Terri Schiavo, 20 Years Later: Advance Directives in 2025
Twenty years ago, on March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo died after a highly publicized and politically charged legal battle over her right to die.
At just 26 years old, the newly-wed Terri collapsed unexpectedly. She suffered cardiac arrest, likely due to a potassium imbalance from an eating disorder. Despite immediate medical intervention, the event left her in a persistent vegetative state.
Her name could have been remembered for her life, not her death. Yet here we are in 2025, where a quick Google search of her name reveals only the 15 years she spent without autonomy.
I was born in 1993. By the time I was becoming aware of our post-9/11 world, Terri had already spent over a decade in hospitals, sustained by a feeding tube. Her fate sparked an intense battle between her husband—who maintained she wouldn't have wanted to live indefinitely in a vegetative state—and her parents, who fought to keep her alive through all possible medical means.
Courts initially sided with her husband, permitting the removal of her feeding tube in 2001. Then politicians intervened in unprecedented ways. New laws were passed, judges were challenged, and the Schiavo Case became a nationwide controversy. When Terri was finally allowed to die naturally in 2005, I was a bright-eyed 12-year-old watching the story flash across Good Morning America—too young to comprehend its significance.
Today, I honor her spirit deeply, though I never knew her. None of us truly did. As I contemplate my own wishes, trying to face these thoughts as gently as possible, facing this reality leaves me feeling less anxious about whatever will be. Accepting that my story, too, will end.
Now, as a 31-year-old new mother in our ideologically divided society, Terri's story feels more urgent than ever—particularly regarding the importance of advance health directives.
For me, Terri's prolonged death has become a cautionary tale about personal decisions becoming public fodder. Without an advance directive (also known as a "living will" or "healthcare power of attorney"), our most intimate life-and-death choices can be stripped from us and handed to courts, politicians, and strangers who don't prioritize our wishes.
In today's United States, as reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, and medical decision-making face increasing legislative restrictions, advance directives are more crucial than ever.
The same systems that kept Terri Schiavo alive against her husband's wishes continue to restrict our medical choices today. Without explicitly stating our wishes, we risk having them overruled by those who claim to know better.
Anxious? Take Control of Your Future
An advance directive is a simple but powerful tool. It ensures your healthcare aligns with your values when you can't speak for yourself. It spares your loved ones from the agony of uncertainty and potential legal battles. Most importantly, it prevents others from turning your life—or death—into a political statement.
Terri Schiavo never got to make her own decision. If you're reading this now, you still can. Don't wait until it's too late.
On this twentieth anniversary of Terri's death, I hope you'll honor her legacy with me by taking control of your future. Talk to your loved ones. Put your wishes in writing. If Terri's story teaches us anything, it's that failing to be clear about our wishes can have devastating consequences.
Since I'm still on maternity leave and finishing up my Sacred Crossings' certification, I won't be offering directive workshops until this summer 2025. Please find helpful tips and information at talkofalifetime.org in my absence.
As always, you can reach out if you need me. Thanks for being with me today, wherever you are out there.
With all of my love,
Miranda Sita
March 31, 2025
Bainbridge Island, WA