Mar 31st, 2005
Marriage is Not Enough
Terri Schiavo’s death and the political debates around it offer a strong warning to supporters of same-sex marriage.
Terri Schiavo’s legal husband insisted that she would not have wanted to be kept alive in a vegetative state. He says she told him so, but he had no documents to prove it. Had the couple drawn up living wills when they were both healthy, the heartbreaking legal/medical battle between Schiavo’s parents and her husband would have never have happened, and her last wish would have been honored years ago.
Supporters of marriage for same-sex couples often site the right to make medical decisions as a right denied to couples that cannot marry. But as demonstrated in the Schiavo case, simply being someone’s legal spouse does not guarantee you will be able to make quality-of-life decisions for your partner when she is unable to do so on her own behalf.
Unplugging your machine or removing your feeding tube will be the hardest thing your loved ones will ever have to do. If those are your wishes, make sure they know it in advance so that they can be at peace with their decision.
To learn about how you can plan ahead for the unthinkable — with or without a marriage license — this article on GayHealth.com is a good place to start for a basic overview and an explanation of legal terminology.