I'm reading a little on Terri Schiavo this morning, and I came across (in addition to this article I posted earlier) some very well-written, well-thought-out philosophical and medical posts on CodeBlueBlog...
"Much has been made over the issue of Terri Schiavo’s swallowing. It is because Schiavo cannot swallow that a feeding tube was inserted directly into her stomach.. It is this feeding tube that has been the object of gargantuan legal, moral and ethical struggles.But what is swallowing and why should it carry such import?
There are three stages of swallowing: the oral, chewing phase; the pharyngeal reflex phase wherein the food is propelled over the vocal cords and into the esophagus; and, the esophageal stage, during which food travels to the stomach.
The fight over Terri Schiavo involves only one of these three stages and that is the pharyngeal stage..."
Some other good posts on CodeBlueBlog.
UPDATE: I have been informed by a future neurologist at Wash U. Med. School that not all of the medical statements this radiologist makes are 100% accurate or important for Terri's case. However, much of what is written on CodeBlueBlog is still relevant philosophically and medically in Terri's case.