I highly recommend Bob Destro’s article on the Terri Schiavo case. “Learning Neuroscience the Hard Way: The Terri Schiavo Case and the Ethics of Effective Representatation,” at 78 Miss. L. J. 833-903 (2009).
There have been scores of articles on various aspects of the Schiavo controversy. (My own short paper on the Schiavo case is available here. http://www.uffl.org/Vol14/myers-04.pdf )
Bob Destro’s article is one of the few that can be characterized as necessary reading. Bob writes from a unique perspective. He played an important role in the latter stages of the litigation; he represented Governor Bush and also the Schindler family in efforts to protect Terri’s life.
The article is lengthy and difficult to summarize in a blog post. The distinctive features of the article include its focus on the rapidly changing state of neuroscience as it relates to the diagnosis and potential for rehabilitation of patients with severe brain injuries, its contention that withdrawal of treatment in a case such as Terri’s ought to require the due process protections that we require in capital cases, and its focus on the ethical obligations of the legal and medical professionals involved.
Richard M.