Centenary debates the right to die
Versha Sharma
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Campus/Local
Extreme tales of futility and hope may not be something the average Centenary student is exposed to on a daily basis, but on Wednesday night, Woodrow Wilson fellow Dr. Chris Hackler brought the harrowing issue of the right to die into the spotlight.
Around 50 Centenary students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in the Whited Room of Bynum Commons for Hackler's lecture, entitled "Futility or Hope: Science or Politics at the End of Life?"
Hackler is the Director of the Division of Medical Humanities at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. In addition to Wednesday night's lecture, he has spent the week meeting with students both in and out of classes and hospice and health care professionals.
His "Futility or Hope" presentation focused on two main cases, those of Terri Schiavo and Terry Wallis. The former, he concluded, was a case of futility, while Wallis presented a scenario of hope for brain-damaged patients.
Though the cases were very similar, as both suffered from extensive brain damage, Hackler said the important difference was in the diagnosis: Schiavo was deemed permanently unconscious while Wallis was minimally conscious. A vegetative state means the individual is wakeful but gives no signs of reproducible or purposeful responses; essentially, they are "awake but not aware" (Hackler's words). A minimally conscious patient, on the other hand, has awareness that fluctuates and responses that are episodic.
Wallis was in a car accident at the age of 19, fell into a coma, and then stabilized in a minimally conscious state a few weeks later. Though his doctors had all but given up on him and even advised his family to discontinue treatment, he woke up in 2003 - 19 years after his accident, still believing that Ronald Reagan was President. Though his recovery has been slow, Wallis is now able to engage in conversation.
The Schiavo case was much more well-known thanks to the involvement and controversy raised by some members of Congress - she collapsed in 1990, was diagnosed as in a persistent vegetative state, and after 15 years in this condition, her husband petitioned to have her feeding tubes removed. The result was a nationwide debate over the right to die, the husband's right to choose for her (Schiavo had no living will or other advance directive), and the hospital's responsibility in making a decision. Senator Bill Frist, a licensed physician in general and heart surgery, famously diagnosed Schiavo via videotaped footage - a poor diagnosis from afar of which Dr. Hackler candidly said, "He should have known better than to diagnose Terri from a video clip."
Around 50 Centenary students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in the Whited Room of Bynum Commons for Hackler's lecture, entitled "Futility or Hope: Science or Politics at the End of Life?"
Hackler is the Director of the Division of Medical Humanities at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. In addition to Wednesday night's lecture, he has spent the week meeting with students both in and out of classes and hospice and health care professionals.
His "Futility or Hope" presentation focused on two main cases, those of Terri Schiavo and Terry Wallis. The former, he concluded, was a case of futility, while Wallis presented a scenario of hope for brain-damaged patients.
Though the cases were very similar, as both suffered from extensive brain damage, Hackler said the important difference was in the diagnosis: Schiavo was deemed permanently unconscious while Wallis was minimally conscious. A vegetative state means the individual is wakeful but gives no signs of reproducible or purposeful responses; essentially, they are "awake but not aware" (Hackler's words). A minimally conscious patient, on the other hand, has awareness that fluctuates and responses that are episodic.
Wallis was in a car accident at the age of 19, fell into a coma, and then stabilized in a minimally conscious state a few weeks later. Though his doctors had all but given up on him and even advised his family to discontinue treatment, he woke up in 2003 - 19 years after his accident, still believing that Ronald Reagan was President. Though his recovery has been slow, Wallis is now able to engage in conversation.
The Schiavo case was much more well-known thanks to the involvement and controversy raised by some members of Congress - she collapsed in 1990, was diagnosed as in a persistent vegetative state, and after 15 years in this condition, her husband petitioned to have her feeding tubes removed. The result was a nationwide debate over the right to die, the husband's right to choose for her (Schiavo had no living will or other advance directive), and the hospital's responsibility in making a decision. Senator Bill Frist, a licensed physician in general and heart surgery, famously diagnosed Schiavo via videotaped footage - a poor diagnosis from afar of which Dr. Hackler candidly said, "He should have known better than to diagnose Terri from a video clip."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Chris Ciocchetti
posted 3/28/08 @ 3:04 PM CST
Thanks for all your coverage Versha. Y'all have been great. Chris and Sue Hackler really enjoyed their visit. They were impressed with the beautiful campus and the smart, engaged students. (Continued…)
Chris Hackler
posted 3/31/08 @ 3:33 PM CST
I would like to tell the campus community how much my wife and I enjoyed our week at Centenary. Your campus is beautiful! Dr. Leuck's native arboretum was fascinating and educational. (Continued…)
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