Out of My Depth...

Some profound reflections in the comments section; be sure to give them some time. In a way, I am embarrassed by their profundity, since my own postings have been somewhat off the cuff, just remarking on my own reactions or saying the things that I haven't seen in print. (Like, until U.S. News put it in the current issue, I was going to post that the whole language of "culture of death/culture of life" was John Paul II's contribution--and what a contribution, to offer a whole language with which to approach the issue!) But U.S. News gave credit where credit is due, so...
Re: Terri, please see my first post, "Weighing in on Terri" where I develop, very briefly, the observation that "mind" and "brain" are very different things. Even where the physical organ of higher cognition is not apparently functioning, that doesn't mean that the mind is not: it just can't work in its usual way. The occasional breakthrough moments (such as described of that woman in Chicago) could be where the mind succeeds in using what brain function is available, even though it would not necessarily be the "usual" areas, say, of higher cognition.
I write this because it seems that none of the "usual" sources of media have yet made the distinction between brain and mind, and yet it is not a new thing even for science.