The amount of energy put into efforts to keep that Florida woman "alive" astounds me.

It's not like she recently slipped into a coma and could pop out of it at any moment. For *15 years* she has been more like the carrots and beets in the produce section of the grocery store than any other kind of living being.

Based on various news articles, it seems that her body will often show signs of life, but reputable care-givers with experience of similar people say these are just reflexes from the body. No one's home. Perhaps the lights seem to be on, but really that's just ambient light reflecting out -- no one has been home for a decade and a half in this case.

I have not seen any tallies of the costs of keeping poor Terri's body nourished, nevermind legal costs in this whole fight, but I strongly doubt it's been cheap. Think of all that money that could have goine into programs to help kids, abused women, or any charity, and how much good it could do there.

But of course this whole controversy isn't about money. It's about rights, and not only of the individuals, but of federal vs. state. Both types of goverment officials have bent over backwards in attempts to pass legislation that either directly affects the case or allows various courts to intervene in new ways. So much effort for something that should not really have even made local news nevermind world headlines.

But no matter how much attention this situation receives Terri will never know about it. Because she's DEAD. Just let her body join her spirit already.