Regret plagues King after Schiavo vote

St Pete Times ^ | 02/10/04 | By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor

[tutstar]

The Senate president says he bowed to pressure to pass a law that would reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.

ST. PETERSBURG - The phone calls and e-mails flooded into state Senate offices so fast and furious last year they crashed the phone and computer systems. Their message: Save Terri Schiavo.

State senators responded by following the lead of the state House and governor to pass an unprecedented law to keep the Pinellas County woman alive. Within hours a feeding tube was reinserted into Schiavo, whom courts had found to be in a persistent vegetative state and whose husband had insisted she would not want to live that way.

Senate President Jim King gave in to pressure and supported the legislation. Now he's sorry he did.

"The Terri Schiavo vote that I made was probably one of the worst votes that I've ever done," said the Jacksonville Republican and 18-year veteran of the Legislature.

In a meeting Monday with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board, King spoke of the "unbelievable" pressure to help Schiavo, his worries about being blamed for Schiavo's death and his regret that he didn't show more backbone.

After five years of bitter litigation over the wishes and fate of Schiavo, who had no living will, her feeding tube was removed Oct. 15. A massive campaign by religious conservatives across the country pressured lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to step in and save her. The Legislature passed a hastily crafted law on Oct. 21, and her feeding tube was reinserted that evening. A legal challenge is pending.

King said other senators who voted for the Schiavo law have told him they also regret it, but the pressure of tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails - and physical and political threats - was enormous.

"After the vote there were far more people critical of what we had done and very vehemently angry at what we had done than there were people supporting it," King said.

A Times poll in December found two-thirds of Florida voters opposed the Schiavo law.

There is "no question" he would not vote that way today, King said, "and if it comes up again I will not do it."

King said he won't try to repeal the law because he expects it will be overturned in court. But he made it clear, as he has in recent weeks, that he will block any bills aimed at making it harder to remove feeding tubes from comatose or mentally incompetent patients without living wills.

Bill Stephens, executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, one of the groups that fought for the Schiavo law, said he is "shocked" that King regrets his vote.

"It sounds like we're going to have a challenge this year," Stephens said.

King is a leader among moderate Republicans in Florida, and he has butted heads with Christian conservatives before.

One of his proudest and most hard-fought achievements was passing a "death with dignity law" that gives Floridians the right to refuse life-prolonging medical care.

King said he is wary of any bills inspired by Schiavo's case that could weaken those rights, which he pushed for after watching his parents die in nursing homes.

Underscoring his moderate views on social issues, King acknowledged Monday he disagrees with a Florida law that bars gay couples from adopting kids. The state allows homosexuals to serve as legal guardians and foster parents, but a law recently upheld by a federal appeals court does not allow them to adopt.

"They're doing everything else but adopting, and in many cases ... it is the adoptable child that really isn't being adopted by anyone else," King said in response to a question. "Empirical evidence is that gays that have been involved in foster parenting have better performance factors than a lot of the "normal' foster parents."

[tutstar]

King's true colors are really beginning to show. He is not 'conservative' truly IMO if he believes that gays should be allowed to foster parent.

His comments regarding Terri are hopefully digging himself into a hole that he will not be able to get out of on election day!!!!!!!!!!!

[tutstar]

time to do some pinging.....

[newzhawk]

Amazingly I have nurse colleagues that are mad at Jeb bush for making the effort to at least have Schiavo's case looked at in a different light- exploitation of a mentally incapable person.They made this judgement but had never heard there was a question about her husband possibly abusing her in the past and that a head injury was not included in court records when decision made to remove feeding tube. Funny thing is- they still think Jeb should let her go...I guess you better keep your eye on the nurses that take care of you as well.

[sarasota]

I certainly will keep an eye on the nurses if I am in the unfortunate circumstance of being under their "care". Personally, I will make every effort to be in my bed, in my home and just leaving my care in the hands of my family, who know my wishes.

[cpforlife.org]

Terri PING….
Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

[sandbar]

>King said other senators who voted for the Schiavo law >have told him they also regret it, but the pressure of >tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails - and >physical and political threats - was enormous.

GOOD!!! That means it worked!!

[Hanging Chad]

"...King is a leader among moderate Republicans in Florida...Underscoring his moderate views on social issues, King acknowledged Monday he disagrees with a Florida law that bars gay couples from adopting kids...."
- - -
Moderate Views?
MOderate Views?
Whose book of definitions is the media using now?
This guy ain't no moderate...
He's a flaming Liberal in pubbie clothing.

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[cpforlife.org]

Euthanasia and Terri Schiavo

October 16, 2003

While agonizing over the fate of Terri Schiavo, this murder of the infirm and cognitively impaired has become a mainstay of the American medical and legal establishment. At a Missouri medical center, I was given an information sheet entitled “Fluid Deprivation and the Terminally Ill” which stated, “…the decision not to provide hydration, IV fluids, and nutrition (feeding tubes, etc.), may be helpful. …As death approaches dehydration occurs naturally. Administering IV fluids to the terminally ill patient can increase urine output, often creating the need for a catheter or the frequent use of a bedpan. Administering tube feedings can result in nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Additionally the administration of IV fluids by IV or by mouth can result in swelling of the feet and hands that contribute to the formation of pressure sores. Oral discomfort is noted to be the only known drawback to natural dehydration. Because foods and fluids have such powerful symbolic meaning, it is often very difficult for family members to decide in favor of natural dehydration for their terminally ill loved ones.”

In response to this policy I wrote the Administration, Board of Directors, and Ethics Committee the following:

Dehydration is a pathologic state or symptom of an anomaly or disease that is to be treated, not produced by withholding fluids and/or nutrition. Withholding hydration, nutrition, or any medical treatment should not be done unless death is imminent, (not terminal) and the removal of such hydration, nutrition or medical treatment should not be the etiological or causative factor in the death of that individual, but as a natural consequence of the disease state. This directive on removal of hydration from the terminally ill is paramount to passive euthanasia (murder)…This medical institution needs to eliminate its policy on the terminally ill since the word terminal has many definitions and it is too illusive or subjective to be used in policies affecting those patients in whom death is imminent. All policies affecting the medical treatment of patients whose death is imminent need to safeguard the patient and/or significant power of attorney, stating that if the patient's condition changes and death is not imminent, all hydration, nutrition and appropriate medical treatment will be reinstated. (“Imminent” defined as the approximate relation to death of a patient in an irreversible, persistent catabolic state or an irreversible respiratory or metabolic acidosis). In conclusion, no medical treatment or the withholding of medical treatment should be the etiological cause of a human being's death; the disease, anomaly, pathology or trauma should be its etiological cause.

By acting in this way the legal and medical establishment usurp the place of God in so much as they arbitrarily choose whom they will allow to live and whom they will send to their death. No doctor or lawyer can claim this right to decide on other peoples' origin or destiny. The purpose of their institutions is to safeguard the health, dignity and welfare of their patients and constituents-not to help them or any other persons to hasten their death!

Richard Mahoney, founder
NATIONAL AMERICAN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

[tutstar]

Yes and it will work again, I have just sent out a mass email and the word is going to get around very quickly just what a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' Jim King is truly!!

[tutstar]

One thing I am trying very hard to instill into my children is to research things for themselves whenever possible and not rely on the media for all their information.

I certainly am going to be more inquisitive about those who care for me in the future!!!

[tutstar]

Bingo
Bingo
Bingo
Bingo
Bingo

Were you hammering a nail when you posted that? LOL

[jtminton]

From the looks of things, somebody needs to remove his feeding tube for awhile.

[tutstar]

ROFL

From what I've read he has big pocketbook to feed himself from.....

[Budge]

From the looks of things, somebody needs to remove his feeding tube for awhile.

You beat me to it.

[He Rides A White Horse]

King is a leader among moderate Republicans in Florida

Translation: Democrat in sheep's clothing.

[Theodore R.]

Yea, ol' Jim King has missed no meals himself, but he now wants an innocent disabled woman to be starved to death. And I bet he considers himself a "friend of the disabled" too. Another disgusting FL politician, and their ranks are LEGION!!!!

[floriduh voter]

More than likely, KING IS BEING PLAGUED AND HOUNDED by the death lobby. They make us look like cupcakes.

[floriduh voter]

King might just as well have said: I wish she was dead. We need to take back our State from these ghouls. Maybe PRE-BABY BOOMERS, guys like King could do whatever he pleased, in addition to carte blance for probate and guardianship attorneys. BOOMERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION because Terri's our age. BOOMERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION because Carlie was the age of our children. Starving innocent women to death or leaving dangerous criminals on the street so that a child is murdered, SHOULD NOT BE FLORIDA'S CLAIM TO FAME. But, sadly, Florida condones violence against women. It's a "who cares" attitude.

[He Rides A White Horse]

Ahh...........behold the power of words.

Orwellian liberals.

Moderate--synonyms: Reasonable, mild.

Websters Dictionary: 1.) Within limits 2.) Not violent or harsh 3.)Of average or medium quantity, quality,or extent 4.)Opposed to extreme or radical views or measures, esp in politics or religion

To apply such a label to people holding the views of King is an affront to the English language.