible concern for those in the third world.
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In countries like India and ours for that matter, life care that would cost millions is tantamount to “killing” the patient’s family. Hundreds (or even thousands) of ailing people here die due to the lack of medical services. There are even reports of high suicide rates among HIV patients in Africa on a suspicion that these patients fear that they will become a burden to their families.
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Imagine Terri Schiavo on a feeding system for 15 years, then imagine children of poorer countries dying of malnutrition. It’s a paradox that causes one to ponder on the great disparity between the lives of those in different regions in the world. While people in the West are debating on the “right to die,” those in impoverished countries are begging just for the right to live, to eat, to be just kept alive.
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This brings us to a confrontation of our own fundamental questions about life itself. Whether it be as technologically advanced as a debate on feeding tubes or as plain and simple as nutrition and world hunger, all this leads to one result---people are challenged to consider the meaning, purpose and the source of life.
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This brings us to a confrontation of our own fundamental questions about life itself. Whether it be as technologically advanced as a debate on feeding tubes or as plain and simple as nutrition and world hunger, all this leads to one result---people are challenged to consider the meaning, purpose and the source of life.
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