[Legerdemain]

Good for him, this is not a state battle...he has legal gaurdianship....this is his family choice

[nothingnew]

You don't know a hell of lot about this case, do you?

BTW...welcome to FR

FMCDH

[stanz]

"His family" now consists of another woman, a child and another one on the way. Terri's family is her parents and siblings who love her and have reason to believe that she is responsive and alert and deserves to live.

[george wythe]

You might find this article interesting, since it anticipates some of the legal arguments of the case.

Since Jonathan Turley wrote the article for the LA Times, we can only post excerpts:

The framers of the Constitution understood that the test of any democratic system would be its ability to restrain, not satisfy, the majority. Much of the Constitution is designed to combat the evil of majoritarian terror -- the tyranny of the majority over those who are unpopular or underrepresented. For this reason, the framers rejected a pure democratic model and instead embraced the model of a republic containing the doctrine of separation of powers, including an independent judiciary.

The Schiavo controversy was anticipated by the framers, who warned of the natural inclination of politicians to intervene in individual cases. James Madison, for instance, criticized state politicians for altering "rights which should have been left to judicial controversy."

[OpusatFR]

Nice tagline

BTW, you need to go further than some blanket condemnation about religion in this case. This ruling has the potential to define what is human consciousness, when life is no longer of value, and places the value of utility on a human that could be very bad for the disabled and aged.

I can see a future when Medicare and Social Security are insolvent and running deficits, where monetary values are placed on people and they are judged a burden on society. We can assign ICD codes to them: 003.20 not oriented to three spheres, no communication, 002.98 incontinent, blind, deaf, immobile.

And then, we can convene panels who the fitness of life and then order termination.
BTW, the first example is Alzheimers. The second is a lady who is a bright incredible person.

Argue against religion? Fine. But use some practicality and extrapolate this action.

[Saundra Duffy]

An evil money-grubbing monster is not supposed to be appointed as a legal guardian for a vulnerable disabled person. Furthermore, it's against the law to starve and withhold water from farm animals. By the way, Michael Schiavo is living with another woman and has impregnated her twice (apparently). He's not her husband anymore in the real sense.

[spunkets]

"this is his family choice"

By law it is Terri's choice. There has been no effort to get her input on this by the court, or the court recognized guardian. In fact the the docs lied about Terri's condiiton to enable the abandonment, isolation and death of this woman.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Good for him, this is not a state battle...he has legal gaurdianship....this is his family choice

Did I miss the terms of Terri's living will?

If not, what right does her "husband" have to order her death?

Actually, what right does ANYONE have to order her death?

[JustPiper]

You come to FR in hopes of what?

[FITZ]

he has legal gaurdianship

Legal guardians aren't given the authority to kill you when they get tired of being one. Terri wrote no living will, Michael seems to remember her saying something once about not wanting to be put on a respirator or connected to a machine. That memory --- real or imagined ---of 15 years or so ago should not give him the right to starve her to death.

[PleaseNoMore]

He may have legal guardianship but under Flroida Law there are guidelines for guardians to follow. Having guardianship over a person does not mean that that person is your property. They are your responsibility. Florida law clearly lays out those obligations that one has as a guardian. Michael Schiavo is clearly not following some of those guidelines, ESPECIALLY the ones dealing with conflicts of interests and medical care.

Michael Schiavo is a vindictive person. His own words in his recent television appearance made that obvious. The only person's interests that Michael Schiavo has at heart are his own. And in his own words "nothing is going to stop me".

If I were to find myself face to face with this man, I would not hesitate to tell him EXACTLY what I think of him.