"Mama told me to rock the baby,
To keep her safe and warm
All my joy and all my sorrow,
Through the years will carry on "
-"Rock the Baby" sung by Lyla
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"Mama told me to rock the baby, To keep her safe and warm All my joy and all my sorrow, Through the years will carry on " -"Rock the Baby" sung by Lyla |
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The Right-To-Die: Another Daring Story for ATWT After its long-term, harrowing story of teen-age alcoholism, a viewer might thing ATWT is ready to take a break from social issues. The serial, which has already been honored recently by GLAAD (Gay-Lesbian Association Against Defamation) for introducing daytime's first male homosexual, is breaking more ground with a story bound to cause controversy. A major character on ATWT is dying --by his own choice. It's not a suicide plot, but the right-to-die story of Dr. Casey Peretti. Already paralyzed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder that can affect the central nervous system, Casey contracts encephalitis, a brain inflammation with no known treatment that usually results in a coma. He requests that he not be allowed to live on a respirator. This powerful story raises moral questions when Margo Hughes pulls Casey's plug and faces possible murder charges due to the absence of a "Living Will," which would have given the hospital permission to turn off a life-support system. "There are no easy answers and thse are the ingredients of compelling drama," says the show's executive producer, Laurie Caso. ATWT's head writer, Douglas Marland, says, "It's something Americans are facing every day. With faster medical advances, people will be faced more and mor with this decision." Originally scheduled to air in February, the story was postponed to June. Marland says, "I wanted to explore the problem of a disabled man making his way in life. I wanted Casey to diagnose himself and to establish him as a very realistic fighter. When he's faced with something he can't beat, he makes a decision." Caso emphasizes that the encephalitis has nothing to do with the GBS: "Casey was starting to overcome his handicap; this is a total intervention of fate." In addition to the moral ramifications presented by the Living Will, Casey's death opens a new range of story problems for the character of Margo. For those who wonder why Casey's wife, Lyla, didn't pull the plug, Caso explains: "The choice to have Margo pull the plug opens up so many possibilities for her," he says. "She's a law officer, the wife of the DA, the daughter of the chief of staff of the hospital. That's why she is the right character, the one person Casey can turn to. It's too big a burden to put on Lyla." Marland concurs, "To put Margo in that position, the Living Will had to remain incomplete. In Illinois (the show's locale), a Living Will only protects the hospital." -Robert RorkeLink to Picture: Casey Peretti Photo caption: "Casey's (Bill Shanks) right-to-die story promises to be another powerful and controversial plot for ATWT." |
