--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The situation around Terri Schiavo was a…" description: "\"The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held conflict over what to do if someone isn't going to return to consciousness or competence. Who will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/ezekiel-emanuel-14902_competence_the-situation-around-terri-schiavo-was-a_121178.png" --- # The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held… ![“The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held conflict over what to do if someone isn't going to return to consciousness or competence. Who will decide? Even there, where we had settled legal rules, we still had disagreement. We're torn about these things.” quote by Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/ezekiel-emanuel-14902_competence_the-situation-around-terri-schiavo-was-a_121178.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/ezekiel-emanuel-14902_competence_the-situation-around-terri-schiavo-was-a_121178.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/ezekiel-emanuel-14902_competence_the-situation-around-terri-schiavo-was-a_121178.png) > “The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held conflict over what to do if someone isn't going to return to consciousness or competence. Who will decide? Even there, where we had settled legal rules, we still had disagreement. We're torn about these things.” [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. End‑of‑life decisions expose deep societal disagreements about autonomy, competence, and who holds moral authority in medical choices. **In simple terms:** Medical ethics spark profound conflict. Key Takeaway Authority over life decisions is contested. Themes ethics medicine autonomy Mood thoughtful somber Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - hospital policy meetings - public health debates - family care planning Key Concepts bioethics legal pluralism Practical Applications - facilitate advance directives - encourage interdisciplinary ethics panels Questions to Reflect On - Who should have final say in incapacitated patients' care? - How can societies balance individual rights with collective moral standards? A Different Perspective Legal frameworks may lag behind evolving societal values, causing ambiguity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Competence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competence/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide/) [Disagreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disagreement/) [Disagreement Torn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disagreement-torn-1413138/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Return Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return-consciousness-1196879/) [Schiavo Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schiavo-deeply-1413137/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Situation Terri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation-terri-1413139/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Torn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torn/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“The return to reality was as painful as the return to consciousness after taking an anesthetic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-return-to-reality-was-as-painful-as-the-return-to-consciousness/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“To have memory return is to find consciousness pervaded by a variety of identifications, all simultaneously composing and fragmenting a shared public space, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-altieri/to-have-memory-return-is-to-find-consciousness-pervaded-by-a-variety/) [Charles Altieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-altieri/) > [“Later I stirred again, knowing the night was passing, but unwilling to wake fully lest this fair vision be lost forever. There was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/later-i-stirred-again-knowing-the-night-was-passing-but-unwilling-to/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [When I'm on the operating table, I'm happy for the surgeon to treat me as a machine, but the moment I return to consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/when-i-m-on-the-operating-table-i-m-happy-for-the-surgeon-to-treat-me/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not. Disagreement, at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/when-we-are-debating-an-issue-loyalty-means-giving-me-your-honest/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I should probably be careful admitting this, but sometimes, when my characters are having a disagreement, it's a disagreement I'm having with myself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-should-probably-be-careful-admitting-this-but-sometimes-when-my/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [There is quite a lot of mutual misunderstanding between the upper middle class and the working class. Reviewing what's been said about the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/there-is-quite-a-lot-of-mutual-misunderstanding-between-the-upper/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [The prevailing attitude of the speakers was one of heavy disagreement with a number of things which the reader had not said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-knox/the-prevailing-attitude-of-the-speakers-was-one-of-heavy-disagreement/) [Ronald Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-knox/) > [“Who knows what goes on in a marriage? Even my parents, who had a compatible marriage, had their points of contention. They had figured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjani-rao/who-knows-what-goes-on-in-a-marriage-even-my-parents-who-had-a/) [Ranjani Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranjani-rao/) > [It is never just disagreement but always intellectual dishonesty that is the apologist's worst enemy. And its apprentice is ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-is-never-just-disagreement-but-always-intellectual-dishonesty-that/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [The sea answers all questions, and always in the same way; for when you read in the papers the interminable discussions and the bickering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-sea-answers-all-questions-and-always-in-the-same-way-for-when-you/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [One of the great qualities of Chancellor Merkel is that she is steady. She analyzes a situation. She's honest. Sometimes we've had disagreements, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/one-of-the-great-qualities-of-chancellor-merkel-is-that-she-is-steady/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“It has been the practice of all Christian commentators on the Bible, and of all Christian priests and preachers, to impose the Bible on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-practice-of-all-christian-commentators-on-the-bible/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [A friend's loyalty lasts longer than their memory. Over the course of a long friendship, you might fight with your friend, even get angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-reilly/a-friend-s-loyalty-lasts-longer-than-their-memory-over-the-course-of/) [Matthew Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-reilly/) > [“I know quite well why I became a historian… It was because dissension was frowned upon when I was a child: 'Don't argue, Claudia,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-know-quite-well-why-i-became-a-historian-it-was-because-dissension/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## More by Ezekiel Emanuel > [Where I came from, just nodding and smiling when someone expressed views was the ultimate insult. If people weren't yelling about politics in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/where-i-came-from-just-nodding-and-smiling-when-someone-expressed/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [You have the quality of your work and the integrity with which you do it,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/you-have-the-quality-of-your-work-and-the-integrity-with-which-you-do/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [I'm the son of a pediatrician, and I do believe that the most important resource we have is our kids. And I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/i-m-the-son-of-a-pediatrician-and-i-do-believe-that-the-most/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Reasoning based on cost has been strenuously resisted; it violated the Hippocratic Oath, was associated with rationing, and derided as putting a price on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/reasoning-based-on-cost-has-been-strenuously-resisted-it-violated-the/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Having been an oncologist and having cared for scores, if not hundreds, of dying patients, when you don't have a treatment that can shrink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/having-been-an-oncologist-and-having-cared-for-scores-if-not-hundreds/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Our dad hugged us and kissed us so much that some friends and relatives complained that he was going to turn us into sissies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/our-dad-hugged-us-and-kissed-us-so-much-that-some-friends-and/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [My mother saw nothing inconsistent in her traditional desire to look after her husband and children and her radical politics. She began her civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/my-mother-saw-nothing-inconsistent-in-her-traditional-desire-to-look/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [The death of a 20-year-old woman is intuitively worse than that of a 2-month-old girl, even though the baby has had less life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/the-death-of-a-20-year-old-woman-is-intuitively-worse-than-that-of-a/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [My father always has been attractive because of his energy, warmth, charm, and talent for finding some connection with people from all cultures and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/my-father-always-has-been-attractive-because-of-his-energy-warmth/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [“Today 60% of workers in the private sector receive their insurance through their employer. I believe that by 2025 fewer than 20% of workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/today-60-of-workers-in-the-private-sector-receive-their-insurance/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Over his illustrious career, John Harris has explored the most challenging bioethical questions with insight, engaging wit, and eloquence. In Enhancing Evolution, Harris does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/over-his-illustrious-career-john-harris-has-explored-the-most/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [As an academic, what do you have? You have the quality of your work and the integrity with which you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/as-an-academic-what-do-you-have-you-have-the-quality-of-your-work-and/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Patients who are being kept alive by technology and want to end their lives already have a recognized constitutional right to stop any and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/patients-who-are-being-kept-alive-by-technology-and-want-to-end-their/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely lipstick cost control, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/vague-promises-of-savings-from-cutting-waste-enhancing-prevention-and/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) > [An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/an-obvious-example-is-not-guaranteeing-health-services-to-patients/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) [Explore all 45 Ezekiel Emanuel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) ## More Competence quotes > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“You understand how much you know about a subject the moment you give explanations to someone who doesn't know anything about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/you-understand-how-much-you-know-about-a-subject-the-moment-you-give/) [Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Everybody's got a different circle of competence. The important thing is not how big the circle is. The important thing is staying inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/everybody-s-got-a-different-circle-of-competence-the-important-thing/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Friendships are nice. So is competence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/friendships-are-nice-so-is-competence/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [ A nominee \[to Supreme Court\] must possess the competence, character and temperament to serve on the bench. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kohl/a-nominee-to-supreme-court-must-possess-the-competence-character-and/) [Herb Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kohl/) > [Over the first two weeks of the Donald Trump administration, Steve Bannon has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-goodman/over-the-first-two-weeks-of-the-donald-trump-administration-steve/) [Amy Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-goodman/) > [The individual attributes of warmth and competence are often perceived to be negatively correlated. That doesn't mean they actually are, but that's how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/the-individual-attributes-of-warmth-and-competence-are-often/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Great writers zealously learn the craft of their profession so they can release the power and the depth of their imagination and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bishop/great-writers-zealously-learn-the-craft-of-their-profession-so-they/) [Leonard Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bishop/) [Browse all 452 Competence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held conflict over what to do if someone isn't going to return to consciousness or competence. Who will decide? 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