Ruth Institute Blog

It has been five years since the death of Terri Schiavo, and the misinformation still persists.  The Orange County Register ran an article by Jane Glenn Haas, titled “Take a Moment to Decide about Death”, which used the occasion to remind people to discuss their end-of-life wishes with their families, and prepare appropriate legal documents to carry out those wishes.

So far, so good.  Many of us put off making decisions about what medical treatments we want to have or avoid.  A timely reminder is welcome.

But this is how Ms. Haas described the historical event that prompted her article:

“Five years after the protracted legal fight over keeping Terri Schiavo alive with a breathing tube — she died March 31, 2005 after her heart stopped and family members argued in court about whether or not she would die — experts specializing in end-of-life directives say only 20 to 30 percent of Americans have filled out the forms.”

How many errors can fit into half a sentence?

–Terri had a feeding tube, not a breathing tube.

–Family members were not in court arguing over her prognosis (“whether or not she would die”); they were arguing over whether or not she would be killed.

–She didn’t die “after her heart stopped” (which makes it sound like natural causes); she died after two weeks of starvation and dehydration.

It’s hard to tell whether this is a deliberate, agenda-driven rewriting of history; or whether the author truly believes that that is what actually happened (based on the news reports of that time).  However, we who remember what really happened must keep telling the world the facts, and defending Terri’s memory and dignity.