Janson Media announced today the release of the new current affairs documentary, TO LIVE… OR LET DIE: THE TERRI SCHIAVO STORY, to worldwide television markets. TO LIVE… OR LET DIE tells the controversial story of Terri Schiavo and the complex and often contentious ethical issues involved with the decision to withdraw medical treatment at the end of life, especially from patients in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). The case of Terri Schiavo became a hotbed of emotions and the subject of a polarized national debate – with one side saying withdrawal of her artificial feeding tube was akin to euthanasia… the other side saying she had no chance of recovery and her own wishes would dictate she be allowed to die. The disagreement over whether Terri was or was not in a persistent vegetative state… whether her wishes included never wanting to live if she had to depend on life-support… was so intense and so prolonged that the U.S. Congress eventually attempted to intervene.
This program takes an in-depth look at the issues and helps attempts to clear up the confusion surrounding the case. Viewers will see an extensive look at the court-ordered physician examinations of Terri Schiavo and have the opportunity to decide for themselves if she was or was not in a persistent vegetative state. She actually appeared to follow instructions, to laugh and even attempt to talk. But was she really doing that? Or was that just part of her condition? The program also talks with two leading neurologists. One claims there is no question Terri Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state. The other says there was no question she was not. The program adds commentary by nationally prominent ethicists, including Dan Callahan of the Hastings Center, Rebecca Dresser of Washington University and the President’s Committee on Bioethics, Dr. Eric Cassell of Cornell University Medical Center, and Karen Lebacqz of the Pacific School of Religion. They weigh in with their respective opinions to add more information and understanding to the complexities surrounding the medical care for people in persistent vegetative states. Terri Schiavo was only one of an estimated 35,000 patients in the United States diagnosed as being in a PVS. Medical studies indicate that nearly half of them have been misdiagnosed.
TO LIVE… OR LET DIE is a compelling portrayal of the story everyone is talking about… an emotional, in-depth look at a complex medical ethics issue that will have far-reaching ramifications for everyone’s future health care. TO LIVE… OR LET DIE was produced by DIA/Stepstone Productions of St. Louis.