SaveTerri.com

The countdown began at two o'clock on Wednesday, October 15th. That was when Florida Judge George W. Greer's cease-feeding order went into effect. Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed and most observers give her 10 to 14 days tops. She will shortly begin to die of starvation and dehydration.

Schiavo, for the uninitiated, suffered brain damage in 1990. Her husband Michael convinced a jury to award $1.3 million in 1993, $750,000 of which was earmarked for her rehabilitation. Instead, he stuck her in a nursing home, refused to pay for treatment, put her on the do not resuscitate list, went to court more than once to try to have her plug pulled, and finally succeeded yesterday.

Maybe it was simply the plight of a poor woman or maybe it was the utter unlikability of her husband -- he shacked up with another woman, reportedly spent money earmarked for his wife's rehab on lawyer fees to try to have her offed, and used the courts to short circuit any intervention by her parents -- but something about the case has struck a chord with the technerati.

Catholic blogs are sounding the alarm and helping to organize protests. Activists are spamming news sites (including this one) with urgent pleas for help, and requests that people contact Florida governor Jeb Bush to demand that he do something. Sites such as Terri'sFight.org are spreading a version of the story which casts her hubby and the legal system in the worst possible light. WorldNetDaily.com is churning out story after story to try to make a dent in the public consciousness. Also, a recent videotape, made surreptitiously by Terri's father in defiance of court order, which shows this supposed vegetable exhibiting a remarkable degree of responsiveness, is making the e-rounds.

Whether any of this will have an effect is an interesting question and may help answer how the Internet changes the social order. Already, Terri's case has received much more coverage than it would have, say, five years ago. As we've seen in recent anti-globalization protests, activists can plan and assemble much more rapidly and effectively nowadays. Could this mean mass demonstrations in Florida by the middle of next week? Further, will any of this change the gruesome outcome? As things stand now, all Michael Schiavo has to do is run out the clock, and he can inherit whatever's left of the 1993 settlement.

There is, of course, another aspect of this case that I almost hesitate to mention. Florida Governor Jeb Bush has promised Terri's parents all the support he can muster, but he insists that the courts will have the final word. In a legal sense, he's correct, but I wonder if his decision isn't a bit like Pontius Pilate cleverly washing his hands of what is about to happen.

That is, with the intense interest that the case has aroused, I'm not sure if the courts are ready for the backlash from Terri Schiavo's death. Many would see the courts as an agent of her demise, and rightly so. If I were in Congress, I would view Judge Greer's decision an impeachable offense, as much to avoid the hit the judiciary would take as anything else. The case is a potentially delegitimizing one, which places justice and humanity on one side, and the courts on the other. And the Internet would make this crime nearly impossible to forget.

Terri's Situation

Terri was 26 years old when she suffered brain damage from a sudden collapse. Terri receives her food and water by means of a feeding tube. Terri’s other bodily functions are physically stable. Terri smiles, laughs and cries. Terri recognizes voices and responds. At times, she vocalizes sounds, trying in her best way to speak. Terri is not a brain dead vegetable as characterized by her husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo nor a houseplant as implied by his attorney. Terri is not on a respirator or any artificial life support. She is a living human being and needs to be granted an opportunity to recover. Terri has not had any progressive rehabilitation or arousal therapy in more than ten years.

In a trial initiated by Michael Schiavo, Circuit Court Judge, George W. Greer, issued a verdict delivered on February 11, 2000. Judge Greer granted authorization to discontinue Terri’s feeding tube. Judge Greer’s verdict will cause Terri to die in 10 to 14 days. Terri’s death will be by painful starvation.

Background

In a malpractice lawsuit, Terri’s husband personally received over $300,000 for his loss of consortium. Terri was awarded $750,000 from this suit and an additional $250,000 from a separate malpractice lawsuit. The money was awarded to Terri for her care and rehabilitation and to be placed in a Medical Trust Fund. Terri’s husband received his personal award money and Terri’s medical fund money in early 1993. From the date he received the award money in 1993, Michael Schiavo has denied Terri any rehabilitation treatment. Michael Schiavo has confined Terri to a nursing home (currently, Terri is in a Hospice facility) where she is 'maintained.'

Her husband has directed that Terri only be sustained in a nursing home which is contrary to the intent of the award money. Michael Schiavo has on two occasions unsuccessfully attempted to end Terri’s life by instructing her caretakers not to medicate Terri for potentially fatal infections. The first occasion occurred less than nine months after her husband received the malpractice award money.

Some Facts

Terri has no will. Should she die, her husband will inherit what is left of Terri’s $750,000 medical fund.

Terri’s husband lives in a house with Jodi Centonze. He openly admits that he has been engaged to this women for over seven years, have recently given birth to a baby girl, and has announced plans to marry her when Terri is no longer alive.

Since receiving the award money in 1993, her husband has ceased and prohibited any new or aggressive treatment for Terri. He has only maintained Terri at a nursing home (currently, Terri is in a Hospice facility). He has totally ignored or denied rehabilitation therapy that could possibly assist Terri’s recovery.

Since 1993, Terri’s husband has consistently and deliberately withheld all medical information and data from Terri’s family. Over the past eight years he has ordered Terri’s caretakers not to reveal any medical or neurological information

Michael Schiavo will not permit any doctor to examine Terri other than the doctors he selects.

As Terri’s legal guardian, her husband has used her medical fund money to offset the legal costs when his guardianship of Terri was initially challenged and to pay the current legal costs to have Terri’s life ended.

Terri responds regularly to the presence of her parents and friends. Her husband's doctors testified Terri's cognizant responses to Terri’s parents and friends are simply a reflex action.

Sounds like hubby has made sure that she has had little therapy in the last ten years
and is finally out of patience...

She wont die fast enough for his agenda...

The judge...a pro death judge....is using his powers to kill Terri....
He considers himself to be an "ultimate authority" and is gonna prove this point upon her death by starvation

The real powers in our nation...our leaders..our guardians...who claim to be pro life...
who could move against this power mad judge ...wont...

Too bad...it would say alot about their character and leadership imo if they simply moved to save her life regardless of what any court or leftist media had to say about it...

Terri is to be legally murdered on the say so of liars...

They have used false evidence against her...that alone is a crime...

She is running out of time...each day that goes by without nutrition and each hour without hydration is not only life threatening...but even if this decision is reversed even more harm is being done to her...

The doctor who did this is in violation of his oath... First do no harm....

Mike, your wife is lucky. Not all women are so lucky. I guess in our society a man has the right to kill his wife if he doesn't like her, after all! Just like a muslim country.

I have a very good friend whose wife was hit by a car 10 years ago. She was a very vibrant woman, running in marathons and such. She was hit while in training. My friend has spent the last 10 years taking care of his comatose wife. He spends the days with her, reads to her and bushes her hair. He loves her. I guess it is a good thing for her, because if he didn't, he could have been the one to hit her with his car and get away with it!

This is a horrifying development in this country! What a roll back to the middle ages where a woman was nothing more than property!

Write to everyone you know. Write to drudge and insist that he run stories on this. Write to NOW, to the ACLU, to every newspaper in your vicinity. We can not allow this tyranny to succeed in this country. This threatens everyone of us.

It is Teri now, it could be you next!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.