My wife Robin is getting the hang of blogging. When she really gets pissed, she posts something. And nothing pisses her off like the religious right trying to tell people what's best for them and their loved ones. Like me, she gets irate at people who say they are pro-life, who want to perpetuate the pain and agony of those suffering. From arresting cancer patients for smoking pot, to challenging Oregon's assisted suicide law (for people dying horrible painful deaths to go peacefully and still have insurance companies pay out), to Jeb Bush force feeding Terry Schiavo.
She had a mental disease with physical consequences, and that’s what killed her. The time to treat her malnutrition, to force-feed her, was before she destroyed herself. Anorexia, like alcoholism, is insidious; it doesn’t happen overnight. This illness develops when a person, usually female, feels they have no control over their life. That, combined with low self-esteem and the positive reinforcement that comes with being thin and looking “good,” can be fatal. The guilt the family feels must be overwhelming, but protracting her death is a selfish salve for not having been able to help her when she really needed it.
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