I found this post by phenn. The article in the
Tampa Tribune is straightforward and fairly neutral
as far as Terri is concerned. What it talks about
is however not so nice. I wrote and sent the post
below this cut and paste section from phenn's post.
The basic idea is that a Senator wants to get a bill
passed that would prevent the situation in which
Terri wound up, which is to have her feeding tube
pulled (after having been habituated to it) on
nothing but the cockamania hearsay baloney by
Mr. Sleazeball himself. The proposed law is looked
upon with disfavor by Senate President Jim King, who
as you know managed to get feeding tubes included in
the definition of "artificial life support" in the
1999 Florida Statute amendment, something he considers
"his legacy". My response is focused on this unjustified
sabotage by King.
clip from phenn's post:
Changes Proposed In Right-To-Die Laws - Your help is needed NOW in Florida!
From the Article: Senate Bill 692, introduced by Republican state Sen. Stephen Wise of Jacksonville, would prohibit courts from ordering feeding tubes removed from any mentally incompetent patient in Florida who doesn't have a living will or other advance directive stating otherwise. Experts predict fewer than 12 percent of American adults have living wills.
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGAN946WQND.html My response:
Dear Editor,
In “Changes Proposed in Right-to-Die Laws” (December 3,
2003), Jerome R. Stockfisch does a more creditable job
reporting factual information than can be seen these days
in most articles that contain the name Terri Schiavo.
I felt heartened reading about Senate Bill 692 being
introduced by Senator Wise. Seeking to remedy a gap in
Statutes that currently leaves nearly 90 percent of all
citizens in a legal gray area makes perfect sense. It
is always a relief to see a lawmaker doing the job to
which he was elected, amending inadequate laws or
crafting a new one.
I was not surprised reading that Larry Spalding of the
American Civil Liberties Union suspects a constitutional
problem in SB 692. Spalding’s resistance attests in
itself to the proposed law's wisdom, because the ACLU
would certainly not be against it unless it was a good
thing. Mr. Stockfisch picks up pace when Senate President
Jim King surfaces with all the grace of hippopotamus
amphibius. “Not so fast, King said.”
Mildly bewildered, I thought to myself “isn’t this that
dying-with-dignity champion? What could he possibly have
against a bill intended to prevent undignified, because
possibly undesired death? My spirit began to sink.
Thankfully, King himself restored me to mirth in his droll
homespun way. “As soon as you put something on the floor,
as well-intended as it may be, anybody can amend it. Then
all of a sudden I'm sitting there facing a bill or bills
that can dismantle what I consider to be my legacy.''
Now I understood. It is not about avoiding unnecessary
deaths. It is a legacy issue! I laughed, as visions
passed by of a sword-wielding King defending his legacy
against hordes of howling amenders. That started me
thinking about the course history would have taken, if
others had suffered from King’s legacy mania. I saw
modern business travelers queue up at Kitty Hawk,
fighting to get onto a two-seater plane of the “Orville
and Wilbur Wright World Air Monopoly”. More arrived in
noisy contraptions on which was neatly painted “Henry
Ford’s Petrol Quadricycle”.
My visions of retarded history must have brought on a chill,
reminding me to ask my doctor for another packet of “Sir
Alexander Fleming’s Patented Breadmold Elixier for Microbial
Discomfort”. When I awoke from my reverie, I could not but
thank Mr. Stockfisch for helping me realize how wonderful
it is that most great benefactors of humanity were less
concerned with preserving their legacy, and more with
making it better.
If you want to write a letter to the editor, there is
a link in the upper left on their page that says
"Website Feedback". On the new window, Letter to the
Editor is an option.
Stockfisch can be contacted directly as well:
jstockfisch@tampatrib.comAnother great letter. You write very well, better than most of the columnists who churn out maddeningly ill-thought out pieces on a regular basis. I would like to see your letter to the Bar Association printed in every Pinellas County newspaper; even if they don't print it perhaps reading it will open some eyes!