Wednesday, March 30, 2005

"Human rights include food and water"

That was written on one sign held by one of the protesters over Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removal in Pinellas Park, Florida, USA. And believe me, I sympathize with the people at both sides of this conflict but I wish people protested so passionately about the thousands (millions?) of children, adults and elders that die daily of starvation in Africa, Asia and Latin America, people that die out of any hospice and without any health care: in the abandonment of a world that only responds to the events, made spectacular world news by the media of a handful of countries. Is it that only people from these few rich countries really have or deserve to have our support to respect for the basic human right of food and water?

Frankly, from my point of view, this is a complex ethical problem for the health care professionals
and families involved, but how do we all feel about those people who have to feel with full intensity and awarenes that they are starving to death? This great display of news about one single human individual should make us all, but most of all the media, stop and reflect upon the reality of those less fortunate that do not have access to minimal health services, food and potable water, not to mention lawyers or media to present their miserable situation to the eyes of the world or to justice, to move our hearts and our protests for their human rights protection.