The Right To Die

The current media circus about the Terry Schiavo case and relevant blog posts (by me and others) have goaded me into thinking about "the right to die" debate. To me, there really is no debate. Any reasonable definition of personal autonomy should include the right to determine the time and manner of one's death. One thought is, how many people feel the way I do? Well, there is polling data available on this question:
If you were [in a persistent vegetative state like Terry Schiavo] would you want your [life to be ended or not]?

                   Kept    Not
                   Alive   Kept Alive   Unsure
ABC News, 3/2005   8%      87%          4%
Fox News, 3/2005   15%     74%          11%
Fox News, 10/2003  16%     74%          10%

For the record, place me firmly with the 87%. If I am in persistent vegetative state with a less than 33% chance of survival, pull the plug! (I hope an online advanced directive will be dispositive upon any court that would have to review my intentions.) Clearly the vast majority of the public agrees with my position, but yet Republican leaders in both the House and the Senate have used any and all legislative means at their disposal to thwart the actions of Schiavo's legal guardian to let Terry Schiavo die.

I don't mean to suggest that because the majority opinion is in favor of something that means it's the right thing to do. The vast majority of the American public is in favor of the death penalty, while I am unalterably opposed to it, in all cases. What I am trying to point out is how political leaders respond to public opinion. It's not all public opinion that matters, just the opinions of (some of) their political base.