TERRI IS NOW BEING RE-HYDRATED. WE DID IT! BUT PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY, E-MAIL

Live report from Hospice

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

UPDATE FROM TERRI'S VIGIL SITE ON LOCATION... by floriduh voter and drk4the1: TERRI IS NOT BEING RE-HYDRATED AT MORTON PLANT HOSPITAL IN CLEARWATER, FL. The Governor's Office is under the impression and reporting that the procedure started at 7:07 pm. While it's being reported to the family attorney that she is not going to receive anything. A telephonic hearing is scheduled to begin at 8:30 pm est with Judge Douglas Baird re: Michael Schiavo's suit against Gov. Bush and his executive order of today. Additionally, Michael S. is disputing his removal as Terri's legal guardian. Anything helpful appreciated. Contact floriduh voter or the drk screen name. We are outside fighting the mosquitoes. H E L P !!!!!

293 posted on 10/21/2003 8:51 PM EDT by floriduh voter (Please keep following Terri Threads. We aren't done yet... updates also at terrisfight.org)

[fiesti]

I hope someone can find the right evidence to put his sorry arse in prison where it belongs

[fiesti]

It is 4pm and no legal guardian appointed yet still Michael.I am convinced they are trying to run out the clock.. I also feel a very good chance that Terri is septic which could kill her if no antibiotics given... Do we need to contact Jeb again ???

[First_Salute]

"Conflict of Interest Charged in Florida Euthanasia Case" by Jeff Johnson, CNSnews.com, September 17, 2003, posted at FreeRepublic by kattracks, Sept. 17, 2003 --- the following is the complete article from CNS ---

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Supporters of Terri Schindler Schiavo, the 39-year-old disabled Florida woman whose husband is attempting to remove her feeding tube which would end her life, charged a possible conflict of interest in the case Tuesday, one day after the judge postponed a decision on therapy for the woman to help her re-learn to swallow nutrients given to her by mouth.

The group working to get therapy and rehabilitative services for Terri alleges an improper link between the husband's attorney, George Felos, and court-appointed physician Dr. Peter Bambakidis, who was charged with providing an impartial review of the medical evidence in the case. Felos refused to comment on the allegation.

"Supporters of Terri believe that attorney George Felos had a personal relationship with either the Bambakidis family or with Peter Bambakidis prior to Dr. Peter Bambakidis being assigned as an independent examining physician in April of 2002," said Pamela Hennessy, spokeswoman for the group.

Hennessy referred to marketing materials distributed by Felos in which he lists some of the professional and social organizations in which he holds membership.

"A member of the Florida Bar and Clearwater Bar Association, Felos served as a member of the Clearwater Bar Appellate Law Committee, as governor of the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association (AHEPA), and as chair of numerous National Association of Securities Dealers arbitration panels," the document states.

AHEPA is a Greek fraternal organization that counts among its members Gust Bambakidis, chairman of the physics department at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and the older brother of Peter Bambakidis.

The elder Bambakidis confirmed to CNSNews.com Tuesday that it was his brother, Peter, who testified in the Terri Schindler Schiavo case.

"He was down in Florida because he was, I think he was asked to be an expert witness in a case. I think that's what that was all about" Gust Bambakidis said.

Gust Bambakidis said his younger brother is not a member of AHEPA, which was confirmed by the group's national headquarters. The older brother also said that he does not know George Felos.

Peter Bambakidis did not return calls to his office seeking comment for this report.

Felos refuses to answer questions

Felos Tuesday refused to answer questions about his client's case or about any possible relationship with the Bambakidis family, saying CNSNews.com's coverage of the controversy was "atrociously biased so I'm just not going to participate in it."

"In one of your articles ... I was described, not by someone else, but by the author of the article as a 'euthanasia attorney,' or 'pro-euthanasia attorney,'" Felos claimed, "which is inaccurate. I don't support euthanasia, I never have, I've been very clear about my position."

Felos was unable to identify any article in which the alleged description of him occurred.

Of the 16 articles CNSNews.com has published regarding the Terri Schindler Schiavo case, only six have contained the word "euthanasia" and none have done so referring directly or indirectly to Felos.

He has been identified by CNSNews.com as "a noted author and advocate in Florida's so-called 'right to die' movement," and as "a well-known advocate of the so-called 'right-to-die'," along with variations of the phrase "Michael Schiavo's attorney."

Felos authored the book Litigation as Spiritual Practice, which includes in its promotion by Blue Dolphin Publishing the statement that "Attorney George Felos became the legal advocate of Estelle Browning's right-to-die and in the process plumbed the depths of death and dying and spearheaded a social revolution to enable death with dignity in the state of Florida."

Felos has been described as a "right-to-die lawyer" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Orlando Sentinel has described Felos as the author of "a book about his right-to-die advocacy."

Judge set to rule on removal of feeding tube, swallowing therapy

Pinellas-Pasco, Florida, Circuit Judge George Greer refused to hear the Schindler family's motion that Terri be given immediate therapy to help her re-learn to swallow food on her own, before her feeding tube (technically referred to as a "gastrostomy" or "g-tube") is removed. Greer told attorney Pat Anderson that the issue is still being considered as part of the decision about when the tube will be removed.

"He told litigating attorneys that he would deliver a ruling on the removal of Terri's feeding tube as well as the emergency motion for immediate therapy ... on Wednesday," Hennessy told CNSNews.com. "But he's not calling another hearing. It's assumed, at this stage, that he's going to deliver whatever ruling he has via facsimile or courier."

Terri Schindler Schiavo suffered a brain injury due to oxygen depravation in 1990 under questionable circumstances. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, first petitioned the court to remove her feeding tube in 1998 shortly after winning a $1.2 million medical malpractice lawsuit on his wife's behalf. Terri's parents and siblings are seeking therapy and rehabilitation for her based on claims by some medical professionals that she could partially recover with additional care.

 

[Tucson_AZ]

Focus on the Family Offers Insight into Terri Schiavo's Condition; Worldwide Ministry Corrects Erroneous Information Reported in FL Case

10/22/03 3:19:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: David Gasak of Focus on the Family, 719-548-4570, culturalissues@family.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Focus on the Family applauds Tuesday's action by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush to save the life of Terri Schiavo, the disabled woman whose feeding tube had been removed on the order of a county judge. Still, many media reports of Schiavo's ordeal continue to misrepresent the medical facts of her condition. Focus' vice president of medical outreach, Walt Larimore, MD, and bioethics analyst, Carrie Gordon Earll, issued the following "fact sheet" today in the hope of correcting the erroneous information being written and broadcast:

-- It is being reported that Terri is comatose. She is not. It is also being reported that she is in a "persistent vegetative state" (PVS), based on conflicting testimony in the courts. The truth? Terri is severely brain damaged and disabled. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, "...individuals in a persistent vegetative state ... do not speak ..."; yet Terri's parents report that she can say words. In addition, experts say patients with PVS cannot follow objects with their eyes; yet video of Terri clearly shows that she does. (Citations available upon request.)

-- Terri is not dependent on "life support," as many reports have stated. She breathes on her own and, like many disabled Americans, only requires assistance in receiving hydration and nutrition. Her body receives and processes hydration and nutrition naturally. Prior to the removal of her feeding tube, Terri was not experiencing (to our knowledge) any organ or system failure, and her body benefited from the nutrients she received.

-- Terri was not dying prior to the removal of her feeding tube. To deny her hydration when her body requires and processes fluids has the potential to cause her a painful and agonizing death. The effect of dehydration and starvation on Terri is no different than denying fluids and nutrition to the most "healthy" person.

-- After Terri's initial collapse, she was continually denied rehabilitative therapy that may have given her the ability to swallow on her own. This denial of therapy created a dependence on the feeding tube. Medical experts have testified that Terri may still be a good candidate for being weaned from the feeding tube, but she has been denied this opportunity for therapy.

-- Focus on the Family recognizes that there are times in the dying process when forced hydration via a feeding tube can be burdensome to the patient as the body is shutting down to die. In these situations, a feeding tube may be ethically removed with the concurrence of the guardian and/or family. However, Terri was not dying of natural causes but from denial of hydration and nutrition.

-- Focus on the Family believes that there is a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2), and therefore there are situations when medical interventions should cease and a natural death be allowed. The question is not whether Terri should be allowed to die, however. The question is whether she has been given the opportunity to live.

-- Ultimately, Focus on the Family believes that in cases like Terri's, where the condition is not necessarily terminal; the patient has not let his or her wishes be known concerning hydration and nutrition; and the family is in dispute as to whether to remove hydration and nutrition (thereby hastening the patient's death), the legislative and judicial processes should always favor life.

------

James C. Dobson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, radio broadcaster and founder of Focus on the Family. Founded in 1977, Focus on the Family is a nonprofit Christian organization committed to strengthening the family in the U.S. and throughout the world.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

/© 2003 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I read on another thread that the rehydrating process is slow, that they can introduce minerals by IV, and that they would determine what medications are necessary as they assess her condition. I also read that the feeding tube would more than likely not be readministered at once, because of all of the other treatments that would have to be done, first. But, this doesn't mean that the hospital is disobeying Bush's executive order which outlines exactly what they must do, by his command.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Yes, keep up the pressure. Terri's not out of the woods, yet, nor will she be until Michael's out of the picture.

[LADY J]

"Well, Boortz just dropped off my radar as someone who has something worthwhile to say."

Boortz is a know-it-all pompous ass!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

LOL... come on... did he REALLY say that?

[alexandria]

watch out for the Shetland. Some of them are as mean as a pitbull. (no joke, friend) .

Isn't that the gospel truth!

[sweetliberty]

"husband of a comatose Florida woman"

I am SO sick and tired of the LYING media using that word. It should be accompanied at every use by this picture of Terri or a clip from one of the videos.

.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

That characterization is more reassuring.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

932 Ping

[stefeb]

CNN changed their wording from comatose to brain damaged.

Good job Freepers!

[stefeb]

CNN changed their wording from comatose to brain damaged.

Good job Freepers!

[diamond6]

I love the fine print. I think we are all a little jealous of Nebraska!!!

What is your favorite horse to ride. I'm partial to Tennessee Walkers.

[Tucson_AZ]

please use news.google.com and search for "Terri Schiavo", then send this photo to all the 'news' sites that call her comatose.

[Gelato]

AAPS Doctors: Schindler-Schiavo is Not a 'Death with Dignity' Issue

10/22/03 1:58:00 PM

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) issued this statement from Jane M. Orient, M.D., in response to the emergency action of the Florida legislature to reinstate feeding and hydration of Terri Schindler-Schiavo:

"Terri Schindler-Schiavo has won a temporary stay from execution by a method too cruel to be used for convicted criminals. And yet her husband's attorney is trying to spin it into a 'death with dignity issue' with his comments on Tuesday.

"He says it's cruel to begin rehydration. The opposite is true -- dehydration is a cruel, painful death. It is unconscionable that the state ordered removal of her feeding tube in the first place -- it's nothing less than state-sponsored euthanasia.

"She is not dependent on advanced medical interventions. Nothing is mechanically pumping her blood, or forcing oxygen into her lungs. She is simply being fed through a gastrostomy tube. Would we allow a retarded child to be starved to death?

"Some physicians believe that Terri could be rehabilitated to some extent, at least so that she could swallow oral feedings and eliminate the need for the tube. She should be allowed to try, but so far her husband has blocked every attempt to see whether she can swallow. Doctors have offered pro bono treatment, if money is the barrier for her husband.

"Although severely disabled, some believe that she does have the capacity to communicate a desire to live. The husband has obstructed efforts at rehabilitation or independent assessments of his wife's true state.

"Where are the 'compassionate end-of-life' groups such as the Robert Wood Johnson 'Last Acts' initiative, and why aren't they weighing in on this?

"The ethical question for her nurses and physicians is whether they will cooperate in carrying out a death warrant.

"And the ethical question for all of us is whether we will allow the state to obstruct the efforts of people who want to provide medical care to a patient who wants to receive it.

"If we go down that path, who's to say what treatment the state will prevent you from getting?"

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=125-10222003

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[Florida Mama]

LOL... come on... did he REALLY say that?
~~~~~~~

not only did he say the things quoted above, he refered to her as a "rutabaga" (not sure how to spell that word, but you get the idea)

He slammed on feeding tubes and "artificial life".

Given his description of what "quality of life is, My daughter should have been put out of her misery along time ago according to him.

Heather

[atruelady]

Since the object is to hydrate/feed her to make sure she is alive and stays that way, then a doctor (according to the Gov. order) should be assessing her all the way. If she needs medication, I am sure she will get it. The husband has has a final say on ALL her treatment. Any facility, hospital, including the one where Terri is now, if they and the doctors are worth their salt, they will tell the husband that he is not her guardian to the point of not allowing any treatment at all. They should be telling him to go to hell.

Look at what would happen in my child was in dire need of medical help and I refused it based on the fact that I am her legal guardian. Hospitals and doctors take people to court all the time to intervene on behalf of the patient. It is amazing that no one will do this for Terri even before tubes were ordered removed, etc.

The law about not admitting terminally ill people to hospice's is real. The judge really failed in this matter. He is on the block for sure for allowing these constant criminal violations. This has gone one for too long. This had to happen to wake people up to the reality of Woodside and the death lawyer/judge playing God. There are more people involved at all levels. If this didn't happen, Felos and Greer would have just kept going with no one checking.