[Colonel]

My initial reaction to this was shock that the government would stick their noses in this case. After seeing the family interviewed I'm not so sure how I feel about it.

I guess where I'm coming from is a sense of empathy for the mother and sister that were interviewed. I have two daughters. Do I want some future husband to make decisions about their lives? In most cases I would have to face the fact that he would have the legal authority and that I no longer had much authority. But what if one of them were in a vegetative state like this girl, but I knew that they had been having marital trouble before it happened? Or that I suspected the husband of causing this state? (the sister claims that the cause of the coma was never investigated - sounded like she was suspicious of the husband) Does that change things? For me it does. I would be fighting just like this family to get control back. And if I had exhausted all avenues through the courts (which it looks like they have) I would probably go to Congress begging for help, just like they have.

So even though my inital reaction is that the government needs to stay our private lives - I must admit that I would be doing the same thing.

I also started having a problem with this when I found out it was not a simple case of turning off an artificial respirator. I think they have already done that and she was able to start breathing on her own. Now, in order for her to die, they have to starve her to death. That's a tough one to accept.