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Doctors defend life for Schiavo
St. Petersburg Times ^ | October 25, 2003 | WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE

Posted on 10/25/2003 5:42:23 AM PDT by NYer

PINELLAS PARK - She smiles and cries. She recognizes her mom and dad. She is shy around strangers. She likes music and once smiled broadly when her brother told her he met Bruce Springsteen.

This is Terri Schiavo in the eyes of her family.

Mrs. Schiavo's family, doctors for the family and former caregivers held a news conference Friday to counter assertions by the husband, Michael Schiavo, that Terri is in a vegetative state and has no consciousness.

"It doesn't take a doctor to know that my sister reacts to me," said Mrs. Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler Jr.

"She listens to me," said Mrs. Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler.

As the family pleaded its case, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would join in the representation of Michael Schiavo to help overturn "Terri's Law," the measure passed by lawmakers Tuesday that allowed Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in Mrs. Schiavo's case.

Bush ordered Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted after she went six days without food and water.

"Once the governor thinks it is the proper role of the Legislature and he set aside the judgment of the courts, that requires us to get the courts to declare that is just unconstitutional," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida.

Michael Schiavo has said that his wife, 39, would not want to be kept alive by artificial means.

Court-appointed doctors and physicians hired by Michael Schiavo's attorneys have testified that Mrs. Schiavo has no consciousness. They describe her groans, the opening and closing of her eyes and her smiles as involuntary reflexes.

That testimony led a Pinellas-Pasco circuit judge to order her feeding tube removed on Oct. 15 before lawmakers empowered Bush to intervene.

Felos said family members often project meaning from random movements and sounds.

"That's a common phenomenon," he said.

Felos said his doctors and others appointed by the court have watched the family interact with Mrs. Schiavo and have not seen evidence of cognition.

"If you look at the hours of video there are many instances where the mother says "Hi, it's mom' to Terri," Felos said. "There's no reaction. Absolutely nothing."

Mary Schindler doesn't believe it and sees a daughter's love for her family every day.

"My daughter is not in a persistent vegetative state," she said. "She is not a plastic plant like Mr. Felos says she is. She is extremely brain-damaged, and she's a human being."

Bobby Schindler said his sister likes John Denver music and smiles when it plays. Before her brain was severely damaged in 1990, Mrs. Schiavo knew her brother loved Bruce Springsteen music. She bought him a Springsteen album in 1978.

After he told her he met the rock musician a year ago, Schindler said, "There was a smile on her face to light up the room. ... She showed elation."

Three doctors who have examined Mrs. Schiavo for the family said they are convinced that she retains some level of consciousness.

Dr. William Hammesfahr, a Clearwater neurologist, said Mrs. Schiavo's eyes fixate on her family and she tries to follow simple commands, such as when doctors ask her to pull against their arm.

"This is a case about a judicial system making an error," Hammesfahr said.

But Felos said doctors used by the Schindlers, especially Hammesfahr, don't have the credentials of physicians on the other side.

In a 2002 order by Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer ruling that Mrs. Schiavo could not recover, Greer labeled Hammesfahr a "self-promoter."

The judge noted that Hammesfahr testified that he had treated patients worse off than Mrs. Schiavo yet "offered no names, no case studies, no videos and no test results to support his claim."

"There is no doubt the judge looked at the credibility of the doctors," Felos said.

Mrs. Schiavo's sister, Suzanne Carr, said she believes her eyes.

Carr said: "It's not my imagination."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: euthanasia; felos; prolife; schiavo; schindler; terri; terrischiavo; tsping
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Dr. John Young, left, Dr. William Maxfield, Robert Schindler Sr. and Dr. William Hammesfahr spoke to the media Friday. "This woman is not in a persistent vegetative state," Young said.
1 posted on 10/25/2003 5:42:24 AM PDT by NYer
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To: luv2lurkhere; Budge; floriduh voter; summer; Coleus; amom; ruoflaw; submarine; cpforlife.org; ...
"This is a case about a judicial system making an error," Hammesfahr said.

Bears repeating!!!

TERRI SCHIAVO PING! – let me know if you want on/off this ping list


2 posted on 10/25/2003 5:44:32 AM PDT by NYer ("Close your ears to the whisperings of hell and bravely oppose its onslaughts." ---St Clare Assisi)
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To: NYer
"Once the governor thinks it is the proper role of the Legislature and he set aside the judgment of the courts, that requires us to get the courts to declare that is just unconstitutional," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida."

Oh yes Judaical activism is ok but never should a legislature legislate.


"Court-appointed doctors and physicians hired by Michael Schiavo's attorneys have testified that Mrs. Schiavo has no consciousness"

And of course hand picked doctors wouldn't have a bias..
3 posted on 10/25/2003 5:49:42 AM PDT by Broadside Joe
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To: Broadside Joe
Oh yes JUDICIAL activism is ok but never should a legislature legislate.
4 posted on 10/25/2003 5:53:25 AM PDT by Broadside Joe
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To: NYer
Continued prayers for Terri, her family, Gov Bush, and all supporters that they will prevail for the dignity of all life.
5 posted on 10/25/2003 5:57:05 AM PDT by tioga (Weekends Rule)
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To: NYer
There are many doctors (neurologists, some of who called the Neal Boortz show) who have said this is a persistent vegetative state. Those same doctors said there is no return from a persistent vegetative state. I would suggest doing some diagnostic effort to assess who is correct.

1. I would suggest doing a PET scan to determine the degree of brain damage.

2. An EEG would also give some indication of whether there is any self-awareness.

6 posted on 10/25/2003 6:06:05 AM PDT by punster
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To: NYer
Maxfield and Hammesfahr appear to be in a vegetative state.
7 posted on 10/25/2003 6:12:07 AM PDT by verity
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To: NYer
CNN had a short "legal" discussion on Terri's condition this morning. The ACLU rep said that Gov. Bush's action (ordering the tube reinserted) would be overturned in court Monday. The other attorney (supporting Terri) also agreed it will be overturned quickly.

Any thoughts from legal Freepers on this??
8 posted on 10/25/2003 6:13:59 AM PDT by CedarDave (I'm a recovering environmentalist - does anyone know of a 12-step program I can join?)
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To: NYer
I wouldn't care if she had a stalk growing out of her head and roots growing out of her bottom. You don't actively kill an innocent person, no matter what condition they're in.
9 posted on 10/25/2003 6:37:32 AM PDT by Agnes Heep
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To: punster
This is also shining a light on some areas where many MDs would prefer decisions remained in the hands of experts. There should be a more open debate on what "life" means and when it can be extinguished through a decison to withdraw care.

I would like to have a living will that says "Anyone who unplugs me will be hunted like vermin, and will die in a manner that makes a persistent vegitative state a very attractive alternative."
10 posted on 10/25/2003 6:55:54 AM PDT by eno_ (Freedom Lite - it's almost worth defending)
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To: NYer
As the family pleaded its case, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would join in the representation of Michael Schiavo to help overturn "Terri's Law," the measure passed by lawmakers Tuesday that allowed Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in Mrs. Schiavo's case

This explains why Ollie North calls them the "Always Careless with Liberties Union"

11 posted on 10/25/2003 7:01:03 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: punster
There are many doctors (neurologists, some of who called the Neal Boortz show) who have said this is a persistent vegetative state.

I don't think her family is expecting her 'return' from this state. I think they are just saying that even in her state, she is entitled to live life and have the loving support of her parents and siblings. She is obviously NOT getting that from her 'so-called' husband.

12 posted on 10/25/2003 7:03:19 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Agnes Heep
"I wouldn't care if she had a stalk growing out of her head and roots growing out of her bottom. You don't actively kill an innocent person, no matter what condition they're in."

Well put, agreed!


13 posted on 10/25/2003 7:03:55 AM PDT by jocon307 (Proud Member - VRWC!)
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Why was it necessary to put this on every state group?
14 posted on 10/25/2003 7:05:42 AM PDT by John Jorsett
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To: NYer
The only way to prove that Terri is in a a vegetative state is to give the family two years to provide therapy that Michael has refused, and show the court that she indeed can improve. At the end of two years, either Terri will be the same, or worse, or you will see improvement.

Had Michael used the same monetary resources, in proving that she was beyond help, that he has paid to the attorney to convince the courts that she was beyond help, I don't think you would have seen the same court battles.

I imagine that Michael started this court battle either because of greed or guilt, never imagining that at the end of the battle he would not profit financially or at least be absolved of having anything to do with her present condition. If Terri gets better - she might be able to tell someone what really happened that night.

Oh but what a tangled web we weave - if at first we do deceave.
15 posted on 10/25/2003 7:14:38 AM PDT by ODDITHER
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To: NYer
"In a 2002 order by Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer ruling that Mrs. Schiavo could not recover,"

Neither can Steven Hawking. (severe muscular dystrophy). This man cannot care for himself at all, yet won a Nobel Prize.

I dont know her brain state, but it seems beyond callous and cruel to kill a woman whose OWN PARENTS want to save and care for.

The husband is an absolute lout. He should divorce her and let the parents take the daughter they love under their care.



16 posted on 10/25/2003 7:25:22 AM PDT by WOSG (QUESTION STUPIDITY!)
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To: eno_
There are questions of quality of life. I went through much the same questions when my father died in 1985. He had terminal leukemia. The question was whether we could continue to give chemotherapy and put him on life support. The doctors told us that his life would be HELL, doing that. The family decided that it was much more humane to let him go. Anyway, his death was inevitable.

In Terri Schiavo's case, her personality is gone. All that is left is an empty automaton. It hardly seems a dignified way to live.
17 posted on 10/25/2003 7:25:59 AM PDT by punster
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To: ODDITHER
So what did happen 'that night'?
18 posted on 10/25/2003 7:26:28 AM PDT by WOSG (QUESTION STUPIDITY!)
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To: NYer
She likes music and once smiled broadly when her brother told her he met Bruce Springsteen.

That's irony for you.

It's people like Springsteen and his ilk that want to kill the poor woman.

19 posted on 10/25/2003 7:29:47 AM PDT by gg188
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To: SuziQ
I think my post to eno answers your questions. Dealing with a situation like this is not an easy answer for the people involved. If we grant that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state, as a number of doctors have stated, she will never get better. She certainly will have no conscious awareness of anything.

The sad thing is: Terri Schiavo has become a pawn in a political battle.
20 posted on 10/25/2003 7:31:45 AM PDT by punster
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