Are Some Now Understanding What Happened to Terri Schiavo Was Wrong?

Life News ^ | 10/16/07 | Wesley J. Smith

[wagglebee]

Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and an attorney for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. His latest book is Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World.

I think Bobby Schindler is right.

There have been a lot of stories of late about how supposedly vegetative patients could understand, or of "miraculous" awakenings by people who doctors were sure would never react consciously again.

Bobby, Terri Schiavo's brother, has noticed that whatever the condition of the patient whose story is being told, the reports all have a common sub theme--the awakening, comprehension, etc. has nothing to do with Terri, meaning it was right to dehydrate her to death.

It is as these reports, to quote Shakespeare, "doth protest too much," as if there is a subliminal realization that a terrible injustice was done to her.

The latest almost unbelievable example is in an otherwise interesting and important (and long) piece in the New Yorker, byline Jerome Groopman. After describing how supposedly unconscious people have been misdiagnosed, the author quotes an unnamed neuroscientist about Terri.

From the story:

A neuroscientist showed me a video on the Internet of Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman who spent fifteen years in what most doctors agree was a vegetative state--tests revealed almost no activity in her cortex--and whose death, in 2005, provoked fierce debate over the rights of severely brain-damaged patients. (Schiavo died after the Supreme Court rejected her parents' appeal of a judge's decision approving her husband's request that her feeding tube be removed. An autopsy showed extensive brain damage.) In the video, a man's voice can be heard praising Schiavo for opening her eyes in response to his instructions, and the neuroscientist told me that he was impressed until he muted the sound. "With the sound off, it is clear that her movements are random," the neuroscientist said. "But, with the voice-over, it is easy to make a misdiagnosis. (My emphasis.)

The above stills are from the video in question. It deeply touched my heart and it is seared forever in my memory. In that video, Terri is asked by the examiner to open her eyes. At first, nothing. Then, within ten or so seconds, her eyes flicker, she opens them, and then opens them so wide her forehead wrinkles. It is clearly an intentional response to the question.

But if you turn the sound off, there is no question to hear--and voila, her opening her eyes with clear intention can now be dismissed as merely "random movement."

But a random movement under those circumstances would be to move her head from side to side or lick or lips. But when she opened her eyes, and so intently, precisely as requested, you have to work hard to make it "random." So, to make sure we don't see the terrible wrong that was done to her, we just turn off the sound.

As I said, unbelievable. But do read the larger piece. It is well worth the time.

[wagglebee]

A court in Italy has given a father another chance to remove his daughter’s feeding tube.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912712/posts

[floriduh voter]

google Auditor Melton to see how wards of the state have their assets thrown into an escrow pool, their jewelry and property sold for low money to brokers and then re-sold for big bucks. Judge Greer oversees this. (he's legally blind). They've been stealing from wards for years and spreading the wealth among their friends.

There's no will to probate. Beneficiaries get nothing cuz the power brokers are like vultures. Judge Greer refused Auditor Melton a look at the ward escrow accounts which is Melton's job. It's corrupt and doubtful it's an anomaly just in Pinellas.

[floriduh voter]

Yes, the hospital refused admittance and Terri was outside for quite awhile and it was a chilly night. Our friend in the bushes at the hospital told us they wouldn't let her in. Atty Pat Anderson held a presser back at hospice and a congressman from Virginia called the hospital and told them to let Terri in or he would cut their funding. They told the congressman they didn't know who he was. He told the hospital, "You'll know tomorrow when I pull your funding."

Gosh, his name escapes me. I suppose he was contacted by a freeper on this. It seems that he was.

[Osage Orange]

Maybe that is what you are afraid to do?

LOL!!

I've done many years of top water fishing....Zara Spooks, Jitter Bugs, Hula Poppers, Crazy Shads...thus I know what bait to rise to, and what bait not to.

I'd rather keep my hide, thanks, but no thanks,....LOL!!

[floriduh voter]

Terri listened to music. She liked the music that was popular at the time of her “incident”. Lots of brain injured people’s preferences pre-date their incident, injury or their beating from behind.

[floriduh voter]

One miracle of Terri is that the world is still talking about her, the implications of her suffering and the world is re-evaluating how we treat one another.

She was one person but look at the impact of her life and death. It doesn't matter to me if it's one life or genocide. Murder is morally and legally unacceptable.

[bjs1779]

I've done many years of top water fishing....Zara Spooks, Jitter Bugs, Hula Poppers, Crazy Shads...thus I know what bait to rise to, and what bait not to.

Sort of sad that you would compare Terri to bait and fish.

[floriduh voter]

There is the outside possibility that the dad in Italy is getting a kickback for fighting against his daughter. The moving party who is against life usually moves for monetary benefits. Maybe George Soros is bankrolling dad.

[floriduh voter]

My new keyboard finally types as fast as I do. It’s only taken six months. Now it’s time for a break. Free Republic is anti-euthanasia central imo.

[Sun]

Please show your neighbor this:

A “Will to Live” is better than a “Living Will” and can be downloaded to be used, or just used as an example, from www.nrlc.org.

Always make sure you know what you’re getting into with a “living will.” For instance, if you say: “I don’t want to be on a respirator,” it could mean one thing if it would only prolong an imminent death for months or years, and another thing if it would only be needed for 48 or more hours after an accident, and one could be restored to normal health.

[bjs1779]

Now it’s time for a break.

Yep, me too. Good job today as usual FV.

[Osage Orange]

Sort of sad that you would compare Terri to bait and fish.

That's pathetic....my instincts were correct.

Go lay in ambush for some other unsuspecting fish.

[mjaneangels@aolcom]

“Because euthanasia remains illegal. Were it legal, her death would have been much more peaceful.”

49th:

Either way, according to you and others, she had to die. I just want to know what she did to you?

[Halls]

I agree!

[the invisib1e hand]

florida govt has (and has had) the potential to rival the third reich and undoubtedly would under the right circumstances.

Pinellas County, once home to the KKK (do your homework), now home to Scientology, home to the brutal murder of Terri Schiavo; Bernie McCabe, bad-to-the-bone; abuse of children in the juvenile justice system; magnet for scammers and psychos; central florida, the nation's southern witchcraft and occult headquarters; Tampa, porn, strip club and death metal capital of the world; thriving body-parts business...

Saw it off, I tell you.

[floriduh voter]

Yeah, it's like evil central but there are good people here too.

PANAMA OUTRAGE:

Look at Martin Anderson, 14 years old, in state custody at a boot camp. He was no hardened youthful offender. After a run at boot camp, seven guards and a nurse thought he was faking breathing trouble so they kept roughing him up to get him to comply. Kicked him, tackled him, hammer chopped him, suffocated him and EVEN THE NURSE went to get more guards to get Martin to comply.

Panama City jury: NOT GUILTY. The jury needs psych evals. Are they nuts?

It was manslaughter rather than "not guilty". The Sheriff sat behind the defense table for one thing.

The question is: is Martin Anderson dead? Why, yes he is. He couldn't breathe and instead of erring on the side of caution, he was treated like a non-compliant convicted criminal.

Better saw off the panhandle too. How did all these sadists end up here in LE and in the medical profession? Maybe nobody else would have them.

[floriduh voter]

Good morning from the banana republic. We don’t have prop tax reform yet but we still have a bizarre governor.

[floriduh voter]

My neighbor already spent $65 for his living will. If anything happens to him, who's gonna feed all the stray cats who call him dad? Not me. I've taken some to adoption places and one named Buc to a vet for mites in both eyes. Buc would have gone blind so I kept an eye on Buc until he died from feline leukemia and hiv. Not all feral cats are afraid of people but I'm not going to get into the animal trapping business if my neighbor croaks.

Speaking of stray cats, they spend their abbreviated lives hiding under cars and fighting at night? It gets cold here in winter sometimes, then, the occasional hurricane bands and although I feel sorry for the outdoor cats, there's only so much any one person can do.

[Sun]

You got mail!

[the invisib1e hand]

You make my case better than I can. It’s a very sick place. New York City is more real.