Joe Pitts: “death by dehydration is a painful, agonizing, and arduous process that takes 10 to 14 days. In addition to feeling the…”

“death by dehydration is a painful, agonizing, and arduous process that takes 10 to 14 days. In addition to feeling the pangs of hunger and thirst, the skin, lips, and tongue crack, the nose bleeds because of the drying of the mucus membranes, heaving and vomiting may ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining, and the victim may experience seizures. Compared to starvation and dehydration, death by hanging, firing squad, or even the electric chair seems humane. But right now that death sentence is being carried out not against murderers, rapists, and child molesters, but on one of the most disabled in our midst. Terri Schiavo is not on a respirator or any artificial life-support equipment. Any reasonable person who sees this woman reacting to her parents will realize she is not in a coma or, as is sometimes called, a persistent vegetative state. Have we, as a Nation, become so callous that we have bought into the ``quality of life'' argument that some people simply are not worth the effort to protect and rehabilitate? I hope not.”