I hesitate to even write about the Schiavo case because it is so intensely, painfully private. There are certain decisions that are really only meant to be made by the immediate people involved. Sacred ones like birth, marriage and death. More mundane ones like money matters. These are the kinds of personal choices that government really needs to stay out of. The Schiavo case is a tragedy for everyone involved--Terri herself, her husband Michael, parents Mr. and Mrs. Schindler, her siblings and her doctors. My heart breaks for every one of them. The decision to withdraw life-support measures is traumatic. When my father, mother, sisters, doctor add I agreed it was time to remove my dad's ventilator after an unsuccessful 5-day attempt to restore a little strength to his emphysema-ravaged lungs, I thought I my grief would paralyze me forever. But this is different. Ms. Schiavo was only 26 years old when she entered her current vegetative state; she's 41 years old today. I don't pretend to know what it must be like to be in their shoes. I'm sure her parents' religious beliefs form the basis for their desire to keep her alive, even though the medical professionals say she is in permanent vegetative state...it's been 15 years already. But letting go of your loved ones is the hardest thing we do in this life. Her husband waited and hoped for eight years before coming to the conclusion that it was time to let her go--that withdrawing life-support would be the most merciful thing to do. I happen to believe that her husband is telling the truth about the conversations he and his wife had about end-of-life decisions. My husband and I have had many of them...I imagine most couples do. I have a living will and a medical power of attorney because I think that deciding how to die is an extention of how a person decides to live. Emotionally-speaking, not only is a permanent vegetative state not the way I want to live my life, but I also don't want to subject my loved ones to the torture of years of false hope and grief. Pragmatically, I'd really rather our limited health care dollars go toward others with a future. But that's MY preference. My husband's end-of-life ideas are clear and I will respect them, if and when the time comes to make such decisions. Those are OUR decisions. And that's the point. I'm still reeling over the Congress and the President involving themselves in such an obviously private matter. This family's pain is personal, not something to be paraded around for political gain. Shame on Congressman Tom Delay and all of his cynical colleagues looking to score a few points with the right-to-lifers at the expense of this family.