Issue date: 3/9/05 Section: Opinion

Ivan Flores - The Battalion

The first victims of the Holocaust were not Jews, but the physically and mentally disabled. It seems that the Nazis developed their tactics and honed their murderous skills on those who were least able to resist before trying to exterminate all the European Jews, according to the BBC.

Even without the dire lessons of history, there would be plenty of reasons to be concerned about Terri Schiavo, the disabled Florida woman sentenced to die on March 18. One who is able to identify with her is my older brother, Christian.

Ten years ago, Christian's doctors predicted that he would live the rest of his life in a persistent vegetative state, unaware of his surroundings and unable to recognize or communicate with his family. And that was if he lived at all, which they were not even sure that he would.

Christian was hospitalized after sustaining multiple brain, spinal cord and internal injuries from a truck wreck in a Colorado blizzard. After several emergency surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain and chest, Christian lay in a coma, and the doctors offered no hope.

All of the medical evidence supported their predictions. Brain scans showed a devastating amount of damage, leaving about one-third of the right side of his brain destroyed. He was connected to multiple monitors and a machine helped him breathe. As one doctor noted, he suffered every complication imaginable other than death.

Defying the opinion of countless experts, Christian now paints, recites poetry and converses intelligently about politics, religion and culture. He also makes time to give motivational speeches to various community organizations.

Christian understands that Schiavo's fate concerns more than just her.

"Her situation sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who is handicapped, because it puts their humanity in jeopardy," Christian warns. "It sends a message that if a person is not wanted, then they can be disposed of at any time for any reason."

He is exactly right.

Schiavo's worth as an individual should not be measured in light of her abilities, her contributions to society or her status. She has inherent rights as a person. She is nothing less, and she does not have to do anything to earn her rights or prove herself worthy of them.

But even if Schiavo's recovery is not as miraculous as Christian's or her future is never as promising, that is no reason to kill her. Her family wants the chance to take care of her and assist in her rehabilitation, which her husband has neglected, though he is her legal guardian.

Continued...

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