Letter: End-of-life documents are a necessity

Monday, March 28, 2005 | 9:05 a.m.

The case of Terri Schiavo has been an ethical and political tragedy. Her medical privacy has been violated. Mrs. Schiavo's constitutional right to refuse medical treatment as expressed through her legal surrogate has been repeatedly denied as she has been used as political symbol. Her rights, dignity and human respect have been repeatedly ignored and denigrated.

The one positive aspect of this case is that Mrs. Schiavo has given this nation a gift. She has shown to everyone how important it is to have end-of-life conversations with our loved ones and that we must all complete advance-care planning documents such as those found at the Nevada Center for Ethics and Health Policy.

Thank you, Mrs. Schiavo.

CRAIG M. KLUGMAN

Editor's note: The writer chairs the Program in Health Care Ethics at UNR.

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question