Open letter to the people holding vigil outside of Terri Schiavo's hospice

We are all touched by your desperate pleas to God and country to save one woman's life. I can certainly sympathize with your fear that the feeding tube removed today might one day be your own. I think we'll both agree that life truly is a precious thing, worth preserving and worth making better for so many people around the world who live in need. That is why, when the media trucks have driven away and our elected leaders return to bickering over education, social security, and Medicare, don't you give up the ghost as well.

Here are 5 suggested activities for all you die-hard pro-lifers in the days to come:
1. Promote a healthy body image among women.
Terri Schiavo’s current vegetative state is a direct result of an eating disorder. Teaching women to have healthy attitudes towards their bodies can prevent additional cases such as this one.

2. Try peace.
War = Death. You cannot say that all life is precious and should be protected, then turn around and say it's OK to blow people up with bombs and very large guns.

3. Fight for life where it's really needed.
Terri's story certainly is a sad one, no matter what you think should happen to her feeding tube. But she's only one woman. Meanwhile, millions of children die each year from preventable diseases. U.S. Sanctions alone have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children abroad. America alone is home to 12 million starving children. Like Terri, all these people need is some food and basic medical care to stay alive. Vigil anyone?

4. Consistency, anyone?
Feeding-tube removal happens all the time. In fact, there's a well-documented process for how to do it humanely. If you're going to take up an issue, don’t just do it for a young, white woman who was once kind of attractive while ignoring thousands of old, ugly people. It makes you look kind of stupid.

5. It's quality not quantity that counts.
If you're going to fight for life at any cost, then at least make that life bearable. Start with supporting scientific research with life-saving potential. Support government programs that guarantee health care and nutrition to the poor. Raise minimum wage so that someone who works full-time can afford to care for their family.

Best of luck to you!