Heroes, Lawyers, and Writers - A Review of Two Schiavo Books
Nova Law Review, 2007
13 Pages Posted: 16 Mar 2007
Abstract
This essay reviews two recently published books about the Terri Schiavo case, the most well-known and most contentious end-of-life case in the United States. The first book, Fighting for Dear Life, was written by David Gibbs, the lawyer who assisted the parents of Terri Schiavo from 2003 to 2005 in achieving passage of special state and federal legislation aimed at preventing the removal of her feeding tube. The second, Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America, was written by William Colby, who argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of Nancy Cruzan's right to die in the famous 1990 case that is often credited with establishing a constitutional right to refuse life-sustaining treatment. Both books have something to offer readers in terms of greater understanding of the case and the legal, political, and cultural context in which it arose. While Gibbs writes his book mainly for those who already believe the religious right's view of the case, it may be of some interest to a greater circle of readers who are trying to understand the motivations of those who crusaded for Terri's right to life, especially the politicians who went to extraordinary efforts to intervene in a single individual's case. Colby's book is a highly readable, informative distillation of the history and current status of end-of-life law and ethics, with a sharp eye on where the issues remain thorny and unresolved.
Keywords: Schiavo, Gibbs, Colby, Cruzan, feeding tube, end-of-life, right to die, right to life, life-sustaining treatment, right to refuse treatment, life support, unplugged, book review
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