The Court-Ordered Death of Terri Schiavo

TownHall.com ^ | October 17, 2003 | William Federer

[maestro]

FYI.......bump!

Psalm 10

[MHGinTN]

Michael has been in adulterous cohabiting for seven plus years, even fathering a child with this other woman. THAT is grounds for being declared an inappropriate guardian since he is clearly defrauding Terri. BUT judge Greer refuses to hold Michael to even minimal guardianship standards. Time for the chief executive/lawgog to step in and call timeout until the full details can be thoroughly investigated.

[Salvation]

"First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out --
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out --
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out --
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me --
and there was no one left to speak out for me."
~~Pastor Martin Niemoller
(victim of the Nazis)

Is there anything we can learn from this?
When they came for the Catholics?
When they came for the Baptists?
When they came for the fundamentalists?
When they came for the agnostics?
When they came for the physically disabled?
When they came for the mentally disabled?

Just something for all of us to think about -- is this picture larger than we currently see it?

[PleaseNoMore]

I don't know about Florida law but I believe that here in NC cohabiting with someone for 7 years constitutes common law marriage. If this is the case in Florida he is a bigamyst. Isn't he?

[NYer]

Please name just one effective thing Bush can do.

As governor of the state of Florida, the governor (Jeb Bush) can commute the sentence of a prisoner. With his pen, he has sweeping powers to overrule the decisions of any judge. Jeb Bush can and must "commute" the death sentence of Terri Schiavo. On his watch, a living, breathing, and alert individual is being starved to death, through NO FAULT OF HER OWN.

[Clara Lou]

I'm sorry-- there is no "they" here. Your comparison is false.

[Schwaeky]

I just spoke to my cousin who lives in Escambia county (Pensacola). my cousin's husband is a divorce law attorney and said that under common law in Florida, Michael Schiavo is technically married to his paramour who he has a child with and another on the way. However, by virtue of this common-law marriage, it puts him in violation of state and federal law concerning polygamy/bigamy. also puts him as being null and void from having any claim to any asset or property assigned, whether by legal title or the civil action, to his first spouse, Mrs. Theresa Schindler-Schiavo. However, judicial activisim in this has run amok, and the courts have ignored a common law marriage resulting in criminal bigamy, upheld guardianship of Terri in the hands of this monster, who has effectively sentenced her to the cruelest of deaths possible. By disregarding marriage law, it puts the sixth circuit court of appeals (Greer's court) in a precarious legal position by disregarding florida statutes in order to reach a pneumbra to legitimize this death sentence, yet the Florida judicial system is allowing it to stand... indeed, something is rotten in denmark--or florida anyway...

[syriacus]

I can't answer for what happens in Australia, but I do know about Texas. That description is not correct.

I'd guess the description was correct. Could you read the article once again, more carefully?

You'll notice the starvation victim was in Florida, not Australia.

Here is the quote again

Marjorie Nighbert, not terminally ill, who was admitted to a Florida nursing home following a stroke. Her feeding tube was removed on instructions from her brother. As she began to feel the effects of dehydration and hunger she begged,"Please feed me . . . I’m hungry, I’m thirsty."

[maestro]

FYI.....ping!

Esther 7:3-4

[cpforlife.org]

Your #43 is awesome. Great Job.

[NYer]

A more detailed explanation of Death by Starvation from our old friends at the Hemlock Society. This group has studied exit methods to pass on to the willing members, as you will see.

 

Hastening Death by Starvation and Dehydration by Faye Girsh, Executive Director Hemlock Society USA The option of dying by starvation or Patient Refusal of Nutrition and Hydration (PRNH), as it is referred to, appears to be a compromise which allows terminally ill people to end their lives and still have ministrations from hospice and from a doctor. A hospice nurse was kind enough to send me eight articles from nursing and medical journals reviewing this process in an attempt to convince me that this was a painless and gentle death which would obviate the necessity of a more drastic end. Hemlock Society is in the business of maximizing the options for a good death; for many people this means of ending their lives is acceptable while getting direct help from a doctor, using a plastic bag, or ending their lives by other more direct means is not. Having read this material I would endorse this as a legitimate alternative to which our members should give careful consideration, particularly when other means are not acceptable or available. I do have these caveats: The length of time it took for patients to die in these studies varies considerably depending on the fragility and weight of the patient, the state of his/her heart , etc., from several days to several weeks. Most of the reports of dying patients are within one or two weeks from dehydration. After the first day a state called detonemia develops in which there are apparently severe hunger pangs (unless feeding is restored) Not taking fluids appears to actually reduce a person's discomfort, bloating, nausea, lung secretions, urinary frequency and pain, and is a good idea at the end of life in any case. This method may be difficult for family members -- and some medical personnel -- who may find it difficult not to provide food and fluids. A family may need help caring for the dying person. Excellent oral hygiene must be maintained with ice chips to moisten the mouth, careful cleaning of the mouth, and lubricants. Skin becomes dry and inelastic so a soft mattress is helpful. Dizziness and weakness also occur. Many of the patients described, including the mother of Dr. David Eddy, whose account in the Journal of the American Medical Association has become a classic, had asked for a hastened death and had been refused by the doctors and nurses on the grounds that it would constitute an assisted suicide and thus be morally, ethically and legally wrong. This method is seen as a preferable alternative to a lethal dose of medication from a physician. Medical care is essential; most patients required morphine for pain and many received anti-anxiety agents. It would be essential to have medical and nursing support before embarking on this route. PRNH is a choice; it is relatively gentle and painless in most reported cases. It is certain, and loved ones can be there. Hospice workers and doctors will regard this as acceptable and treat the patient with compassion. It is not offensive to most religious groups. But it is not swift; the patient must be close to death, and medical and nursing help should be available. It may not be an option for everyone. Since the manner of dying must be the patient's choice, this method does not obviate the search for ways which are acceptable to every person -- including direct help from a doctor -- certainly a shorter, more direct, and less torturous route.

[PleaseNoMore]

Yes something is indeed rotten there...My Lord, WHY on earth won't someone with power do something. Don't anyone butt in and say nothing can be done because there is something that CAN be done. Radical or not.

[Clara Lou]

This from the Hemlock society describes my mother's situation very closely-- the oral hygiene, the anti-anxiety drug, the ice chip now and then. The nurses sent by hospice who came to our home to care for her kept her turned so that she required only fairly mild pain-killers. May God bless hospice organizations!

[editor-surveyor]

You're a shill for the Death Culture, IMO.

[MHGinTN]

I'm under the impression from previous discussion that there is no common law marriage statute in Florida. There are on the books, however, laws making adultery a breach of fealty' (I think that's the wording).

[Clara Lou]

Really? Have you read the rest of my posts? I forgive you for being an a$$.

[SerpentDove]

"For me, the relevant question is, what makes it so seriously wrong to take a life?" Singer asked."

[SerpentDove]

This is a court-ordered death.

[SerpentDove]

Yes, nothing like Nazism could ever happen again. Could it?

[SerpentDove]

>>People who are angry and upset should do something to change the law.<<

The law says she has the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.