At the risk of biting the hand that blogs me, I’ll have to express my skepticism about the poll that Joe linked showing 63 percent support for the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube. If this were a “normal” case pitting a husband against parents, fighting over a mentally disabled woman, that wouldn’t be all that surprising. Everyone has parents that they wish would butt out of their marriages (it spawned at least one sitcom that “everybody loves”). But as I wrote yesterday, only one media outlet I’ve seen, and just yesterday, made note of Michael Schiavo’s decade-long relationship and children with another woman, and none of the allegations from medical personnel – that Michael Schiavo repeatedly denied his wife medical care shortly after the malpractice awards – made any mainstream accounts.
If ABC News simply did a poll on principle – “Should spouses have authority to decide life-and-death decisions for incapacitated partners?” – those numbers would probably look the same. It would be impeccable if the poll were taken when guardianship for the mentally incapacited wasn’t the subject of a media circus. But ABC News asked specifically if Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube should be removed, at the height of its publicity. It’s great for getting readers, but probably counterproductive when it comes to accurately measuring public opinion.
The facts in this case are not widely known. Most people know Terri Schiavo is likely in a “persistent vegetative state,” but ask them what that means and you’ll probably get wide disagreement. They might assume she’s in a coma, or would die without invasive medical treatment, neither of which is true. Given the dearth of reporting on Michael Schiavo’s history, they probably assume he’s an average husband – not perfect, but genuinely concerned for his wife and respectful of her wishes. That’s not at all obvious from an actual review of his actions for 10 years.
The bottom line is that this case is the exception, but it has been reported as the rule – the standard template for spouse vs. family in a case pegged from the start as “right to die,” with no room for complicating factors. And fittingly, the poll results reflect the rule.
I’m a tech journalist who’s making a TV show about a college newspaper.