The Sacramento Bee
Monday, August 28, 2006

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Life is a Right

Re “Schiavo case left GOP in an odd spot,” commentary, Aug. 19: Stanley Crouch’s anti-life bias screams out in his column. He criticizes “government” for getting involved in the Terri Schiavo case and wants to get it “off our backs.” Unfortunately he forgets, or perhaps never learned, that government consists of three branches – intended to balance each other. The government already had its claws in Terri when the judicial branch overstepped its 1/3 share of power by expunging the premier inalienable right – life – from law. Life is a right. Death is an inevitability.

Crouch called Terri “a vegetable.” Semantics have historically been used to dehumanize abused classes of society. No magic exists which can change a human into a vegetable. Regardless of state, stage or condition, human can only be human.

Another error – Terri was not on “life support.” A simple tube to access the stomach is not life support as people with throat cancer can tell you.

Regarding, the powerful using “whatever acceptable means” to push agendas, well “acceptable” is getting broader and broader as almost nothing is deemed “unacceptable” when it comes to promoting a culture of death.

Jennifer M. Le, RN, MHA, Sacramento
Executive director, California Nurses for Ethical Standards

Relighting the Lamp