Miles Files: Debating the Schiavo case in a Catholic school Miles Files: Debating the Schiavo case in a Catholic school (April 20, 2005)

By Miles McMullin

8th Grader, St. Joseph's School

The national debate over Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old Florida woman who died recently after 15 years in what her doctors call a persistent vegetative state, extended into our religion class at St. Joseph's, a Catholic school in Atherton.

In the class, we debate ethical matters, such as whether it was right to remove Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube that was keeping her alive.

While the Catholic church opposed removal of the tube, most of the kids in my class, including me, believed that the tube should have been pulled out. We felt that Terri did not want to live like that and had expressed these wishes.

The majority of the students in my class said if they were in the same situation, they would want their tube removed.

However, that view was not unanimous. About five kids thought the tube should have been kept in. They believed that pulling the tube was murder.

We got into a big discussion over this topic.

Debating issues such as this makes me realize how important it is to keep communications channels open and allow people of different opinions to speak candidly.

I commend my teacher for being so proactive about talking about the Schiavo case. I believe that moral issues should be discussed in schools to give kids a better understanding of what is going on around them in the world today.

It would also allow people of different perspectives to learn from each other.

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