Lesson Plan: Terri Schiavo and the Debate Over End-of-Life Care

Subjects:

Government/Civics; AP US Government and Politics

• Government/Civics

  • This lesson intermingles federalism, separation of powers and judicial review.

• AP US Government and Politics

  • This lesson aligns with these topics from the the AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description:

    • Topic 1.7 – Relationship Between the States and National Government

    • Topic 1.8 – Constitutional Interpretations of Federalism

    • Topic 1.9 – Federalism in Action

    • Topic 2.3 – Congressional Behavior

    • Topic 2.5 – Checks on the Presidency

    • Topic 2.9 – The Role of the Judicial Branch

Grade Level:

9-12

Lesson Duration:

One or two class periods

Essential Questions:

• What role should the government play in making medical decisions for individuals?

• Were actions taken by the federal government in Terry Schiavo’s case appropriate or an infringement on the family’s rights?

• Was the action taken by the federal judge appropriate or inappropriate, based on the separation of powers?

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

• Summarize perspectives on the role of individuals and the government in making healthcare decisions.

• Describe the legal and constitutional issues involved in the case of Terri Schiavo.

• Compose differing perspectives on complicated issues of health care decisions and governmental involvement.

Materials:

• Retro Report video “Her Vegetative State Caused Congress, President Bush, and Even the Pope to Weigh In” (Transcript)

• Student Activity handout

• Extension: Special Series page on The Schiavo Case | NPR

• Health Care Directive (Living Will) | Hospice of the Valley

Procedure:

1. Distribute the Student Activity handout and have students complete the vocabulary section so they are able to fully participate in this lesson. Take time to have students share their definitions with the class, and ensure that all students understand the issues in this case.

2. Have students participate in a brief discussion about health care policy, where they will discuss the role of the individual, family, state government, and the federal government in health care decisions.

3. After the small group discussion about health care policy, have the small groups share their thoughts on each of the four prompts to the large group.

   1. Modification #1 – You may skip the large group discussion to save time.

   2. Modification #2 – You may add a question about how the decision-making process in the Terri Schiavo case might have been handled differently in countries that have a unitary system of government.

4. Have the students watch the Retro Report video “Her Vegetative State Caused Congress, President Bush, and Even the Pope to Weigh In” and answer the focus questions on the Student Activity handout.

5. At the conclusion of the video, have students answer the prompts for the Considering Both Sides activity on the Student Activity handout. Students should read the prompt and come up with a reason people would agree with the statement and a reason people would disagree with the statement.

6. Conclusion Discussion – Place students in small groups and have them discuss what each side might think about the prompts from the Considering Both Sides activity. Groups do not need to reach consensus about the prompts; these are complex issues, so groups having multiple perspectives on each prompt is to be expected. Lead students in a discussion based on the Considering Both Sides activity. Have each group share their thoughts with the big group on at least one of the prompts. (Modification: Choose two of the four prompts to save time.)

Extension Activity:

1. Have students visit NPR’s Special Series page The Schiavo Case. This page contains articles and radio clips on issues including the role of government, partisan politics and bioethics. Have students choose two articles or radio clips and write a brief reflection on what they read or heard.

Provide students with a Health Care Directive (Living Will) so they can examine the document. Invite students to discuss it with their parent(s)/ guardian(s)/ loved ones, as desired.

About the Author:

Ryan Werenka teaches Social Studies at Troy High School in Michigan and was named the 2021 Michigan History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

• D2.Civ.1.9-12. Distinguish the powers and responsibilities of local, state, tribal, national, and international civic and political institutions.

• D2.Civ.4.9-12. Explain how the U.S. Constitution establishes a system of government that has powers, responsibilities, and limits that have changed over time and that are still contested.

• D2.Civ.5.9-12. Evaluate citizens’ and institutions’ effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.

• D2.Civ.9.9-12. Use appropriate deliberative processes in multiple settings.

• D2.Civ.10.9-12. Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.

• D2.Civ.12.9-12. Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.

• D2.Civ.13.9-12. Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences.

Common Core Literacy Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.