Madam, - The Fourth International Pro-Life Conference, which took place in the O'Reilly Theatre in Belvedere College last weekend, had a number of excellent speakers. I decided to go to to listen to Bobby Schindler, brother of the late Terri Schiavo, who was starved to death in in the US in March 2005 following the court-ordered removal of her feeding tube.
Mr Schindler gave a moving and heart-rending account of the heroic battle for life of this lovely young woman and the struggle of her devoted parents and siblings to save her. He explained that he was just an ordinary person and not a trained speaker, but he spoke with such heartfelt eloquence that he left the huge audience spellbound and in tears. He told us that his sister was not terminally ill and not dying and that 42 doctors had testified on her behalf that she would improve if given therapy.
He went on to say just how powerful the pro-death movement is in the US when a judge could decide that this woman's feeding tube should be removed and she should be killed. He quoted Father Pavone, a family friend, who commented: "Terri did not die from atrophy of the brain but from an atrophy of compassion."
Terri Schiavo took 13 days to die from starvation and thirst after her feeding tube was removed and her brother told us that it certainly was not a gentle, painless death. Don't be fooled by the pro-death movement, he said. It was a truly powerful account of his sister's suffering, told with deep love and compassion. It was also a warning to us all of how the disabled, the infirm and perhaps the old could be treated if we are not eternally vigilant. We must ensure that those who cannot speak for themselves have their right to life protected.
With all the talk about what constitutes a "meaningful" life, can we now expect that certain people may simply be disposed of because their lives are not considered "meaningful"? Would this, perhaps, include those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the physically crippled? Would it eventually apply to the blind, the deaf and the lame? In the UK, for example, it is legally possible for doctors to kill a deformed child up to the actual moment of its birth. What is this if not barbarism?
Thanks to Bobby Schindler and his wonderful family for their heroic campaign against the culture of death and thanks also to those who organised this excellent pro-life conference. - Yours, etc,
ANTHONY REDMOND, North Great George's Street, Dublin 1.