Doug McBurney protesting for Terri

[Zakath]

If by "extraordinary means" you mean "give him food and water," then yes. :duh:

Means requiring intervention by health care providers for the decade and a half...

 

[Zakath]

People are not vegetables not matter how helpless they are.

Yes, I agree. People are no more "vegetables" than they are "demons", "dogs", or "animals"...
Those are metaphorical terms used to describe some set of characteristics about the people being discussed. Unfortunately for reality, those metaphors seem to take on a life of their own over the years.

 

[Zakath]

If your son cracked his head open while attempting to do a dangerous trick on his bike, would you call an ambulance and try to save him, or would you "let nature take its course?"

His action was an accident, not illegal, nor long-term. Even if it were your child, I would call an ambulance.

If your daughter slashed her own wrists in your presence, would you call an ambulance and try to save her, or would you "let nature take its course?"

I know enough first aid to deal with that situation, unless she had managed to bleed herself out. I would say that it depends entirely on why she slashed her wrists.

If by "extraordinary means" you mean "give him food and water," then yes.

Normally "giving food and water", at least by mouth is not considered "extraordinary means". Using feeding tubes for decades, is.

 

[On Fire]

If the lights aren't on they're certainly not what or who they used to be.

But how convenient to call them "vegetables". We wouldn't starve an actual human being to death, would we?!?! NO!!!!! But a vegetable.....who cares!

 

[Granite]

But how convenient to call them "vegetables". We wouldn't starve an actual human being to death, would we?!?! NO!!!!! But a vegetable.....who cares!

It's a matter of semantics. Besides, it's not a technical/medical term, but just layman's parlance.