Open Letter to Gov Jeb Bush + Pix from Terri Schiavo's Vigil

Envoy Magazine Blog ^ | October 19, 2003 | Pete Vere

[supercat]

he doesn't want Terri to survive, because then, when she IS able to vocalize, she could tell how he strangled her and put her in the condition she is now in.

That is purely hypothetical. On the other hand, it's not hypothetical to suggest that if, under the care of a new guardian, she were given therapy and showed any significant improvement, her guardian would be able to file a really big lawsuit on her behalf against Felos and Schiavo for having willfully withheld the therapy that was supposed to be paid for by the trust fund.

Even if her initial collapse was entirely accidental, Schiavo and Felos would still be in big trouble if Terri ever made any sort of recovery.

[Ferret Fawcet]

I feel as you do. Maybe it's time to give the Constitution Party another look.

[Saundra Duffy]

Thanks for the song lyrics. I am so disappointed in Jeb Bush!! I am so disappointed in the medical profession. I can't believe this is happening. An innocent human being being starved to death and this is okay with many Americans. Those who are okay with this are the same ones who think it's okay to kill unborn babies, I guess. Lord have mercy on us.

[supercat]

Many FReepers won't like the answer. 'Cause when I see the videos of Terri I have two reactions. First, I pray for Terri. Second, I pray that if I was ever in that condition, my wife would do everything she could to pull the plug. I can't speak for Terri, but as for me, I would want to go and be with my God rather than living a hell on earth.

Terri's HINO has actively prevented her from receiving any sort of therapy. The fact is that there's no way we can know, or will ever be able to know, what Terri's true condition was or to what extent she might have improved with therapy.

There are people alive today who were in apparently-worse shape than Terri, but who have recovered enough to lead somewhat normal lives. One of my relatives was in a head-on collision with a jack-knifed semi and was comatose for well over a month, but she now lives at home with her husband.

Had therapy been tried and proven unsuccessful, then your point of view might not be unreasonable. But to suggest that someone should be killed before making any effort at rehabilitation after an accidental incident(*) is just plain wrong.

(*) As distinct from an incident caused by an persistent underlying medical condition. If someone suffers cardiac arrest as a result of a rapidly spreading cancer, restarting their heart won't do much good because the underlying cause for its stopping will still be present. In the case of someone whose heart stops as a result of massive trauma, restarting the heart may allow it to function for many more years if the trauma is fixed.

[Thorondir]

If Jeb fails to grow a pair and stop this ugly mrder, I will donate money to ANYONE who runs against him. I promise.

[Humidston]

I can't believe that piece either. If anything, the Bush bros are mourning this situation like we are. I think they're good men and they understand the pain this is causing everyone who loves Terri.

My complaint is the fact that neither of them (apparently) has the guts to step in and call a halt to this inhumane practice. It's legalized murder!

[verity]

That would certainly eliminate this thread!

[Ohioan from Florida]

I didn't see the Reader's Digest, but by any chance was Judge Lenderman the one from Pinellas? He's Greer's bench buddy, with a sister on the Board of Directors at the Hospice!

[Humidston]

Amen!

[Thorondir]

Your post was crass and unwarranted!

[verity]

Which post!

[supercat]

From Pinellas and Pasco County Medical Examiner's Office:

The cause of death on the death certificate must be sufficient to: ... (3) identify the underlying or proximate cause of death - the "due to" disease or injury responsible for initiating the lethal sequence of events.

From everything Schiavo, Felos, and Greer have been saying, the initiating event would be Terri's fall, right? So what caused Terri's fall?

[NYer]

I believe that this case will become for euthenasia what Roe v. Wade became for abortion.

Yes ... it has already been legalized in the Netherlands. As you so wisely pointed out, they come 'first' for the mentally disabled, then move on to the next group. Notice, no one in the media has connected the dots between a woman who can breathe but requires nourishment via a feeding tube, and Christopher Reeve who could not exist for more than a few minutes without his ventilator. Or how about Stephen Hawking? What separates Terri Schiavo from them? Where is the outcry from these advocates for the disabled .... hmmmm????

Stephen Hawking - Physicist
requires an individual to interpret his 'grunts'
Granted Reprieve to live

Christopher Reeve - (former) Actor
Advocates using stem cells from aborted fetuses to research cures for spinal cord injuries.
Granted Reprieve to live life.

Terri Schindler Schiavo - Wife
Terri is not on a respirator or any artificial life support.
Condemned to Death by Starvation

[supercat]

If I were Michael Schiavo's girlfriend, I would be having 2nd thoughts about continuing any relationship with him. If he can do this to his first wife, what's in store for #2.

If she's smart, she'll take her child, skip town, and send an anonymous message to Michael Schiavo suggesting that if he wants her to keep quiet he should wire $500,000 to a certain offshore bank account.

[Thorondir]

Post number 11. How hard is that to figure out? Sheesh!

[supercat]

I believe that this case will become for euthenasia what Roe v. Wade became for abortion.

Precedent has already been set. The only thing that makes this unique is that Terri has refused to die off like she was supposed to. Therefore, if this case has any effect, I predict it will be to wake up a lot of people to the lies and deceptions to which the pro-death forces are willing to stoop. And if that happens, even if Terri doesn't last the week, her 13-year struggle for survival against Schiavo's tortures--which she could probably have passed away from if she'd wanted--will not have been in vain.

[sweetliberty]

I have been making a point of talking to people who are not connected to the internet about this case and I have yet to run across a single one who knew any particulars about the case....just that Terri was either vegetative or in a coma, both completely untrue.

[viaveritasvita]

so why are they not covering this???

My guess is because the majority of the mainstream media believe in and help promote "euthanasia." While Terri's case does have some elements for a debate on euthanasia, it's not quite right and could turn out to be detrimental to the "right to die/culture of death" agenda, if you know what I mean.

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[MagnoliaMS]

I really don't remember the name, it was someone's else RD that I was reading. But I'll go to their (rd.com) site and see if it's by chance on-line.

[NYer]

Meant to bump you to this post.