The Cellar - View Single Post - Autopsy Report: Schiavo Did Not Starve To Death

plthijinx · 06-16-2005, 11:48 AM

from the Houston Chronicle

June 15, 2005, 8:10PM

What we knew but would not believe before autopsy
Neglected facts created turmoil over Schiavo case
By HAROLD Y. VANDERPOOL

The long, divisive controversy over the Terri Schiavo story did not have to happen.

Much of the side-taking, distrust and hostility could have been avoided had TV news channels, talk-show hosts, protesters and self-serving politicians sought out accurate information before they rushed out to inflame public opinion.

That information is summarized in the just-released results of Schiavo's autopsy. Her brain was profoundly and irreversibly damaged. She was blind. The damage made it impossible for her to respond to others in whatever ways we take to be personal. Consciousness was gone, but via medical technology her body was being kept alive. The autopsy affirms that no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss.

Sadly and tragically, Schiavo's autopsy report confirms facts that were readily available prior to her death.

A few hours of searching the Internet and other information sources would uncover the following: The videos and pictures endlessly shown on television were, in fact, 4 years old. Even more misleading, these videos depicted only a few seconds from several hours of video taping — the seconds when Schiavo appeared to be conscious, but, based upon previous information and present autopsy results, was not.

The most frequently shown of these videos gives the impression that Schiavo is smiling at her mother. Upon close viewing, her blank but open eyes were looking past her mother's face. In another short segment, her eyes appear to trace the path of a balloon. We were not informed that several other attempts to get her to trace the balloon on the same video proved unsuccessful.

To be candid, the American public was deceived day after day by pictures that credited Schiavo with consciousness and that were being shown as if they were recent and representative, when in fact they were outmoded and unrepresentative.

Furthermore, the 2002 CAT scan of Schiavo's brain evidenced gross abnormalities — large areas filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Her autopsy reveals that her brain was half the size of a normal brain.

Drawn from 11 days of evidentiary hearings, these facts were summarized by the Florida Circuit Court in October 2002. The court concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly supported the view that Schiavo remained in a persistent vegetative state, which is consistent with periods of wakefulness and smiling as a reflex.

Neglect of the moral duty to first of all inform the public about the facts insofar as they were known created a vacuum that became filled with divisiveness and political grandstanding:

• Outcries over the brutality of starving Schiavo to death.
• Diatribes against her husband and the courts.
• Hand-wringing about disrespect for the sacredness of life.
• Accusations that this case is a slippery slope toward a Nazi-like policy of killing persons with severe physical and mental disabilities.
The most widespread and persisting opposition to the courts' decisions fixated on the permissibility of removing Schiavo's feeding tube. Led to believe that she was partly conscious, numerous persons decried how she was inhumanely and painfully starved to death. The just-released autopsy shows that this deeply poignant concern rested on false assumptions.

Given the enormous turmoil over the Schiavo case and the fervent and entrenched side-taking it generated, many persons who already have their minds made up may well not let the truth get in the way of fervently held former conclusions. Hopefully, members of the media who contributed to the misperceptions and deep social rifts engendered by this case will renew their determination to report and respond to accurate information.

That could foster renewed discussions about end-of-life decisions that many of us and our family members will have to grapple with. Fortunately, 30 years of hard-fought court battles grant us rights to make a broad range of personal choices.

Vanderpool is the Dr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Painter Distinguished Professor in the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

06-16-2005, 11:48 AM	#19
plthijinx Master Dwellar Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 4,197	from the Houston Chronicle June 15, 2005, 8:10PM What we knew but would not believe before autopsy Neglected facts created turmoil over Schiavo case By HAROLD Y. VANDERPOOL The long, divisive controversy over the Terri Schiavo story did not have to happen. Much of the side-taking, distrust and hostility could have been avoided had TV news channels, talk-show hosts, protesters and self-serving politicians sought out accurate information before they rushed out to inflame public opinion. That information is summarized in the just-released results of Schiavo's autopsy. Her brain was profoundly and irreversibly damaged. She was blind. The damage made it impossible for her to respond to others in whatever ways we take to be personal. Consciousness was gone, but via medical technology her body was being kept alive. The autopsy affirms that no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss. Sadly and tragically, Schiavo's autopsy report confirms facts that were readily available prior to her death. A few hours of searching the Internet and other information sources would uncover the following: The videos and pictures endlessly shown on television were, in fact, 4 years old. Even more misleading, these videos depicted only a few seconds from several hours of video taping — the seconds when Schiavo appeared to be conscious, but, based upon previous information and present autopsy results, was not. The most frequently shown of these videos gives the impression that Schiavo is smiling at her mother. Upon close viewing, her blank but open eyes were looking past her mother's face. In another short segment, her eyes appear to trace the path of a balloon. We were not informed that several other attempts to get her to trace the balloon on the same video proved unsuccessful. To be candid, the American public was deceived day after day by pictures that credited Schiavo with consciousness and that were being shown as if they were recent and representative, when in fact they were outmoded and unrepresentative. Furthermore, the 2002 CAT scan of Schiavo's brain evidenced gross abnormalities — large areas filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Her autopsy reveals that her brain was half the size of a normal brain. Drawn from 11 days of evidentiary hearings, these facts were summarized by the Florida Circuit Court in October 2002. The court concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly supported the view that Schiavo remained in a persistent vegetative state, which is consistent with periods of wakefulness and smiling as a reflex. Neglect of the moral duty to first of all inform the public about the facts insofar as they were known created a vacuum that became filled with divisiveness and political grandstanding: • Outcries over the brutality of starving Schiavo to death. • Diatribes against her husband and the courts. • Hand-wringing about disrespect for the sacredness of life. • Accusations that this case is a slippery slope toward a Nazi-like policy of killing persons with severe physical and mental disabilities. The most widespread and persisting opposition to the courts' decisions fixated on the permissibility of removing Schiavo's feeding tube. Led to believe that she was partly conscious, numerous persons decried how she was inhumanely and painfully starved to death. The just-released autopsy shows that this deeply poignant concern rested on false assumptions. Given the enormous turmoil over the Schiavo case and the fervent and entrenched side-taking it generated, many persons who already have their minds made up may well not let the truth get in the way of fervently held former conclusions. Hopefully, members of the media who contributed to the misperceptions and deep social rifts engendered by this case will renew their determination to report and respond to accurate information. That could foster renewed discussions about end-of-life decisions that many of us and our family members will have to grapple with. Fortunately, 30 years of hard-fought court battles grant us rights to make a broad range of personal choices. Vanderpool is the Dr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Painter Distinguished Professor in the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. __________________ For your dreams to come true, you must first have a dream.