Terri Schiavo's parents ask judge to let her divorce husband

The Miami Herald ^ | 2-28-05 | VICKIE CHACHERE

[TAdams8591]

VICKIE CHACHERE

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. - Terri Schiavo's parents asked a Pinellas court judge Monday to allow her to divorce her husband - in either life or death - in a court filing accusing Michael Schiavo of adultery and not acting in his wife's best interests.

The filing was one of a flurry of 15 motions filed by Bob and Mary Schindler as they now have less than three weeks to find a legal way to keep their severely brain-damaged daughter alive.

Terri Schiavo is scheduled to have the feeding tube that has kept her alive for 15 years removed March 18 unless her parents can convince an appeals court to block Michael Schiavo again. Michael Schiavo says he will have the tube pulled because his wife once told him she would never want to be kept alive artificially.

David Gibbs, the Schindler's attorney, said Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer has indicated he will not hear the divorce request and five other motions filed Monday - but that only means that the matters are now on their way to being appealed to the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland........

Terri Schiavo's parents ask judge to let her divorce husband

[tertiary01]

She's alive isn't she? Presently that is the best proof, until the judge lets her learn an alternative way to communicate.

[Halls]

If she wanted to die she would have died already!

[TAdams8591]

They tried. Judge Greer wouldn't allow it!

[AaronInCarolina]

You have no idea if she wants to live.

Have you not read that Terri's best friend claims that Terri got very angry at her because she took the position that Karen Ann Quinlan should be allowed to die? Did you hear the quote of Terri ... "where there is life, there is hope"? Or do you think that numerous people are just making stuff up because of an evil plot to cherish life? I know it is hear-say the same way Michaels claims are hear-say, but I find it easier to believe 10 people making a consistent claim, than 1 person (who is financially conflicted) making an opposite claim.

[TAdams8591]

Greer hears the hearsay he wants to hear.

[WildTurkey]

I have seen lots of stuff "made up" that contradicts the facts.

[WildTurkey]

If she wanted to die she would have died already!

I suppose you have some scientific basis for this statement. </sarcasm>

[Melas]

On Hardball the other night, Terri's dad stated that they have free medical care and donated funds lined up. I am not sure how much money MS has left, but there is plenty of money for therapy if he'll just let her go home with her family.

While that's well and good it has absolutely nothing to do with my point. I was addressing the near constant accusations in these threads that Schiavo (and now his girlfriend) stands to get rich when Terri dies.

[Melas]

I also suggest you consider that since Michael's girlfriend is in the insurance business, it's not too far out of reach to think that he could have gotten a policy out on Terri through Jodi.

Absolutely impossible. I defy you to secure a life-insurance policy for someone in Terri's condition. Good luck, but you'll never find an underwriter.

[WildTurkey]

You mean the statements ruled "Not Credible"?

[AaronInCarolina]

While that's well and good it has absolutely nothing to do with my point. I was addressing the near constant accusations in these threads that Schiavo (and now his girlfriend) stands to get rich when Terri dies.

Just because the big pile of money may, at this point in time, after 7 years of wrangling may be dwindling down to nothing does not change the fact that at the time of the original attempt to have the tube withdrawn, there was a considerable amount of money to be gained. One cannot make the argument that the now (questionably) depleted settlement money removes any suspicions of his motives. It certainly was never his plan to let this draw out for this many years.

Think what you will about "made up" accusations vs. so-called "facts", but I find it easier to believe numerous people with no motivations beyond the fact that they have an intense love for Terri, as compared to 1 individual who has/had quite a lot to gain monetarily. Eventually you have to choose one side over the other as to who truly has Terri's best interest at heart. If you choose/believe Michael, that is certainly your prerogative. I truly have heard/read both sides, from text to tv, and have absolutely no ambiguity about who I think is more honorable. Your mileage apparently varies from mine.

[AaronInCarolina]

You mean the statements ruled "Not Credible"?

Judge Greer is not a god. The fact that he ruled as "Not Credible" many, many, many statements (by numerous individuals) made on behalf of the Schindlers, does not automatically mean that those rulings were responsible. You seem to make the argument that because this one judge consistently denies arguments of one side, that those arguments must therefore have been "made up". Judges are not infallible. We will always have the right in the country to question decisions made by the courts. Even when one side ultimately fails, it does not mean the court was right.

[Halls]

Agree!!!!!!!!

[Mr. Silverback]

***I think you're confusing the words "perjury" and "heresay".***

I see why you thought that, Coop, but here's the conversation that I was responding to:

To: nicmarlo

Brilliant!

What Terri needs is for one of her friends or family to state that Terri saw a movie or news about a guy that is married yet living with another woman and having kids with the other woman and Terri stated, at the time, that she would divorce Michael if he did the same thing to her!

Should be given the same weight as other declarations of Terri that never made it into writing.

130 posted on 02/28/2005 3:07:19 PM PST by Jrabbit

To: Jrabbit

Advocating perjury?

139 posted on 02/28/2005 3:09:17 PM PST by lugsoul


To: lugsoul

Advocating perjury?

Let's review:

Michael schiavo has said that Terri responded to a film about a disabled woman by saying she'd never want to live that way. His whole "pull the tube" case rests on this being a real conversation, and on said conversation meaning that she would prefer to be starved to death.

So...when someone says, "All we need is to have one of Terri's friends testify she said X while they were watching a movie," do you think they're advocating perjury or being sarcastic?

443 posted on 03/01/2005 12:14:01 AM PST by Mr. Silverback


Jrabbit made a sarcastic comment, made it clear that he was being sarcastic (could have used a sarcasm tag, but hey, who am I to judge?) and Lugsoul's response was to accuse him of advocating perjury. He seems obsessed with the idea that we are advocating perjury every time we point out the flimsy nature of Michael Schiavo's "She said while we were watching a movie" evidence.

[Trinity_Tx]

Dr Baden clarified on Greta last week:

VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Dr. Baden, you've looked at this.

DR. MICHAEL BADEN, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Right.
...
BADEN: Yes. No. What's interesting about what Mr. Fox is saying, there were lots of diets, especially many years ago, that had bizarre dietary eating habits and got electrolytes mixed up, as Mr. Fox said, mostly the potassium. If you got too high potassium or too low potassium, then the heart stops...[cardiac arrest]

VAN SUSTEREN: And that's what happened.

BADEN: But it's not from a hardening of the arteries. [Heart Attack] It stops the heart. If there's not enough blood going to the brain for five minutes because of the heart stoppage, then it causes permanent brain damage.

----

He was clarifying the confusion over "heart attack" (MI - where a blockage in an artery cuts off blood supply to the heart muscle) that Terri never had, and "cardiac arrest" (where the heart beat itself is out of whack - doesn't have to totally stop, it just beats erratically) that Terri had due to her critically low potassium. (at a 3.7, the lowest normal range, one is twice as likely to have cardiac arrest. Her level was a 2.)

You can read Terri's discharge summary here.

[Ohioan from Florida]

You could be right, however, I gave other reasons as to why Michael stands to gain financially by Terri's death. Don't ignore those just because you are assuming that Michael and Jodi are honest people. They could be, but it still doesn't negate the other policy that I'm sure exists. Not to mention the royalties Michael could get from selling Terri's story.

[TAdams8591]

Didn't Michael claim that Terri made the comment that she wouldn't want to live on "TUBES" while watching the Karen Ann Quinlan story?

If so the hearsay is even more conflicting.

[TAdams8591]

One could lie about the hearsay one heard which would consitute perjury, wouldn't it?

[TAdams8591]

It's not just guilt. Some of us belive God plays a role in all this.

[TAdams8591]

It is possible that Terri's eating habits caused her supposed collapse. What about all those broken bones?

Even if Michael wasn't physically abusive, he has abused Terri for the last ten or more years and will end it with KILLING the ultimate abuse.

With everything Terri has been through, if she wanted to be dead, she would be. She has shown by her actions, she doesn't want to die. Actions speak louder than words!!!!!!