The Pope and Terri Schiavo, My Opinion

Let me say this first, I am not Catholic. OK, now to my post. On Friday, many of our major news stations were broadcasting on the Pope's health condition, as I'm sure most places were. Chicago has a very large population of Roman Catholics, so this was very big news here. At any rate, on one of the stations, they called the watching of the Pope the 'deathwatch'. Now I do understand that the man's health has been terrible for some time, and it seemed inevitable that he would pass away shortly, which he did indeed do. But what upset me the most was the disrespect for his life that was going on. I don't care who it is that is dying, you don't put on your best Hollywood face and dress and talk about a man's final hours as a 'deathwatch.' Many mourners came to pay their respects to this man; I am fine with that. What I am not fine with is the media making a huge spectacle of the Pope's final hours on this earth. Now I do not agree with many of the Pope's, and thus the church's, beliefs, but I do believe in the right to die with dignity. That's all I have to say on the matter.
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On a slightly similiar topic, I have some problems with the Schiavo situation as well. I am not going to go into who was right or wrong because I simply do not know the answer. I do believe that the media got out of hand in this case too. I also was offended by the crowds outside the hospice where Mrs. Schiavo was being cared for. I was offended for the Schiavos, but also for the people who were not a family member of Mrs.Schiavo. This is a HOSPICE people! It is supposed to be a PEACEFUL place where a person lives out their final moments of their lives. How could these other patients do this with the media circus/crowds all around them? They couldn't, and this is terrible. Where are THOSE peoples' rights? The crowds/media just didn't care. It was all about ratings and how THEY felt about the situation. In our newspaper there was a woman crying upon learning the news of Mrs.Schiavo's death. Was she a relative, friend, did she even KNOW Mrs. Schiavo? The answers are no. Do not bring the pro-life movement into this case; in's not about being pro-life or pro-choice. This was not an abortion issue, yet many of the same people who show up for pro-life rallies were there chanting their opinions, waving their signs, and most appalling to me--sending their own children to the hospice's doors with water knowing full well said child would never get in. They just want to make a 'statement'. Using one's own child in that way makes me sick. That child got arrested too. Isn't that nice? I do believe in free speech, very much so. But when do your rights override someone else's rights, especially to die in peace with dignity which is essentially what the Hospice mission is all about. I know this because my own mother was once a Hospice nurse, and just two years ago, a Hospice patient. I cannot say enough good things about the organization, and neither could my mother. So whatever your opinion on the Schiavo case is, I do not wish to argue it. I just wanted to comment on my disdain for the media and the crowds who made a circus out of the whole situation, and perhaps have people remember that there were other Terri Schiavos and patients who were there at the same time who were there to die with dignity in full agreement with their families. I only pray that their deaths occurred with SOME level of peace. And I don't know about all of you, but I am finally going to follow my own mother's advice and get a living will. You will not hear about my death on the TV.