w00t w00t booyah

Another account I read stated that she had been cortically blind for at least several years. The centers of the brain that control vision were completely atrophied. So much for recognizing family members and following them with her eyes. There was no evidence of previous strangulation, no trauma, no healed broken bones. In short, there was no evidence of any sort of physical abuse. The autopsy was completely consistent with anoxic encephalopathy - brain damage from oxygen deprivation. We will probably never know what caused the cardiac arrest that led to the oxygen deprivation.

*Red Flag of personal opinion here*

Was Michael Schiavo a saint? No. Was he the horrific monster he was painted by the Schindlers and the religious right? No. He was a flawed human being doing what he thought his wife would have wanted. I've watched many such people making decisions for comatose or vegatative loved ones. Only once have I seen a family member eager to pull the plug. We declined to do so, since the patient had the possibility of recovery. That patient lived, and his first words once off the ventilator - "I want a good divorce attorney."

I personally have nothing but contempt for wife-beaters. They are scum, criminals who deserve to be treated as such. The damage they do goes beyond the physical. I have friends who survived abuse, and they become almost incoherent with anger and dismay when they think an abuser is getting away with it. I do not believe that happened here. Your opinion may differ from mine.