Law to keep brain-damaged woman alive ruled unconstitutional (Baird Rules Against Terri)

Sun-Sentinel ^ | May 6 2004

[nickcarraway]

TAMPA -- A judge ruled Thursday that the law pushed by Gov. Jeb Bush to keep a severely brain damaged woman alive is unconstitutional. The governor's office filed an immediate appeal.

[floriduh voter]

Thank you. You brought us back from all UNPLEASANT DETAILS & LEGALISMS TO THE BOTTOM LINE.

THOU SHALT NOT KILL.

[Canadian Outrage]

#99 - Very very good point. Janet Reno and the jackbooted thugs, broke the door down on a private residence, and kidnapped an innocent child, then sent him into the arms of a waiting Despot.!! I too say, WHERE is John Ashcroft right now??????

[cyn]

I wish. . . I wish someone would MAKE them enforce that "no visitors" rule -- I wish it would be someone with a pet therapy cat or dog, or with lotion to rub her feet, or with a wheelchair to take her outside, or a speech therapists who does the swallow tests -- someone to simply insist on seeing to her in her isolation.

[sarasmom]

I fight for you, my child, and myself when I fight for Terri Schiavo.
I once lived in mortal fear that my HMO would force me to have an amniocentesis,against my will, because my high risk OB/GYN doctor wanted/demanded such a dangerous test.
My HMO backed me up, back then.And financially allowed me to decline the medical advice of my high risk OB/GYN medical expert.
Sara is healthy and normal, praise God, but even if she was not,is it not my "choice" ?

What if I had trusted my very expensive, high risk, OB/GYN expert and followed his advice?
Sara would not have been born alive, had I had that test.
I can't imagine my life without her.
That is my version of the right to choose.

The life of Terri Schiavo is very important to me, because she could have been my daughter,and I don't think anyone gets to murder people just because they are disabled.

If we let Terri Schiavo be executed by law,in a cruel and inhumane way, because she is severely disabled, we allow the state judiciary to decide if my Sara should ever have been allowed to have been born alive.

And if the action of my child's very birth, needs the sanction and permission of written government "laws", what makes any of you think you have any "right to life" at all?
If our government can execute Terri Schiavo,who has never been accused of any crime, they can execute you, me, our children or anyone they want to execute, for whatever reason they deem actionable.

[Future Useless Eater]

I suppose I should know this, but all you people with 'Kerry'
in your taglines got me thinking...

Has John Kerry ever flipped or flopped on Terri?

[Ohioan from Florida]

Wow! I will distribute that in my e-mails. Thanks for posting it!

[wisconsinconservative]

He voted to keep Terri alive beforehe voted against it...

[floriduh voter]

Great post. This isn't about one woman but she's the standard-bearer to be sure. Terri is worth fighting for because she's one of us.

She's an American, she's a Floridian and she's an innocenet woman. SHE HAS RETAINED RIGHTS UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. When does she get her civil rights instead of a death sentence?

[Ohioan from Florida]

If our government can execute Terri Schiavo,who has never been accused of any crime, they can execute you, me, our children or anyone they want to execute, for whatever reason they deem actionable.

That's so well said, it bears repeating!

[floriduh voter]

MORE BREAKING NEWS ON BAIRDY BOY'S FAUX PAUX TODAY:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1083866291401_79275491/?hub=World

[Ohioan from Florida]

For anyone wanting to hop into another Terri thread, here's one that's basically just been started. But I warn you, before you go, there are already some there who are not with Terri's right-to-life. We need to choose our words wisely, as to help win some of them over to this side.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1131083/posts?page=1

[nickcarraway]

Judge Known to "not follow judicial rules" Declares Terri's Law Unconstitutional

Says law designed to prevent Terri from being killed contravenes her "right to privacy"

MIAMI, May 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The law passed by the Florida legislature last October to allow Governor Jeb Bush to order a feeding tube reinserted into disabled patient Terri Schiavo to prevent her death by starvation has been declared unconstitutional. Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge Douglas Baird ruled yesterday that the law violated the state constitution since it overrode earlier court judgments and contravened the right to privacy.

The ruling from Baird came as no surprise since lawyers for Governor Bush had unsuccessfully requested a replacement judge in the case noting that Baird was biased. In fact, in February a higher court ruled that Baird "did not follow judicial rules" in denying Gov. Bush and Terri Schiavo's parents the right to intervene in the constitutional challenge to Terri's law.

While she cannot move, speak or eat on her own Terri Schiavo interacts with blinks and groans to her parents who have paid constant visits to her during her over 10 years with the disability. The parents have been battling the efforts of Schiavo's estranged husband Michael Schiavo who has sought through the courts to have her nutrition and hydration removed which will cause her to starve to death. Michael has recently forbidden her parents to visit Terri and they have not been able to visit her for nearly 40 days.

Terri's feeding tube was twice removed. Once the courts intervened to have the tube reinserted and the second time the Florida legislature passed Terri's law, a measure allowing the Governor to intervene to have the tube reinserted.

The case is expected to reach the Florida Supreme Court. However, with Terri's law revoked by Baird, Michael Schiavo is free to order Terri's feeding tube removed once again.

[nickcarraway]

Judge Baird's Full Rulling Online Here (PDF)

[nickcarraway]

ping

[Wampus SC]

"Pinging my list! No wonder I've been feeling sick to my stomach today!"

Ping received. As soon as I got up, I started having the classic "fight-or-flight" response - way, way too much adrenalin. Then I heard the news. I guess I'll be here at home a while, doing the FR night shift thing.

[Republic]

I hope all still up tonight join with me in deep prayer for Terri, for the Schindler's and all who support them, emotionally, legally and thru active work such as your FV, as well as those who make phone calls or send emails, especially snail mail in support of Terri and her courageous and terrifically hard fight to live the life she has as much right to as any of us.

What MS has done hurts our hearts. What Felos has done makes us shudder. What the three hardened judges have done makes us want to shout out over the severity of their lack of knowledge. Worse, some of you, like me, no doubt believe these judges are fearful of what has been ignored by them in prior rulings, of the monstrosity of their incestuous connections, that even reach into the heart of the Florida Hospice Org., and wish Terri would simply die, go away and cause the furor we feel to lapse into the twilight zone.

I am absolutely stunned, tho I cannot explain why, knowing this judge spoke his mind before ever reviewing the facts, at this cold and truly scary ruling and its subsequent ramifications.

Please do pray tonight. The moving of this mountain requires faith. You know and I know a cancer of genuine evil is sliding all around this tragedy.

All of us MUST support Govenor Bush and attn. Conner....let's back them up with prayer. And please, call them tomorrow. Let them feel and know we are behind them. And while we are at it, let's prayer for our Father to move with tremendous force into the hearts and souls of these judges. If ever there were men on this earth who need some contact with God---surely these soul sick individuals do.

Our President, I imagine, could use some extra prayer just now, as well.

This is on me big time, so there it is.

God Bless each of you-and may God Bless Terri's family and legal team with deep peace, overflowing strength, wisdom that shatters the opposition and unending faith in our Father.

[antaresequity]

I apoligize for my snap judgment and comment in response to your post...

I have not ventured into these threads because of my own unwilingness and fear...

When I was 19 I was diagnosed with cancer [I am now 43]...conventional wisdom at the time was that I was a dead man walking...I told them [the medical establishment] to go to hell in a handbasket and I would not capitulate to conventional wisdom...

Its a touchy subject for me...death...and to be completly honest I have stayed away from this because of past memories...

I live in a bit of denial.

Join with me and lets pray for Terri

[antaresequity]

The human experience transcends the frailty of the pathetic vessel we have to express our selves in.

Of that I am sure. See #237 There is nothing the human heart, given conviction, is incapable of.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Wampus SC]

"Breaking Terri Ping. Baird rules law unconstitutional"

I half expected it since he said he thought it unconstitutional, well before the case started. The Constitution is being shredded and flushed right into Tampa Bay.