A Little Deeper, Part 2: Euthanasia

With the case of Terri Schiavo so prevalent in the news, euthanasia has definitely been a hot topic as of late. I don't really see anything wrong with someone creating what is commonly referred to as a "living will." (I have an appointment with the legal office next week to go over my current will and start a living will, if necessary.) I guess where the controversy begins is in cases like Terri's, which are hardly unique. There is no living will, and her husband and her parents have opposing views concerning what to do. There are so many different facets to this issue. For one, apparently there is a difference between being "brain dead" and being in a "persistently vegetative state" (PVS). Brain death is the irreversible loss of all brain functions. PVS is when the patient has lost cognitive neurological function and awareness of the environment, but retain noncognitive function and a perserved sleep-wake cycle. Terri falls into the latter.
For most conservative Christians, pulling the plug in any case would fall under the category of murder. The Bible doesn't really say much on the subject, since modern medical marvels weren't really around 2,000 years ago. The only passage that comes to mind for me is John 10:10b when Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." As in any issue, one must find balance. If I were brain dead, in a persistently vegetative state, or in any way cannot live the remainder of my life to the full, I hope my parents or my spouse or whomever would make the call to just let me be at peace. Of course, take the doctor's recommendation into consideration, as well. But if I'm inanimate and have a very slim to no chance of recovery, just save yourself the anguish, and let me go. It will save money, provide an open hospital bed, and perhaps my organs could be used for someone young and vibrant and full of life, life to the full.
As for Terri's case, that's a tough one. One one hand, she and her husband were estranged when she fell into her condition. On the other hand, he is her legal guardian. Her parents believe Terri would have wanted to be kept on the feeding tube, but her husband says differently. Her parents have offered to pay all medical expenses if she is kept alive, but to me, that almost sounds like they're trying to buy her life. All court appointed physicians have said they don't expect Terri to ever recover. Whatever the courts decide, my heart goes out to their family, not only for having to endure this, but because of the political and media fiasco it has turned into.
There are also instances concerning terminally ill patients who wish to die to save themselves the pain of a long, agonizing descent. To be honest, I'm not really familiar with many of these cases, so I can't really form an opinion. However, if I were dying of some horrible disease, my guess is that I would hold on as long as the good outweighed the bad. If I could still talk to my friends and family, enjoy a film or album, or smile and laugh without thinking about how bad it hurt, then keep me around. But if it got so bad that I couldn't appreciate those things any longer, then I'll see you all in heaven.