Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's family and a leading pro-life group blasted pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday. They took issue with his comments during Tuesday night's debate where he said his "biggest mistake" of his political career was voting for a bill to help save Terri Schiavo's life.
Obama said, for the second time, that he regretted supporting federal legislation allowing Terri's family to have a chance to take their lawsuit to prevent Terri's euthanasia death to federal court.
The Schindler family ultimately lost the lawsuit and Terri was subjected to a painful 14-day starvation and dehydration death.
"We welcome the opportunity that Senator Obama has given us to once again strive for clarity regarding the death of our beloved Terri," Terri's father Robert Schindler told LifeNews.com. "However, we are very saddened by his remarks."
"Everyone with a disability, or who knows someone with a disability, should be outraged that a potential US president would so callously reject his own action taken in favor of life over death," he added.
Schindler noted that the Senate approved the bill on a unanimous consent agreement, meaning Obama, had he voted no, would have been the lone member of the Senate on either side of the political aisle to oppose it.
"As a country, we should all be distressed that doing the right thing suddenly becomes a 'mistake' when one poll later showed it to be unpopular," Schindler said. "That isn't leadership; it's pandering to popular prejudices."
Meanwhile, the National Right to Life Committee, one of the nation's top pro-life groups, also condemned the remarks.
"Senator Obama's remarks show a callous disregard for persons with disabilities who are being denied the full protection of the law," NRLC director David O'Steen told LifeNews.com. "Calling his actions 'costly' further adds insult to injury. "
O'Steen said Obama puts disabled and elderly patients in a difficult position by saying that a person's quality of life should determine whether they live or die.
"By applying a 'quality of life' test, disabled patients across the country are in danger of being denied life-saving care and food and water," O'Steen said.
"People with serious illnesses and persons with disabilities should be fearful of Barack Obama ever being in a position to make health care policy for our nation," he concluded.
Related web sites:
Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation - http://www.terrisfight.org
National Right to Life - http://www.nrlc.org
