Posted on 03/12/2005 12:58:17 AM PST by nickcarraway
On February 24th, a few days before a Florida judge issued Terri Schiavo a stay of execution until the 18th of March, I wrote for the first time on a subject I admittedly knew little about in a piece titled Decision on Terry Schiavo Case Too Difficult.
As I stated in that piece, I was writing in response to reader mail asking me to take a position on a national debate that I had spent little time researching. Both before and since, I have been inundated with mail from folks on both sides of the debate, most of whom, knew little more about the matter, many of whom knew even less than I did.
The purpose of my piece was to first flush out the real facts for my own benefit, second point out how little people knew about the topic despite their emotionally charged rantings, and last to point out the short comings of our judiciary process in such a matter.
I have been called about every name under the sun for appearing to not take a side in that article, yet I did take a side, the only side I could take, Terris side. Not her husbands side, not her parents side, though I stated clearly that I related to their position best, not the courts side as they had failed the family miserably and not the peoples side, but Terris side
A dear writer friend, Joan Swirsky wrote probably the best piece I have read on the topic in her article Why Terri (and All Compromised Children) Should Live , in which she so eloquently places the debate on the proper footing.
I have also since received and reviewed the full medical report ordered by the court, issued by Dr. Jay Wolfson, in which he states that Terri is for all practical purposes, unable to sustain life on her own.
Not being a doctor myself, I asked a medical professional in whom I have great trust, to review the file and provide an open unbiased medical opinion of that report, regarding Terris current condition only. In short, that opinion states that Terris life is only threatened by her inability to swallow food orally, therefore requiring a feeding tube, not life support in traditional terms.
This goes to the heart of one of the statements I made in my first piece. We are not talking about unplugging Terri from artificial life support here but rather denying her the same nourishment necessary to sustain any of our lives
Do you have any idea how many people in this country require a feeding tube for one reason or another? Many of them otherwise, very healthy. Unable to take nourishment orally, is this the factor for deciding who should or should not live now?
Then I have received a mountain of documentation concerning how Terri may have actually entered her current condition, and it appears that certain state agencies in Florida have some 30 pieces of evidence now being entered into the court proceedings, questioning the quality of her husbands treatment of her and care, before, during and since her collapse some 14 years ago
Then there is the issue of husband Michael Schiavo, who has long since attempted to move on with his life, Terri clearly having already outlived her usefulness in his world.
But as so eloquently stated by Joan Swirsky, later confirmed in medical terms by the physicians I asked to review Terris file, Terris life still has great value to others in this world, her parents and many of us who believe life in all forms has value, great value.
In short, the more I learned about this case, the more amazed I became that there even was a case. That any court would even consider denying Terri simple basic nourishment, for any reason, regardless of her husbands motives
It became very clear to me that we are not talking about euthanasia, assisted death by medical procedure. It became clear that we are not even talking about letting God decide her fate by unplugging her from life support keeping her heart pumping, her lungs breathing and her kidneys functioning
We are talking about murder by starvation, plain and simple. Terris husband no longer has any use for Terri. She is no longer the young vibrant carefree model he once pledged his life to. He has found another to fill that void in his life and Terri is standing in his way of personal happiness, so in his mind, it is time for her to die.
Meanwhile, Terris life remains of great value to those who have loved her since birth, those who never loved her for her outward beauty, her ability to cook and clean, to perform the expected duties of a wife. Those who simply loved her for who she was, their daughter, their friend, loved her for who she still is today in their hearts and minds.
I have now seen enough of the allegations concerning the husbands questionable behavior throughout this affair. I have seen the medical report ordered by the court, and the review by independent physicians I trust personally.
This matter could not possibly be any more cut and dried than it is To remove Terris feeding tube is no different than denying a plate of food to millions sitting in nursing homes across this country, just because they are physically unable to pick up a fork or spoon and feed themselves or unable to swallow
My father has Alzheimers and while he remains able to feed himself today, there well may come a day when he is not able to anymore. If and when that day comes, I will happily help him eat When he no longer knows my name or my face, I will remind him daily. When he is no longer able to manage even restroom visits, I will gladly manage them for him, as he managed mine before I learned to manage them myself
This is all a part of life the caring for each other, those who represent great value in our lives. To deny Terris parents the chance to care for her on the basis that her husband no longer has a use for her should not be a debate, it should be a crime
This matter is just that simple I stand for Terri, who still has great value in this world, who only requires love and care and basic nourishment to sustain life all the same things you and I require I fear what our society has become if we allow her to be starved to death Who will be next?
At the end of the day, it seems to me that every life is precious to someone and it should be. We must respect every life, no matter how imperfect, or we will risk respecting none Some things can be subjective The value of life is not one of them!
JB Williams is a businessman, a husband, a father, and a no nonsense commentator on American politics, American history, and American philosophy.
Has somebody told Bob Dole that he wasted his time losing use of an arm in the Italian campaign, because the state of FL has adopted Mussolini-Hitler philosophy after all. What would Andrew Jackson say now of the state he first "governed"?
I didn't know that. How sad.
BTTT!
A dear writer friend, Joan Swirsky wrote probably the best piece I have read on the topic in her article Why Terri (and All Compromised Children) Should Live, in which she so eloquently places the debate on the proper footing...From newsmax.com:
Reprinted from NewsMax.comWhy Terri (and All Compromised Children) Should Live
Joan SwirskyWhen I was 18, I gave birth to my first child. When people asked me during my pregnancy "What do you want, a boy or a girl?" I responded as every parent throughout the ages has responded: "I don't care, as long as the baby is healthy!" I meant it and was blessed with a healthy baby boy. Almost two years later came another healthy baby boy, and my husband and I rejoiced.
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005
Three years later came our daughter, and again we rejoiced. Karen was a full-term baby that resulted from a totally easy pregnancy and delivery. But when she was 6 weeks old and I was feeding her in the middle of the night, I noticed that she had no "startle response" the instant reaction of a baby to any noise, even the rustling of a blanket, which indicates that a baby hears the sounds of her or his environment. The next day, I took Karen to the pediatrician, who put a tuning fork to her temple and pronounced that she couldn't hear anything. He prescribed antibiotics and made an appointment with hearing specialists in New York City. But when the antibiotics seemed to work and Karen seemed to respond to the sounds around her, the appointment was canceled and life went on.As the months and years progressed, however, it wasn't clear to me at all that Karen was a hearing child. Sometimes she'd respond to a ringing bell and other times she was deaf to a slamming door. And the fact that she didn't speak was alarming!
Through trips to allergists, neurologists, other pediatricians et al., the "diagnosis" was that "nothing was wrong." Even my new pediatrician said that Karen was a "late bloomer" and that "you shouldn't compare her to your boys."
Finally, in the late 1960s, I took her to a speech-and-hearing center on Long Island, where she was diagnosed as "profoundly deaf." Luckily, surgery proved that it wasn't nerve deafness but rather a buildup of fluid in her eustachian tubes. Teflon tubes were placed in her ears and within six months she was a regular "Chatty Cathy."
But guess what? Karen's hearing wasn't the major problem. Diagnosed with learning disabilities at an early age, she spent all of her school years in special-ed programs. That is when I became to my everlasting gratitude intimately familiar with the subculture of the disabled.
I remember taking Karen to Saturday events sponsored by the Association for Neurologically Impaired Brain Injured Children (ANIBIC) in Queens, where children in wheelchairs, children with Down syndrome, children on respirators were offered a respite from their lonely and socially limited lives by volunteers who treated them to a day at the movies or a foray into the exciting world of a subway ride.
Not only volunteers, but also professionals and parents who appreciated the ineffable value of "imperfect" human beings and the degree to which their involvement with them enriched their own lives and that of the larger world that, too often, mistakes high achievement for intrinsic worth.
I remember attending dozens of meetings of the state's Committee of the Handicapped (COH) and what seemed like a thousand "support" groups. And emblazoned in my mind and heart through all of this was the conviction that my daughter's "limited" life was worth every second, every minute, every year of my life in defending her right to have a life.
This is precisely what Terri Schiavo's parents are doing and have done for over a decade. They are saying that the daughter they cherish, no matter how compromised she may be, is a living, breathing, beloved child who doesn't have to die because of the so-called "wishes" that she left her husband wishes that have never been documented, signed, tape-recorded anything.
But now it doesn't seem to be up to the mother who carried and gave birth to her or to the parents who nurtured her every day of her young life or to the friends and family and legions of supporters who continue to value her life. Rather, the decision to end or continue Terri Schiavo's life seems up to her husband of only a few years, who wants to "pull the plug," and to judges, many of whose findings have been favorable to criminals and terrorists!
If, in fact, any judge should deem that Terry Schiavo's very real life should be ended, then every person in our country should be terrified. That ruling would mean that if you or I or any of our children should fall into horrible circumstances that required life-support systems to keep him or her alive, a suspect spouse or a judge who is more an ideologue than a fair and unbiased arbiter could overrule our wishes.
On Friday, a judge in Florida extended a court order to keep Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place until March 18, allowing her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, time to get medical tests that might prove Terri has greater mental function than formerly thought. This brief respite from what may be their daughter's cruel death sentence death by starvation is the good news. But why on earth should they have to prove such a thing? They love her as she is and value the life that's in her.
Deuteronomy says: "I have set before thee life and death therefore choose life." They have! Should a court do anything less?
Joan Swirsky is a New York-based journalist and author who can be reached at joansharon@aol.com
You are right, Great Article, we should pass it to all of our friends and associates. It really wakes one up to the atrocity being perpetrated on an young, healthy lady and her family by an abusive "in name only" estranged husband who more than likely caused her condition a long time ago and continues to deny her of a most everything and now will starve and dehydrate her to death, a very cruel and torturous death.This is a horrific abuse within Our justice system and must be corrected and Terri given protection from this man, as any abused wife is given protection from her abuser.Remember, that night 15 years ago, this man never called 911: he finally called her brother who after running over to the scene, called 911 himself.
That's disgusting. He's worse than a Communist.
This is all a part of life the caring for each other, those who represent great value in our lives. To deny Terris parents the chance to care for her on the basis that her husband no longer has a use for her should not be a debate, it should be a crime "
That we care for one another is all a part of life. Give Terri's parents the honor and priviledge of caring for her. Don't allow Michael Schiavo to steal it from them.
There you go, sir. Now, if you will, kindly investigate with equal vigor the myth that Terri "collapsed" fifteen years ago. That was, I have come strongly to believe, attempted murder by asphyxiation. The only possible suspect is her husband.
PING!!!!!!!!
"In short, the more I learned about this case, the more amazed I became that there even was a case. That any court would even consider denying Terri simple basic nourishment, for any reason, regardless of her husbands motives
It became very clear to me that we are not talking about euthanasia, assisted death by medical procedure. It became clear that we are not even talking about letting God decide her fate by unplugging her from life support keeping her heart pumping, her lungs breathing and her kidneys functioning
We are talking about murder by starvation, plain and simple."
Bump!
"The more one looks into this sordid case
the clearer the evil plot.
They're not trying to starve her because she's dying,
but rather because she's not."
Even if we merely fall into a situation where we need to be fed by mouth, and need no other life support, we could be fatally dehydrated on the say-so of an estranged spouse and cooperative judge.
On Friday, a judge in Florida extended a court order to keep Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place until March 18, allowing her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, time to get medical tests that might prove Terri has greater mental function than formerly thought.
Except that His Royal Poo-Bah-ness the Lord High Almighty Judge Greer has refused to allow any such tests.
Goodnight prayers for Terri!
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