Posted on 01/16/2004 3:11:43 PM PST by pc93
One of the reasons I'm suspicious about this "quote". I do remember that King wasn't enthusiastic, but to put it as "I want her to die."? It seems a bit much.
"FL Senator Johnny Byrd calls up President of the Senate Jim King: "Jim, we need to save Terri Schiavo's life."
President of the FL Senate Jim King: "No, I wrote this legislation several years ago, and I want her to die."
Sen. King was not only not enthusiastic, but actually downright negative about Sen. Wise's SB692. He did make the outrageous statement that he did not want to take the chance that his "die with dignity" legislation that he'd worked so hard on (due to his personal hard experience, we understand), as the above article says:
"On December 3, 2003, Senate President Jim King was quoted in the Tampa Tribune as saying: "As soon as you put something on the floor, as well-intended as it may be, anybody can amend it. Then all of a sudden I'm sitting there facing a bill or bills that can dismantle what I consider to be my legacy". Mr. King has vowed that SB692 will not be heard on the Senate floor. "
I called his office for clarification, and this was confirmed in just about the same words.
I don't know (and I don't really believe) that he ever asserted "I want her to die". In fact, the CBN article referenced does not include that statement.
But then it shouldn't take that to get people upset about this! Sen Wise's bill should be heard!
ETHICS: Terri Schiavo’s Valiant Fight for LifeI stand corrected, this article DOES say that King said that to Byrd. Does Byrd stand by his statement?By Wendy Griffith, CBN News Sr. Reporter
January 16, 2004
A Florida judge is expected to rule any day that Terri's law is unconstitutional, meaning that her feeding tube could be immediately removed again.
CBN.com – (CBN News) - Is it right to die? Or right to murder? That was the question suddenly put before Florida lawmakers last October.
Many were stunned to learn that then 39-year-old Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged woman from Pinellas Park, Florida, was being starved to death after a judge ordered her feeding tube removed at the request of her husband and legal guardian Michael Schiavo.
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd felt something had gone terribly wrong.
Byrd said, "And I called the governor, called Gov. (Jeb) Bush, and he said, yes, we need to do something.
I called the President of the Senate, Jim King, and said, Jim, we need to save Terri Schiavo's life, and he said, ‘No, I wrote this legislation several years ago, and I want her to die,’ and I said, No, you don't want her to die."
Byrd won his argument in a reversal of the national trend, which has the courts usurping the will of the people expressed by their legislatures. In this case, the Florida legislature trumped the courts by passing a law that went against their ruling. The House and Senate overwhelmingly passed Terri's bill. Gov. Bush quickly signed it into law, ordering her feeding tube reinserted.
Terri was in her seventh day without food and water when the law took effect. Her parents say it was a miracle she survived. Bob Schindler, Terri's father, said, "I attribute that to God."
Scores of protestors holding vigil outside Terri's Pinnelas Park hospice had prayed for her survival. And joining in efforts to keep Terri alive were Regent University law students.
Courtney Langiness, a Regent law student, said, " I had the opportunity to work with a couple of Regent alumni down at a law firm in Florida. One of them wrote the bill that saved Terri Schiavo's life. And, the other was monitoring the work at the hospital to make sure that her feeding tube was placed back in so that she could live."
Another Regent law student, Tarra Trotter, said, "I just remember the feeling when Gov. Bush signed the legislation and how, just to know that we were a part of it, was very exciting."
The Schindler's attorney, Pat Anderson, says Terri has a constitutional right to life, and that her husband Michael should be removed as her legal guardian.
Anderson said, "[Michael] Schiavo has been living with another woman since 1995. They have now had two children together, and where I come from that's called adultery and abandonment. There is no way that someone in that position should have the life or death say-so over somebody in Terri's position."
And Terri's life is still on the line. A Florida judge is expected to rule any day that Terri's law is unconstitutional, meaning that her feeding tube could be immediately removed again.
Shouldn't the legislature, a body elected by the people of Florida, have more authority than a handful of judges?
Speaker Byrd said, "The judicial branch is arrogant in their way, because they believe they can not only apply the law but they can make up the law in the first instance, and so whenever the legislature actually stepped up into this case and said, wait a minute, the judicial branch is on the wrong path. We believe the law should be, in cases like this, that the governor should be able to appoint a new guardian and slow down, err on the side of life. The judicial branch, actually, most of them, had apoplexy that the legislature would actually stand forth and have courage and say, no, we make the law, not the judges."
Terri's family just celebrated her 40th birthday on December 3rd. Last year, it was uncertain whether Terri would make it to that day. Now, the question is, will Terri Schiavo be allowed to live for yet another birthday?
Distressing Development in Terri's Case
Filed January 7, 2003
This document is titled "Petition to Modify Visitation Rules" and was filed on behalf of Michael Schiavo by attorney Deborah Bushnell. The language in this document has caused tremendous concern.
You can view the entire document by clicking here.
Part 1, Paragraph 5: "When the ward is in the hospital, petitioner should be permitted to more strictly regulate the ward's visitors in order to accommodate the need for hospital personnel to administer medication and treatments unimpeded."
Does this language mean to say that Terri's immediate family will no longer be able to visit or see her should she become hospitalized?
Part 2, Paragraph 7: "Visitors are prohibited from evaluating, examining, treating or testing the ward, or causing the ward to be evaluated, examined, treated or tested by any physician, therapist or other person without prior Court approval.
Does this language mean that Terri's family can no longer ask for assistance if she suffers a medical complication or event?
Part 2, Paragraph 8: "Visitors are prohibited from introducing or causing to be introduced any object, matter or substance of any kind, whether liquid, solid or medicinal, orally or in any other manner to the ward."
Withholding oral sustenance when an individual is capable of accepting it is abuse and a deliberate act of omission under Florida Statute 415.102.
Part 2, Paragraph 13: "Visitors may be restricted from the facility if such visitors violate these visitation rules and conditions in any manner."
Does this language mean that Terri's immediate family can be barred from seeing her at the instructions of her husband/guardian at any time?
WE NEED TO START PHONE BANKING AGAIN TO TALLAHASSEE AND TO D.C. floriduh voter
... and sponsors legislation to turn hospices into highly profitable death camps. Along with everything else, he is totally corrupt.
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