2008 Woodie Awards
The Morality of Schiavo
Howie Slugh
Issue date: 4/18/05 Section: Opinion
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As an Orthodox Jew, I strongly believe in the Talmudic idea that "He who destroys a life is as if he destroyed an entire world; and he who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world" (Sanhedrin, 37a). As an American, I strongly believe in the idea found in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That is why the entire debate over the situation involving Terri Schiavo was so alien to me. My entire background as a Jew, an American and a Neoconservative, screams that innocent life must be protected at all costs. Throughout the debate I heard numerous guests making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows, attempting to politicize this issue. It is amazing to me that they fail to recognize the fact that when an innocent woman's life is at stake, the issue should transcend politics.
Pundits have argued that Republicans in Congress have withdrawn their support for States' rights by advocating to send the case to a federal judge. This argument attempts to put saving an innocent woman's life in the same category as Social Security reform or school vouchers. The pundits fail to appreciate (or refuse to recognize) that as far as Judeo-Christian values are concerned, "the saving of a life pushes off everything else" (Talmud Yoma 84). The Republicans in Congress felt the need to do whatever it took to save this woman's life. While they may judge themselves as lawmakers based on what they do to protect States' rights, they will judge themselves as God-fearing human beings based on what they did (or failed to do) to save Terri Schiavo's life.
Throughout the political ordeal, many complained that this issue was given precedent over others. They failed to appreciate the inherently pressing nature of the issue though. Battles over how much power should be relegated to the Federal government vis-à-vis the states will carry on for decades, if not centuries. However, from the outset of the case, Congress knew that if it failed to act, Terri would starve to death within 14 days. We cannot afford to lose sight of Congress's true purpose. American law was not created as an end in and of itself. Congress does not sit in Washington and argue because it is trying to construct a perfect code of law that we can show off to the rest of the world. Our founders established legislatures because they understood "That to secure these rights, (Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" (The Declaration of Independence). The reason that the U.S. government was established and continues to be survive, is due to the role that it plays in protecting people's lives. It would have been an unforgivable sin, and a negation of the primary role of government, had Congress sat idly by as an innocent woman was condemned to suffer an agonizing death for political reasons, namely states' rights. I have no hesitation in proudly proclaiming that my desire to protect innocent human life outweighs my desire to further the cause of states' rights.
Pundits have argued that Republicans in Congress have withdrawn their support for States' rights by advocating to send the case to a federal judge. This argument attempts to put saving an innocent woman's life in the same category as Social Security reform or school vouchers. The pundits fail to appreciate (or refuse to recognize) that as far as Judeo-Christian values are concerned, "the saving of a life pushes off everything else" (Talmud Yoma 84). The Republicans in Congress felt the need to do whatever it took to save this woman's life. While they may judge themselves as lawmakers based on what they do to protect States' rights, they will judge themselves as God-fearing human beings based on what they did (or failed to do) to save Terri Schiavo's life.
Throughout the political ordeal, many complained that this issue was given precedent over others. They failed to appreciate the inherently pressing nature of the issue though. Battles over how much power should be relegated to the Federal government vis-à-vis the states will carry on for decades, if not centuries. However, from the outset of the case, Congress knew that if it failed to act, Terri would starve to death within 14 days. We cannot afford to lose sight of Congress's true purpose. American law was not created as an end in and of itself. Congress does not sit in Washington and argue because it is trying to construct a perfect code of law that we can show off to the rest of the world. Our founders established legislatures because they understood "That to secure these rights, (Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" (The Declaration of Independence). The reason that the U.S. government was established and continues to be survive, is due to the role that it plays in protecting people's lives. It would have been an unforgivable sin, and a negation of the primary role of government, had Congress sat idly by as an innocent woman was condemned to suffer an agonizing death for political reasons, namely states' rights. I have no hesitation in proudly proclaiming that my desire to protect innocent human life outweighs my desire to further the cause of states' rights.