The law is championed as the ultimate good. Men and women of good will were once guided by principle, knowing right from wrong, moral from immoral, humane and inhumane. If law is our guide today, then it is steering us into the culture of death. What happened to Terri was crime no human law can claim to legitimize.

Terri’s only crime was to have suffered brain damage 15 years ago. I do not believe she was in a persistent vegetative state as the media claimed.

It is true that a court-ordered doctor testified that he viewed Terri’s condition as a persistent vegetative state, but how then do we explain the opinion of board-certified neurologist Dr. Jacob Green of Jacksonville, Fla., who, upon examining Terri, stated unequivocally: “She is not in a vegetative state.”

When asked if it would be ethical to remove her feeding tube, he said, “I’d call it murder: They’re taking away any chance.” And we certainly cannot ignore the fact that an additional four neurologists, two internist, numerous doctors, two speech pathologists and neuro-psychologist all stated through court affidavits, that Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state. Several of her nurses cam forward saying this, too.

Video footage released by Terri’s parents showed Terri smiling, laughing, feeling pain and showing other signs of being aware. All of Terri’s reactions were at appropriate times and no way were simply involuntary reactions.

If this was simply a case of the courts upholding the law for Terri’s estranged husband, Michael Schiavo, to decide whether or not she should have continued to receive medical treatment, then way was she starved to death? Is food and water considered medical treatment? Terri was not dying before her food and water were taken away. Like all of us, she simply needed to eat and drink to stay alive. Our laws prohibit the inhumane treatment of animals and recognize the starvation of one’s pet as a criminal act.

I am not about to judge Michael Schiavo, but by his actions or inaction, he was committed to Terri’s death. He long since abandoned his marriage by living with another woman, having fathered two children by his fiancé. He collected $1.2 million from disability insurance in order to give Terri the therapy and rehabilitation she required and upon receiving the money he terminated all of Terri’s therapy and rehab.

I understand Michael alos put a “do not resuscitate” order on Terri’s chart. He tried to prevent the nurses from treating Terri’s infections. He did not allow her to given speech or shallow therapy. He did allow her to use a tool for communicating that is common for people in her condition. He wouldn’t even let the nurses put a rolled up washcloth in her hand so that her fingers wouldn’t curl in. In the meantime, Terri’s parents were forced to put their lives on hold to fight for the life of their daughter. They renounced any settlement claims and were willing to care for their daughter at their own expense.

This was not only a life and death struggle for Terri, but also for those in the disabled community. In fact, 14 disabled right organizations filed “friend-of-the-court” briefs to keep Terri alive. They know what his case means for disabled persons. There are tens of thousands of disabled people who depend on gastro feeding tubes every day and they live otherwise normal lives. Who is fighting for them?

Any society that allows the weakest among them to suffer pain and death, merely because they are a burden, is a society that is in deep trouble. May the law help us.

This article first appeared as a Second Opinion article in The Record. This article is reprinted with permission of the author.