STORYTIME TAPESTRY

Special Treat   -   The Terry Schiavo Controversy

March 23, 2005

 Here's a commentary on the Terri Schiavo case by pastor Johann Christoph Arnold. Arnold counsels families on end-of-life issues and is the author of ten books, including Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death. You have his permission to reprint, as long as you include the credit line at the bottom with working hyperlinks.

Sincerely,

Sam Hine (assistant) for Johann Christoph Arnold
724-329-1100
shine@bruderhof.com


WHO SHOULD DECIDE?
The Fight over Terri Schiavo

Johann Christoph Arnold
 
The case of Terri Schiavo is once again making headlines and re-igniting a national debate over when and how medical treatment should be withdrawn. Many people see this case as a critical test of the political system and of culture itself. But the media attention it has received has also created an atmosphere of paranoia, and this has harmed Terri more than it has helped, and has clouded the real issues that are at stake. These issues are our society's terrible fear of death and suffering and our over-reliance on medical technology in a desperate attempt to avoid both. In fact, God alone is in control of human life, and our idolization of science and medical technology needs to be subjugated to his much greater wisdom and love.

That there is widespread public debate on a topic close to the hearts of everyone can never be a bad thing. It shows that democracy is alive and well, and that life is worth living. But where there are differences of opinion, and differences in religious belief and faith, there must also be respect for one another. And so we should use this opportunity not to push forward our own ideas and agendas, but to seek what is truly God's will. In the end the human race will only survive if we humble ourselves, and submit ourselves to God, who longs for each of us to find a true destiny, a fulfillment of life through service to others.

This case, which has dragged on for over fifteen years, has brought great anguish and soul-searching on both sides. My heart goes out to Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, who have loved and longed for their daughter for so many years. I am a parent myself and fully understand why they cannot accept being told that there is no chance for greater recovery. Which parent would not hold out in insistent hope?

From what I have read, Mary Schindler has taken care of her brain-damaged daughter in an incredible way, as only a true mother could. So even though I feel differently, I can understand her plea to President Bush "to save my little girl." All the same, I find it frightening when not only a governor but also the Congress, the Supreme Court, and even the President intervene in such a personal and intimate issue. God is left completely out of the picture, and in his place we are left with legal hair-splitting over a disabled person's "constitutional right to live."

My heart also goes out to Terri's husband, Michael, who has pleaded for years that his dear wife be allowed to be placed into God's hands. His belief that death would leave her at peace and with God is in no way selfish or unfeeling, as his many critics contend. In fact, I respect his faith and would wish for my wife what he is wishing for his.

This case goes far beyond Terri's physical condition, her medical outlook (whatever it is) and whether or not her feeding tube should be removed. It is really a case that should give pause and lead us to serious soul-searching. It should make us think about what God might do if we would for once give him a chance. In the end it is he alone who, as creator of life, should be the one to take life away when he feels it is the right moment for a person. Therefore re-inserting a feeding tube, or fighting to keep one in, is no less a form of human interference.

If Terri dies, she will leave a very big hole in her mother's life: after all, she has loved and cared for her daughter faithfully, for years. But it is just here that we need to turn to God in prayer. He knows everything, and he will heal the most wounded heart, providing we take time to grieve. All the service Terri's parents--and her husband, and her doctors and nurses--have given her over these many years will never be in vain and will be richly rewarded in the next world. May Bob and Mary Schindler and Michael Schiavo be given the wisdom of Job who, after his suffering, could finally experience the beautiful words, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

As a culture, we have become too reliant on science and technology. We have also become dangerously dependent on the State to make decisions for us. Shouldn't we rather try to discern what God would have us do? In Terri's case it should not be the end of the world to remove a feeding tube. Where medical knowledge and capability end, there God can begin to work. And if it is God's will for Terri to recover, she will: for Jesus is truly the only physician who can heal the sick and raise the dead. If Terri should die, it will be painful, but no cause for despair: we all have to die one day.

We are too afraid of death and dying. We forget that those who are dying are stretched out between earth and heaven, between the physical and the spiritual, between the finiteness of life on earth and the eternity of life beyond. Every dying person has a message to the living. Even in her current condition, Terri's living is not in vain; all who come in contact with her have an opportunity to be taught love and compassion to others.

That an intensified struggle over Terri's life is occurring right at Easter highlights the message of Good Friday, when we think of the death of Jesus, who longed to reconcile everything in the universe. His crucifixion remains the supreme example of suffering that was not in vain.

The temptation to run from pain--to choose the path of least suffering--is only human. Even Jesus begged his Father to "take this cup from me." But that isn't the full story, for Jesus added, "Yet not my will, but Thy will be done." In Terri's case, there will be suffering on both sides, no matter how the controversy is resolved. All the more, shouldn't each of us lay aside our agendas and opinions and ask what Jesus asked--that God's will alone be done?


<a href="http://www.ChristophArnold.com">Johann Christoph Arnold</a> is a pastor with the <a href="http://www.bruderhof.com">Bruderhof Communities</a>, and the author of <a href="http://www.bruderhof.com/e-books/benotafraid.htm">Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death</a>.