Death is an everyday affair. Why can't Terri Schiavo's parents let her go? From ABC News today:

"There are an estimated 4,000 deaths each day where there's a conscious decision to limit treatment in some way," said Dr. Ron Cranford, professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"We have an estimated 14,000 to 35,000 adults and kids in a persistent vegetative state every year," he said. "It's a routine thing to discontinue treatment. These decisions are made behind the scenes."

Other estimates place the number of adult patients in PVS in the United States between 15,000 and 25,000. The annual cost of caring for these patients is estimated to be as high as $7 billion.

Dr. Stephen S. Lefrak, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and chair of the ethics committee at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, confirmed that ending the care of a patient — also known as "terminal wean" — is a decision made daily in most hospitals. "

So the parents of Terri Schiavo are, potentially, hurting the families of all those patients--adults and children--who will try to make the best decision for them and their families. Anyone who says money should never be an issue in these matters should have to foot the bill for families who are impoverished by these sorts of extraordinary medical expenses necessary to keep someone with no hope of recovery alive indefinitely.

I think the parents are gutless, selfish, cowards in need of a very serious mental health intervention.