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Terri Schiavo and Sexual Predators

John Mangun - 3/23/2005

The international news services recently had two major stories coming out of America repeatedly headlined in their broadcasts. Sitting in my little corner of the Third World (the Philippines), I realized how, for all the wealth, convenience, opportunities, and advantage the First World enjoys, those people face terrible daily struggles unknown to my adopted countrymen.

While a couple of billion people on the planet occupy their waking hours with the routine and monotonous task of seeking food, shelter, clothing, the First World tackles much greater moral and practical problems. I actually found myself feeling sorry for them and a little guilty that we in the Philippines do not have their struggles. It is almost as if we in the Third World are not doing our share in solving the world's great predicaments and helping to find answers to the major questions and dilemmas humanity must grapple with each day.

Terri Schiavo, the American woman who has been in a "persistent vegetative state" for fifteen years, is the subject of a legal battle for her continuing existence. Crudely put she is brain damaged and incapable of communicating and cannot take care of herself, requiring constant assistance. A feeding tube sustains her life. Her husband wants her to die, ending her abnormal and difficult life. Her parents want her life preserved and are willing to take care of her, doing whatever is necessary to make her comfortable in spite of her condition. They celebrate her birthday and bring her Christmas presents, never knowing if she is cognizant of their attention.

A neighbor in my working class neighborhood of Manila has a fifteen year old son who is brain damaged from birth. He is incapable of communicating and cannot take care of himself, requiring constant assistance. The family celebrates his birthday and brings him Christmas presents, never knowing if he is cognizant of their attention. He sits in his wheelchair outside the house in the morning sun as his grandfather feeds him. His younger sister plays, pretending they are both having a party, with her dolls resting on his lap.

These foolish and ignorant people do not understand the "First World" concept of "quality of life". They do not comprehend that this boy would obviously prefer to die rather than to live in a "persistent vegetative state".

All they know is that they love their son no matter what his circumstance is, that God gave this child life, and that they have a responsibility to take care of him. It is probably a good thing that people like this are not in a position to make the important moral decisions for humanity. Much better that the collective wisdom of the U.S. Supreme Court be the final arbitrator of who deserves to be starved to death.

A man in the southern United States kidnaps, sexually abuses, and murders a nine-year-old girl. He has repeatedly sexually abused children in the past, been jailed, and released. He is caught and the discussion immediately turns to what the government and society can do to best rehabilitate these offenders. How can the government insure the criminal's rights while trying to protect young children? What is a fair punishment and who is at fault for their behavior? These questions certainly require the exhaustive consideration by experts in their field, as there are momentous legal issues and vital social concerns.

A man on my street named Joey lived in a small shed behind a neighbor's house. He washed cars and took your garbage to the truck to earn his living. He bought your lotto ticket, wishing you the winning numbers and reminding that he should share in your good fortune if you got lucky. For three years, he was a participant at every fiesta and holiday celebration.

One afternoon, a nine-year old neighbor girl came running into her house, crying and screaming that Joey had fondled her and exposed himself in front of her. Her family ran to find Joey, who was already cornered by two others who had seen the incident occur and had intervened before the situation became worse. The little girl's older brothers began beating the molester when the child dealt with some of her trauma by picking up a nearby stick and pounding her assailant in the face. Quickly the barangay tanods (community security patrol) arrived and took Joey into their custody.

If this had happened in Chicago or Los Angeles, Joey would defiantly have grounds for a major lawsuit against the girl's family. The tanods took Joey away never reading him his rights. Some neighbors say he was taken to some relatives on the other side of town or maybe put on a bus to the province or maybe not. This event clearly demonstrates that citizens of the "Third World" simply do not understand the rule of law, civil liberties, and judicial procedure. All they were concerned about was protecting the children from a sexual predator.

There is an arrogant and a self-righteous attitude in the "First" towards the "Third" about how we, the underdeveloped and unsophisticated, live our lives. We are severely condemned for allowing children to work, that we do not always treat the environment with "proper respect", that we do not follow the acceptable standards of "human rights". The Third World just does not know what is correct like those in the First World know. What would we in the Third World do without them and their principled leadership?