Except that's not generally from stimuli. To respond to speech, touch, or whatever, you have to be able to process it on some level or another.

Um, please look at some of the links posted here. She CAN'T respond to stimuli.

I said she can't think properly. Obviously she can't since a large portion of her brain is GONE. Otherwise, I may agree with you.

And she can't eat, walk, speak, she can barely breathe, without assistance from a machine. I'm not saying 'put her down' because of these things, these are just things I'm saying to back up the claims that 1) she is not all there and 2) how would you feel if you were her?

If she is sentient, like Yecti said, think of what it must be like.

Skeptical, iidb.org, puts it very nicely.

There are only 2 possibilities in this case:

a) She is truly in a vegetative state as all the neuroscientists who have actually examined her have stated, i.e. she has no cognitive ability whatsoever, no hope of ever recovering and to keep her alive in such a state is the ultimate afront to human dignity. She is biologically human, but the same as if she had been born without a brain.

b) She has some minimum cognitive ability, albeit at an extremely reduced level for normally functioning human brain.

A few moments thought shows that in the first case, the moral thing to do is to allow her body to die, since effectively her brain died 15 years ago, and so did she.

A few more moments thought shows that the 2nd case is almost too horrible to imagine.

"What about the Schindlers' claims that Terri is conscious and responds to stimulation?

When the Second District first reviewed the trial court's decision that Terri would choose not to live under her present circumstances, the appellate court expressed no reservations when it explained that Terri was and "will always remain in an unconscious, reflexive state, totally dependent upon others…" In October, 2002, as a result of Terri's parents' claims that treatment options offered promise to restore some of Terri's cognitive functioning, the Second District ordered the trial court to hold a trial on that issue. The trial court did so, and in the course of that trial the parties litigated whether Terri is in a persistent vegetative state.

The trial court heard testimony from five experts: two selected by Michael, two selected by the Schindlers, and one independent expert selected by the trial court. The two experts selected by Michael and the independent expert agreed that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state and that her actions were limited to mere reflexes. The two experts chosen by the Schindlers disagreed, but the trial court found their positions not credible. For instance, the trial court explained:


At first blush, the video of Terry Schiavo appearing to smile and look lovingly at her mother seemed to represent cognition. This was also true for how she followed the Mickey Mouse balloon held by her father. The court has carefully viewed the videotapes as requested by counsel and does find that these actions were neither consistent nor reproducible. For instance, Terry Schiavo appeared to have the same look on her face when Dr. Cranford rubbed her neck. Dr. Greer testified she had a smile during his (non-videoed) examination. Also, Mr. Schindler tried several more times to have her eyes follow the Mickey Mouse balloon but without success. Also, she clearly does not consistently respond to her mother. The court finds that based on the credible evidence, cognitive function would manifest itself in a constant response to stimuli.
The experts also disagreed about whether any treatment could improve Terri's condition. The two experts selected by the Schindlers each proposed a potential therapy method, but the trial court rejected both of them based on "the total absence of supporting case studies or medical literature."

Affirming those decisions, the Second District explained that it, too, reviewed the videotapes of Terri in their entirety as well as Terri's brain scans. The appellate court explained that it not only affirmed the decision but that, were it to review the evidence and make its own decision, the court would reach the same result reached by the trial court."


From Abstract Appeal.

She doesn't respond in a cognitive manor to any outward stimuli.

The lights aren't even on, because everyone left long long ago.

^^ Agreed

The entire thing is sad though. I'm not really sure which side I support. Even though Terri doesnt seem to be cognizant, starving her to death is just sickening to me. Just pump her full of morphine.

Neither are babies. LETS KILL THEM TOO ROFLMAO!


I just had to point out how stupid that statement sounded..

Same goes for pets, the unemployed population (which is in the millions), everyone under 15, and everyone who's retired. Kill 'em all, eh Bill?

Rob already got his point across. That's not what he's saying and you know it.

wtf? Okay, minimod.

Mini modding includes calling other people minimods, Freelancer. :p

How was he mini-modding whatsoever? Are you drunk?

Wow. How long has it been since Terri's feeding tube was removed? 7 days?

Except she can't respond to speech, tough, or whatever. These so called "responses" are so throughly inconsistent that they indicate nothing but random coincidences. Eg: she smiles and laughs at a mickey mouse balloon, but after multiple attempts to get her to respond to it again, she doesn't.

8, today.

That's just sad.

..i laughed though

Ah. I do wonder if they are going to let her go all the way. The parents are getting desperate (court appeals and claiming their daughter can "talk to them"). I guess we have to see...

9, today.

9 days?! How long can it take to starve to death?

Upto two weeks.

So dhe has something like 5 or 6 days left.

Someone should install a countdown, like they did for the olsen twins

Well, Terri doesn't really do much all day. So, I'm guessing she doesn't need much energy.

It sickens me just because we're not talking about "pulling the plug," we're talking about starving a person to death.

We're talking about pulling a feeding tube, she's dying as if she had no assistance in the first place.

You can last about a month without food, and only a few days without water.

I saw on another website that they are doing a death pool for her, by the hours. Whoever wins gets free porn for a week.

Aaaand what kind of website might this be? :p

Am I automatically going to hell for laughing at that forum link with the photoshop contest?

A website designed about my car. The porno website though is something else.

See you there.

Good, now we can't hear you cry.


I'm old, give me social security.


Yeah, let's compare this to the NAZIS WHO MURDERED MILLIONS.


So Jeb won't bend the constitution over, so he's a Nazi?


Well no wonder why she is still alive, the Grim Reaper is stuck outside the gates with the rest of these idiots, sporting his black sunshades.




Protest? or Burning Man festival?




Does this kid even realize what's going on?

Tape her nose too.


Now she is Jesus?


Look at me! I want attention! And social security!


Is she a Vampire? Why is she freaking out with a cross on her?




This just supports that a woman should be seen, not heard (JOKING)

I'm old, give me social security.










You love her? Did you even know[/i] her?


So all I gotta do to get hot catholic chicks coming to me is this? Hmmm...

...Terri isn't the only one that needs to be 'euthanised'.

I shudder to think what those guys calling jeb a nazi for not breaking the constitution to save terri will do when terri dies. In fact, I shudder to think what any of those protesters that are still there (the ones that haven't come to the conclusion that prety much all legal options to get the feeding tube reinserted have expired) will do when terri dies.

the guy that is holding the sign "hospice or Auschwitz" needs to have a talk with all the people that were in Auschwitz. (see be yelled at by and beaten up by for seriously insulting the things that they went through.)

I am just glad that there aren't any signs compairing this to the tailand-burma railway (mostly because I doubt these people know any of the true story beond the rare bits of truth in bridge on the river kwai)

People die all the frigging time for this exact reason. These people aren't there crying. All those people are nothing but hippies with nothing better to do with their lives. When my grandfather was cut off life support, I didn't have national coverage. Get over it.

Oh bah.

People like that just...unnerve me. I'm sure as hell there are thousands of people in a similar predicament. Yet they do not get this...attention.