Some final thoughts on Terri Schiavo

The Captain has a well-done summary of what we now know, and what we don't.

The most hysterical charges involving Terri's husband were proven false, including the notion that he had injected Terri with insulin at some point to kill her. Some of the most well-publicized assertions about her activities also were shown to be wishful thinking, such as an ability to eat and drink without the feeding tube and Terri's following visual cues, which she seemingly did in the video released by her family. With her vision center destroyed, she had cortical blindness. In the opinion of the coroner after examining the brain, Terri's condition would never have improved.

However, other issues remain unresolved. An autopsy cannot determine the existence of PVS, as the coroner went out of his way to remind everyone. Dr. Thogmartin's careful analysis could find no evidence that Terri had been abused, relying on contemporaneous medical records as well as his autopsy, but could determine no cause for her collapse. That's unfortunate, as the lack of finality on that point will mean that speculation will endure forever.

This stands in stark contrast to some of the unseemly dancing on Schiavo's grave I have seen in the last 24 hours: here, here, here and here. Perhaps someday Michael Schiavo and Terri Schiavo's family can put an end to the personal enmity surrounding Terri's death. It would set a good example for the partisans cheering her death via court order.