"Please, doctor, save her."

By Hesham Hassaballa

The case of Theresa Marie Schiavo has gripped not only our nation, but the rest of the world. Undoubtedly, this case has galvanized both sides of the "right to die" debate, and has created a great deal of strong emotion on both sides. Here is the problem: politics has infected this issue, and it has completely clouded the most important morals of this very sad case.

The interjection by the House and Senate Republican leaders into what should have remained a completely private affair has poisoned the waters. Quite clearly, the politicians in Washington, D.C. have intervened in this case to pander to their political base - religious conservatives - and the religious conservatives have made this an issue because they have their eyes on the ultimate prize: the eventual banning of abortion in this country.

Funny, isn't it? These are the same Republicans who pride themselves on advocating less, not more, government in the lives of ordinary citizens. These are the same Republicans who - just a short time before they flew back to Washington - cut funding for Medicaid from the Federal Budget. Why is this important? Because it is from Medicaid that many, if not most, people who are chronically ill receive their medical coverage. These are the same Republicans who supported an illegal war based on faulty intelligence - if not outright lies - during which tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis were killed. A war pushed for by the same President who said, "This is a complex case with serious issues but, in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is always wise to err on the side of life." Err on the side of life? Who are you kidding?!

You see...there I go, ranting against this despicably hypocritical action by Congressional Republic...er...sorry. The politicization of this case has clouded a true view into the real issues of the case. First, this is a tragic case of a young woman who suffered an untimely cardiac arrest due to electrolye imbalance, probably due to an eating disorder. After suffering anoxic brain injury, her husband and family had a terrible falling out - possibly over money - and a bitter fight has ensued ever since. Isn't this horrible?

Now that the politicians have defiled this case with their slimy hands, I suspect that - with each court decision against the Schindlers, Terri's parents - people opposed to Congress getting involved in the first place may have said out loud, "Hell yeah!" But, let us not forget what that means: a severely brain-damaged woman is being deprived of nutrition and fluids, and she is slowly dehydrating to death. True, she won't feel anything because her brain is severely damaged. Still, I can't help but feel sad and sorry for Terri Schiavo.

Even though hypocritical politicians have taken up the cause of the Schindlers, perhaps causing some to eye the Schindlers with disdain, we must not forget that they are two parents who cannot let go of their daughter. They can't bear to see her die. Being a parent of two young daughters myself, I definitely understand their pain.

Yet, the most important "take home message" from this horribly tragic situation is this: it is of the utmost importance that each of us think about and decide what to do about end of life issues. Each of us should make a decision here and now - when our minds and (hopefully) bodies are sound - about what we want done in case of severe illness.

I have been blessed by God to be a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. Thus, I have seen all too often patients who suffer from a devastatingly severe critical illness - severe infection, hemorrhage, stroke, seizure, or trauma - and survive the initial onslaught of disease, yet not fully recover. The disease leaves them half-alive and half-dead. These are the most difficult cases for me personally, and each time this situation occurs, the same questions arise: do we continue to "do everything," or do we "let nature take its course."

Frequently, the patient has not answered this question ahead of time, and the family is left trying to deduce the answer for themselves. And it is not easy. Continuing to "do everything" can subject the patient to the sometimes horrific complications and side effects of modern medical technology when there is no reasonable hope for recovery. At the same time, saying "no more," can riddle the surviving family members with an inordinate amount of guilt, for perceiving that they "killed" their loved-one by giving up on them.

Yet, answer these difficult questions each of us must. I cannot tell you how terrible a situation it is when a doctor approaches terrified family members of a patient, who will die without urgent attention, and asks them, "Do we do everything?" Most often the frightened family will say, "Please, doctor, save him."

But that might be the worst decision for grandpa, who may be suffering from terminal cancer that will not get better, and the treatment will cause more harm than good. Lord knows I have seen this happen. Or, "doing everything" may really be against grandpa's true wishes. Yet, no one knows that because grandpa did not make his wishes known.

It should not be so, and I don't want this to happen to me or my family. My decision has been made: if my condition is such that there is no hope for my meaningful recovery, then STOP EVERYTHING! No antibiotics, no feeding tubes, no ventilators, no dialysis, no intravenous fluids, no CPR, no shocks, no vasopressors. Please, let me die and return to my Gracious and Precious Lord. I only pray that I am ready to meet Him then, that my sins have been forgiven before my demise, so that I don't get punished for them after death.

Whatever the decision, it must be made now. If it is "do everything," then that's fine. If it is "do nothing," that is also fine. Just make a decision. That way, Governors, Representative, Senators, and Presidents will never again get involved.

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician currently practicing in the greater Chicago area. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, and his commentaries have been published in BeliefNet, the Chicago Tribune as well as other media around the country and around the world. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book, The Beliefnet Guide to Islam, to be pubished by Doubleday. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and is co-chair of the Media Relations Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Make sure to visit Hesham;s blog at hassaballa.org.