Terri Schiavo, as she is popularly known now, suffered a serious brain injury in a cardiac arrest in 1990 which may have been triggered by her suspected bulimia. She was then married to Michael Schiavo and apparently living a happy life. Terri's parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, wanted to keep her alive with the use of a feeding tube. Michael Schiavo agreed to this initially. In 1992, Michael sued Terri's doctors for malpractice and won $750,000 for her and $300,000 for himself. The money won for Terri was placed in her trust that paid for her healthcare and medical treatment. The trust contained $50,000 at the time of her death. Michael was made Terri's guardian-s something that was disapproved by her parents in 1993 when they filed a sui

In Washington vs. Glucksberg case of 1997, Supreme Court made it clear that a complete ban on doctor-assisted suicide doesn't violate the provisions of Fourteenth Amendment. The Court explicitly rejected the plaintiffs' claim that right of liberty extends to use of suicide by terminally ill people. In this case, doctors filed a petition objecting to Washington's ban on physician-assisted suicide. The Supreme Court studied the case from various angles and came to the conclusion that suicide itself is a pervasive problem in the country and it would thus be senseless to allow physician-assisted suicide to people suffering from chronic illnesses.

t to have him removed from this position. The court rejected the case and Michael remained sole guardian of Terri. A year later in 1994, Michael ordered do-not-resuscitate order in case of a heart attack after consulting with Terri's doctors. It was found Terri's brain had suffered immensely and she might not recover. In 1998, things went sour when Michael ordered removal of feeding tube that had been keeping Terri alive for last eight years. In 2000, the state court of Florida ruled in favor of Michael's order but Schindler were allowed to appeal. A seething legal battle ensued which went all the way to US Congress where it was decided in 2003 that Terri must live. The law was challenged by Michael and in 2004, the court again ruled in favor of Michael who felt that law was unconstitutional. In 2005, the battle came to a grim end when US Supreme Court rejected Schindler' appeal and Terri's feeding tube was removed in March this year. Exactly 13 days later, Terri died resulting in an uproar from activists on both sides of euthanasia debate. Pro-life quarters complained that Terri was not brain dead and could respond while the pro-choice quarter felt her vegetative state had reached a point from where it was impossible for her to come back.

Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is a contentious issue. But Terri's case was an exception when it came to discussing it in the context of euthanasia. In mercy killing, it's usually the patient himself deciding his fate but in Terri's case it was her guardian choosing how she di

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Approximate Word count = 1468
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)