In the time since Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed March 18, 180,000 people have died of starvation. Fourteen million American children remain in poverty.
There are 44 million Americans who would appreciate Congress’s help attaining basic healthcare. Yet it was Terri Schiavo who prompted it to cut short its Easter recess.
The average city hospital deals with 50 to a 100 end-of-life conflicts per year, yet Schiavo made it to the front page of The New York Times. Schiavo’s impending death upstaged the Pope’s on CNN.com.
Like Laci Peterson, who was one of 1,200 women slain by a partner in 2004, Schiavo is the latest victim to be celebritized by an obsessive American public. These cases consume the pages of our most respected publications. They draw hordes of followers that savor every development. They prompt vigils and sermons and legislative action. Meanwhile, bigger issues march on.
Some would say demographics are a big reason for all the hype. Both Peterson and Schiavo were attractive, white, middle-class females and the tragedies that shattered their lives seemed so improbable. It is difficult to imagine candlelight vigils in the heartland over a victim that looked like Flava Flav. The truth is, Americans are drawn to these stories because they are full of scandal. They contain home videos of pretty wives and family conflict and villains and sensational trials. They are our newest and most engaging type of entertainment — the truest form of reality television.
Our legislators then turn the legacies of these women into political footballs. Why wouldn’t politicians capitalize on Peterson’s sensational murder with the introduction of Connor’s law, a poorly disguised anti-abortion measure? Why wouldn’t Congressional Republicans use Schiavo to dazzle their conservative base and gain political ground? Every time we create a new celebrity out of a victim who meets a controversial fate, we open the door for anyone — religious groups, the media, our national leaders — to manipulate our emotions for their own benefit.
Ever since Aristotle began teaching that existence was inviolable, the debate over the end of life has pervaded society. But the debate needs to be carried out in classrooms, courtrooms and the floor of Congress objectively, without emotional bias or political opportunity tainting the rhetoric. Michael Schiavo is one of thousands who have made similar agonizing decisions. Obsessing over his single case on a national level is voyeuristic and counterproductive.
Let us not forget that Terri Schiavo isn’t the only American whose life is slowly fading. Her family and the courts are the sole parties who have any say in her death. Although our constant engagement does little to help or hurt Schiavo, the 14 million poverty-stricken children might benefit from some attention.
Rina Martin is a Communication sophomore. She can be reached at [email protected].
