Life is Beautiful

For personal reasons, I recently have not been posting any political or social commentary on my blog. Now that my father is on his way towards recovering from cancer, it is time for me to speak on the Terri Schiavo case.

While she is not on life-support, Terri Schiavo cannot feed herself and thus depends on a feeding tube for water and food. Her "husband" Michael Schiavo, with the assistance of sympathetic judges, is currently leading the charge to remove the feeding tube so that she can die of dehydration and/or starvation. Her parents are opposed to killing their daughter and are frantically appealing to the courts to reconnect the feeding tube.

Why does Terri Schiavo matter? Columnist Cal Thomas nails this one:

The Schiavo case should not be viewed in isolation. It is part of a flow that began in modern times with abortion-on-demand and will continue, if not stopped, with euthanasia. Once a single category of life is devalued, all other categories quickly become vulnerable.

Having been conditioned to accept killing, it will be a short step to killing Grandma and Grandpa in their "assisted living" centers. Someone will produce a document or hearsay testimony that the elderly person would have "wanted to die" in such circumstances and never intended to be a "burden" to their children. These are the stakes, and how the Schiavo case is decided will determine what many of us will face in the future.

As a father, I can say this. From the moment I knew that my wife was pregnant, my life had a new focus and reason. "Protect my children". That will be my reason for living every day until I die. May God Bless Terri Schiavo and her parents.