With death comes peace for Schiavo, not debaters

Terri Schiavo’s case was one that received a tremendous amount of judicial and media attention and forced America, and perhaps the world, to ponder life and death and the complexities of relationships.

Schiavo died on Thursday morning. Her burial will not end the debates.

Some people called it a killing, a murder. Others called it a merciful end to a long, fruitless fight. Some said her plight was one that should teach us the lessons of redemption. Others foretell the doom of mankind for her treatment.

Her situation brought mourners and crackpots into the open. A North Carolina man was accused of advertising a bounty on Michael Schiavo’s life, and a young boy was arrested for trying to enter the hospital to give the dying woman a glass of water.

Terri Schiavo brought out the best and worst of us. Not since the Kennedy assassination have we read more conspiracy theories, mostly aimed at her husband because he took up with another woman. Michael Schiavo was accused of beating his wife, he didn’t want her to recover and tell tales on him, the stories went. He was motivated by money. He was motivated by a secret pledge that he would never allow her to be kept alive by heroic means.

Look at the videos, she’s alert. No, look at the videos, they show she’s not alert. She’s making sounds. No. she’s trying to speak.

Her case was due-processed to death, taken to courts numerous times. Pleas were rejected, pursued, rejected.

As the circus wound down, even lawmakers of the United States and pastors with a penchant for TV lights and cameras gave their vaunted opinions, made their promises and mouthed their intentions to save a life when, in reality, all they had were words.

Why doesn’t Michael Schiavo walk away and let Terri’s parents care for her? Why don’t her parents let her die a dignified death? Where are the courts? Why do the courts let this happen? This is for the best. This is inhumane. Will God forgive us?

We hope Terri Schiavo is at rest. We hope her family, all of them, can find some peace from the pain and anger. A child, a wife is gone, but her legacy, whatever it may be, will surely be in our memories for years to come.

May she rest in peace.