Posted on 03/15/2005 3:07:28 PM PST by ntnychik
March 15, 2005 — Fifteen years ago, Terri Schiavo's heart stopped due to a chemical imbalance, and she suffered severe brain damage as a result. Tonight in an exclusive interview: her husband, Michael Schiavo on his fight to have her feeding tube removed.
CLEARWATER, Fla. Feb 26, 2005 — It's been 15 years since Terri Schiavo's heart stopped beating for several minutes, causing severe brain damage that put her into what doctors call a persistent vegetative state. For almost seven of those years, her husband Michael has been fighting to stop her feedings, arguing that she didn't want to be kept alive artificially.
Terri Schiavo is now 41 and still in a hospice after myriad twists and turns in a dramatic legal and ideological battle that has pitted her parents against their son-in-law. Whether there's an end in sight is anybody's guess.
"It seems like the same news over and over," acknowledged Pat Anderson, a former lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents. "It must be quite incomprehensible (to the public) that she is still alive."
There have been countless lawsuits, court hearings, appeals, news conferences and tears shed by her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, who promise to keep fighting. The case file at the Pinellas County Courthouse now fills 45 volumes.
"I don't regret a second of what we've been through," said Terri's brother, Bobby Schindler, 40. "I'll make up for it when we save my sister."
Twice, Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed by court order, and both times it was restored. The last time, in 2003, Gov. Jeb Bush pushed through a state law later ruled unconstitutional that authorized him to resume the feedings six days after they were stopped.
On Friday, state Circuit Judge George Greer set a new date for removal of the feeding tube for March 18, prompting the Schindlers' attorney to promise yet another flurry of legal filings.
Greer's ruling came on the 15th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's collapse on Feb. 25, 1990, when a chemical imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder stopped her heart, cutting off oxygen to her brain for five minutes.
Michael Schiavo said his wife never wanted to be kept alive artificially, but she left no written directive. He says he's fulfilling a promise he made to her, and he has spent most of a $700,000 medical malpractice award given to his wife for her care to pay his attorney.
Lovely. He's using money that was earmarked for her care to get permission to starve her to death. What an animal.
Michael Schiavo "Right to Die" Nightline alert (Tonight, Tues, Mar. 15, 2005, 11:30 EST).
email for ABC/Nightline:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/News/story?id=64544
It has become a power struggle for him. But I gather that he is getting financial support from "right-to-die" zealots. He can't back down now, because his ego is fully involved.
For the record, the "chemical imbalance" being spoken of here was an excess of carbon dioxide, and an insufficiency of oxygen, both brought about by the fact that Michael Shiavo was strangling Terri at the time.
I'm sure he would much rather have had her killed cheaply, then taken the money and run.
Notice he wants her body immediately cremated upon her demise. I wonder why that is...
"Lovely. He's using money that was earmarked for her care to get permission to starve her to death. What an animal."
It only makes him an animal if he is lying about her wishes, if what he says is true (ie that she told him she would not like to live this way) then I would contend he is trying to carry out her wishes.
I for one would want my feeding tube yanked if I were in Terrri's condition and I have an advanced directive saying so. I propbably wouldn't have done this if not for this case.
Aye. But then, we only have his uncorraborated word that she ever said that.
Considering his haste to have her cremated, and a number of other things that look suspicious on the surface, I really think that he's hiding something. And he wants it to stay hidden.
How dare this creep call tube feeding "artificial"?!
My father was on tube feeding for almost three years! He could not swallow due to the radiation damage in his throat from his radiation treatment he was given for his head and neck cancer. For a long time the only thing "wrong" with him was that he had this tumor and couldn't swallow as a result of it and the treatment for it! In all other ways he was rather healthy. His heart, lungs, brain and all other organs were in good condition and he was able to do a lot.
After he underwent chemo his immune system became nill and eventually he caught an MRSA infection while he was in the hospital. Fighting the MSRA infection with powerful antibiotics (Vancomycin) damaged his veins...which is what ultimately killed him. He bled out beause his Jugular vein opened up and there was nothing that could be done to repair it.
He could have died three years ago, due to starvation, if he did not get his tube feeding. He would be the first person to tell anyone that his feedings were NOT "artificial"!!!
Is it because Terri Schiavo cannot effectively communicate or move around that her tube feeding is considered an "artificial" way of keeping her alive? If she were on a heart and lung machine I might view this differently but she is not (and therefore does not depend on artificial means to keep her alive)!
This case makes me ill! Michael Schiavo wants to starve his wife to death! That could take quite some time...and she would suffer terribly because of it. I will definitely watch tonight to see what this creepy man has to say.
The wrong person is fighting the death penalty, imo. There is someone deserving of death in this mess, and it sure ain't Terri.
Terri ping! If anyone would like to be added to or removed from my Terri ping list, please let me know by FReepmail!
The judges involved in this need to face the death penalty, for knownling putting to death someone guilty of no capital crime.
Anyone who kills an innocent human being needs to be put to death.
Just as well I have to work tonite.. I don't think I could watch him lying or ABC pandering to his lies without vomiting...
Him on abc and terry mcawful on H&C. Good night to read a book and/or freep.
Destroying Evidence???????.....
Yep, this Schiavo makes Peterson and O.J. look like Saints!
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