Posted on 03/20/2005 7:08:50 AM PST by Pendragon_6
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Friday that subpoenas issued by Sen. Mike Enzi compelling Terri Schiavo to appear at a March 28 congressional hearing made it a crime to disconnect her feeding tube - and threatened anyone who interfered with her testimony with jail.
In a statement issued by the majority leader's office, Frist said:
"Federal criminal law protects witnesses called before official Congressional committee proceedings from anyone who may obstruct or impede a witness’ attendance or testimony."
"More specifically," said the Senate's top Republican, "the law protects a witness from anyone who - by threats, force, or by any threatening letter or communication - influences, obstructs, or impedes an inquiry or investigation by Congress.
"Anyone who violates this law is subject to criminal fines and imprisonment," Frist said.
Continued
His rulings have all been upheld in higher courts; are you claiming that all of them are activists?
And what's going to happen when Congress passes some law that the USSC won't hear and it goes back to Florida? Are you all going to say that Anthony Scalia is an activist?
Because Scalia is one who turned it down on Friday night.
Extremist religious belief of any sort is the true EVIL in the world.
You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to see the similarities between radical Islam and radical Christianity.
Religion has killed more people throughout history than any World Wars or Holacaust...combined.
Keeping Terri Schiavo alive is no different than trying to exhibit Pandas in a zoo...solely for the benefit of whom?
Rhetorical question...don't bother me.
Terri's mother coming up on FNC.
Then you're against this special Congressional session today?
my concern as well (aside of knowing the agony this woman will endure by being starved & denied water until she dies) - too many of the problems that currently plague us are due to 'good ideas' decided without thinking of the possible future consequences.
""We're not talking about OJ or Scott Peterson, we're talking about a person's right to decide her fate. Michael Schiavo has said that he knows Terri Schiavo would not want to continue in her condition. What if he is right?""
And while we're suppposing what if's. What if she had been given the therapy she needed all these years, would that have improved her? Would she have recovered with the necessary therapy? I worked in a hospital with brain damaged individuals, the first step when coming out of a coma is to show bright objects, poke them with pins (lightly), the object is to get the brain working again which cannot be done without some sort of stimulation. Terri was never given a chance for that stimulation, can't even go outside??
the fear i am sensing from that side of this issue is not fear that they will begin willy nilly pulling plugs on the helpless, disabled, etc. but rather that it may be more difficult for them to effectuate their own wishes not to be kept alive beyond a certain point. the simple remedy to that is PUT IT IN WRITING. simply enough done. but no, they seem to prefer that this woman die at the behest of her hopelessly conflicted husband, lest it somehow impinge on their own future situations.
Then to quote Dickens, "the law is an ass."
So's Mike Schiavo and Judge Greer.
Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The Schindlers also begged Michael to step down and let them take care of Terri. Why would he allow that, Terri may get better. The Schindlers wanted him to divorce Terri too, but he would't budge. He's never budged from the time he remembered, after he got the settlement money, that Terri wouldn't want to live this way. Or did she actually say she wanted to move away? Who knows. He only remembered it all those years later, not from the beginning!
This is hardly one of those "peace now" sort of demonstrations where you get a bunch of like minded people sharing the cell with you.
Working alone DCP is going to find out what "boy, get down" means FUR SURE.
Perhaps Dr. Kevorkian can obtain a 24 hour furlough to visit his "friends", Mike and Terry.
He prolly got a rich billionaire uncle on life support somewhere he wants to pull the plug on.
There are over 11,000 similar cases being played out now without government interferance and according to the wishes of the family.
The only difference between them and Schiavo is that there is a lot of money and a bunch of lawyers involved in this case that are interfering in private medical decisions DISPITE WHAT DOCTORS HAVE ADVISED AS BEING AN UNCORRECTABLE MEDICAL DECISION!
This has never been a case of murder. This is clearly a case of who is in control of their private affairs and who has the ultimate authority. In this case, it is the husband, regardless if he is estranged or the animal you people are trying to make him out to be. You have to somehow justify he is incompetent to carry out her wishes by attacking his integrity as if you are some kind of morality gestapo who can do everything better because you think you are superior.
You know that.
This is the timeline of Terri's care. You will note that in 1990 the Schindlers found that Terri's care was overwhelming and returned her to a rehabilitation center and that they didn't object at the time to Michael being named Terri's guardian.
February 25, 1990
Terri Schiavo suffers cardiac arrest, taken to Humana Hospital where she remains in a coma for weeks, comes out into a vegetative state. There, she is given (PEG) tube to provide nutrition and hydration.
May 12, 1990
Terri Schiavo is discharged from the hospital and taken to the College Park skilled care and rehabilitation facility.
June 18, 1990
Court appoints Michael Schiavo as guardian; Terri Schiavo’s parents do not object.
June 30, 1990
Terri Schiavo is transferred to Bayfront Hospital for further rehabilitation efforts.
September 1990
Terri Schiavo’s family brings her home, but three weeks later they return her to the College Park facility because the family is “overwhelmed by Terri’s care needs.”
November 1990
Michael Schiavo takes Terri Schiavo to California for experimental “brain stimulator” treatment, an experimental “thalamic stimulator implant” in her brain.
January 1991
The Schiavos return to Florida; Terri Schiavo is moved to the Mediplex Rehabilitation Center in Brandon where she receives 24-hour care.
July 19, 1991
Terri Schiavo is transferred to Sable Palms skilled care facility where she receives continuing neurological testing, and regular and aggressive speech/occupational therapy through 1994.
May 1992
Terri Schiavo’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, and Michael Schiavo stop living together.
August 1992
Terri Schiavo is awarded $250,000 in an out-of-court medical malpractice settlement with one of her physicians.
November 1992
The jury in the medical malpractice trial against another of Terri’s physicians awards more than one million dollars for not diagnosing her apparent bulimia. In the end, after subtracting 70% due to Terri's own responsibility, attorneys’ fees and other expenses,
Michael Schiavo received about $300,000 and
about $750,000 was put in a trust fund specifically for Terri Schiavo’s medical care.
February 14, 1993
Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers have a falling-out over the course of therapy for Terri Schiavo; Michael Schiavo claims that the Schindlers demand that he share the malpractice money with them.
July 29, 1993
Schindlers attempt to remove Michael Schiavo as Terri Schiavo’s guardian; the court later dismisses the suit.
March 1, 1994
First guardian ad litem, John H. Pecarek, submits his report. He states that Michael Schiavo has acted appropriately and attentively toward Terri Schiavo.
May 1998
Michael Schiavo petitions the court to authorize the removal of Terri Schiavo’s PEG tube; the Schindlers oppose, saying that Terri would want to remain alive. The court appoints Richard Pearse, Esq., to serve as the second guardian ad litem for Terri Schiavo.
December 20, 1998
The second guardian ad litem, Richard Pearse, Esq., issues his report in which he concluding that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state with no chance of improvement and that Michael Schiavo’s decision-making may be influenced by the potential to inherit the remainder of Terri Schiavo’s estate.
January 24, 2000
The trial begins; Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Court Judge George Greer presides.
February 11, 2000
Judge Greer rules that Terri Schiavo would have chosen to have the PEG tube removed, and therefore he orders it removed, which, according to doctors, will cause her death in approximately 7 to 14 days.
That's something I've been thinking about lately too with this present controversy. She is severely disabled, and cannot care for herself. But then, so are tens of thousands of others. I realize that what is operative here is that the husband has asserted that she would not want extraordinary measures to keep her alive. But how much longer would it be before "guardians" started asserting that their "wards" would want to die if given the choice?
And that's all a federal judge is going to do; and, of course, you'll call HIM an activist, too.
I disagree.
Get lost, liberal troll.
Go to DU where you belong.
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