A judge released the DCF document seeking intervention in the Terri Schiavo case. She's the brain-damaged woman at the center of a "right to die" battle.
The department of children and families document names Michael Schiavo as responsible for the mistreatment of his wife. The nine complaints cited are very technical. They essentially claim the abuse or neglect of Terri is in the form of the kind of medical treatment Terri is, or in some cases is not receiving.
The complaint accuses Michael Schiavo of:
1. Failure to educate using certain therapies in violation of guardianship
2. Experimental procedures performed without proper medical and legal procedures observed.
3. Lack of manipulation of the ward's (Terri’s) arms causing severe contractures
Circuit judge George Greer says he will make the document available to the public tomorrow. Greer ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube be removed march 18th.
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Greer agreed with the media outlets that the DCF document should be public, saying "no showing has been made that closure is necessary in order to comply with established public policy or to serve some other compelling interest."
He also said there were no longer any privacy concerns relating to Terri Schiavo in the widely publicized case.
DCF spokesman Tim Bottcher said the agency was reviewing the decision and had no immediate comment.
Attorneys for the Schindlers and Michael Schiavo did not oppose opening the DCF documents.
The issue has become politically charged and Bush has said he is searching for a way to keep Terri Schiavo alive. DCF's attempt to intervene in the case came last week as Greer moved to set a date for the tube's removal.
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, said DCF's last-minute action amounted to "political arm-twisting." He said previous investigations of abuse allegations against his client have failed to turn up any evidence. Michael Schiavo denies ever harming his wife.
Earlier Thursday, Bush said he wanted the petition to remain sealed.
"The law says that these are confidential, for a very good reason," he said. "Abuse cases, if every one of them were open, you'd know who was making the claim and it would have a chilling effect on people calling the hot line, which we want them to do. ... The judge has the right to open the case in unique circumstances, so I'll leave that up to him."
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http://www.28news.com/stories/2005/03/050303schiavo.shtml