Editor, Times-Union: When the autopsy results for Terri Schiavo were released in June, the media once again failed to report both sides of the story. The mainstream media has not acknowledged the following observations that Terri's family released regarding the autopsy results. This list was taken from an article by Kevin McCullough on illinoisleader.com
(1) The report confirmed her condition and disability. (It did not make the claim that Terri was terminal or in any way in danger of becoming terminal.) The report confirmed that Terri was brain damaged and not brain dead. It also indicated Terri could have lived another 10 years or longer with basic care.
(2) The autopsy did not reveal anything regarding "Terri's choice" to be dehydrated to death.
(3) The autopsy made it clear that dehydration was Terri's cause of death and not her brain injuries.
(4) The autopsy confirmed that Terri's heart was strong and working well.
(5) The autopsy ruled out bulimia and massive heart attack as the cause for Terri's injury. (It did nothing to account for the 70-minute gap from when Terri originally collapsed and when Michael originally called for help.)
(6) With bulimia ruled out, according to the autopsy results, the case for Michael's malpractice suit has been completely undermined. (The parents believe that Michael should return the monies won on this claim.)
(7) The autopsy showed that Terri's struggle to swallow was not from a permanent vegetative state, but from muscle atrophy. (Of course, being denied 12 years of therapy might have had something to do with that atrophy.)
(8) The autopsy showed that persistent vegetative state is a clinical diagnosis made on a living individual and a medical examiner cannot make this determination by examining a corpse.
(9) The autopsy stated that Terri was given morphine for pain. This ran in contrast to the claims that Mr. Felos made consistently that Terri would experience no pain or discomfort.
The autopsy reported that Terri was blind at her death. The question is, when did she become blind? The sight testing took place three years ago.
At that time even one of the doctors hired by Michael Schiavo said that she was following the balloon with her eyes. Is it possible that the dehydration that Terri's body suffered over 13 days caused the blindness?
We were told consistently that Terri was being kept alive artificially in spite of the "fact" that her body was "shutting down." But even the doctor who did the autopsy stated that Terri was "a relatively healthy woman who could have easily survived another 10 or 15 years."
The bottom line is that society determined that Terri Schiavo was not worth protecting and ignored many of the signs that proved that she could relate to the world around her and did want to live. The end result was that, while the world watched, a physically healthy woman was killed over a 13-day period by withholding her food and water.
