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.
I can't speak for all here, but this is about an innocent and healthy albeit disabled person being put to death in an unspeakable cruel manner, not an ideological tug-o-war. She is not a vegetable. She laughs and responds to doctors' orders.
1. Terri is not dying. (Living wills and advance directives, right-to-die issues, pertain to persons who are dying. ) The original cause of her condition and the present status of her condition are disputed, but she is not dying of her condition or any disease.
2. Terri left no written directive of any kind as to her wishes regarding medical treatment or withdrawal of it.
3. Michael sought and won an award specifically for her rehabilitation, saying nothing about her wishes at the time.
4. Soon after the funds were awarded, he claimed to remember her wishes, said she would not want to be kept alive in her present condition, and he has permitted no rehabilitation for Terri for the past ten years.
5. Michael has used a portion of Terri's medical award to hire personal security for himself, and a substantial amount of the award to pay attorneys to accomplish her death.
6. Terri has no guardian ad litem to safeguard her rights and interests against possible abuses by Michael, of his power as her legal guardian.
7. Terri's parents and siblings have publicly stated that Michael may keep all award money, that they want only to take care of Terri, out of love for her.
8. Michael has a fiancee and 2 children with this woman. While Terri lives, he remains married to her, legally obligated for her expenses, and the award money is almost completely spent. He has not denied that he holds life insurance on Terri. Divorce would not automatically prevent him from collecting on an insurance policy, but Terri's survival does.
Sure is. Too bad we have to use the actual headline of the article. I don't expect ABC will do anything to challenge the notion that this is a right to die case. I hope people will contact ABC and pressure them to put someone from Terri's family on Nightline this week.
That cowardly bastard chose Nightline with its creampuff tossing All American of the Liberal Hall of Fame. I would like to see him get grilled by Bill O'Reilly.
My guess is that the connection is through his lawyer. He would like to become the Sarah Weddington of the "right to-die" movement. Of course, I am opposed to the whole notion of euthanasia. Apart from the principle, the many cases where "consent" is only a pretense. there is the lingering doubt that the process is as "painless" as it appears.
The instinct to survive is not as fragile as you think.
You're right. Morpheine for the terminal is very different than what they want to do for a non-terminal person like Terri.
And thanks for clarifying that it isn't always determinable if it's the morpheine that causes it, or the heart, or the cancer.
It's very hard to make those decisions, but they are terminal cases. I'm sorry for your losses.
Here's a site that documents your benefactor:
http://www.missionsun.net/tcajune2004.htm
Scroll down to the article about Terri.
Well, that was 30 minutes of pure nausea. He was SOOOOO coached. And he was SOOOOOOOO unconvincing.
You say you "stay out" of this issue because it is of a personal,philosophical/religious matter, and that both sides have "hard core stances."
Why do you "stay away" from religious matter? Since God exists and has certain requirements, why would you stay away from seeking what He wants?
You acknowledge there are two sides. Why would you "stay away" from a side which is right, and true, and honorable? What is wrong with having "hard core" truth?
Why do you call trying to save a life "wasting time"? Would you murder someone tonite? If not, are you "wasting time?"
Why do you view someone who wants life as a "fanatic"? "Fanatic" has a negative, not complimentary denotation. Why do you view those who try to help victims be rescued as so awful? If protecting those who can't help themselves doesn't meet your standard of good, wht could? Nothing. I can get a pretty good picture of your marriage. You've said you'll "honor" your wife if she wants to murder herself.
Is that really the man you want to be, one who runs from important issues, one who chooses the easy way, one who chooses what is wrong over what is right, a man who is impotent to help, indifferent to the most important things in life?
This is not an issue only about Terri, but of you and I, too Jesus said that if you are willing to murder, even if only in your heart, you are guilty before God of the very act. We either believe His words, or not. We either want to rescue the helpless, or we don't. Not "rescuing the helpless" when they face murder isn't somthing I choose.
You "chose" to "stay away." I'm asking you now to choose to get in. Be a man. Let God change your heart and give you a love for life and for others, and for yourself. Love Him, love others, instead of promoting their murder.
BykrBayb, boy were you right! First, the cold dead eyes. Very pronounced liar's body language (rapidly fluttering or blinking eyes) during a lot of the interview, particularly his treacly (and false)description of her so-called painless death. She will not be starved to death, he says. Slowly her electrolytes will change and she'll "drift off to a nice little sleep and pass on to be with God." Blink, flutter, blink, blink. I'd like him to hear from the lady who emerged from a 19 yr. PVS and an attempt to kill her in this manner.
He won't give her to her parents because Bob Schindler said he would cut off her arms and legs and put her on a ventilator to keep her alive. Major twisting of that testimony.
Jeb Bush wants to be the George Wallace of his generation, standing on the courthouse steps, saying, "We're not going to obey a court order that guarantees her constitutional rights." (Michael reminded me of like Hillary's Tammy Wynette moment).
Chris Bury sarcastically attributed the opposition to the "antiabortion activists". He showed a clip of the Rose Rally in Tallahassee, and a clip of James Dobson, of all people. Quite a radical he is (/s).
Crocodile tears how Michael is "called a murderer and an adulterer by people who don't even know me" (he admitted to the chick and chicklets on the side).
Felos said Gov. Bush sent armed men and had surgery performed on her against her will in Oct '03. Says Michael won't get any money. It's gone for med. care, "governorship expenses" (Greer), and "costs and fees" (Felos lawyer bills).
Stirring call to contact your Congressmen before big brother comes by and interferes with your right to pull the cord on a ventilator, or forces you to have chemo.
What a ghastly display of twisted lies and over-the-top liberal propaganda methods. Shudder.
I'm only recently heard about this case in the last few days.
While I believe both in a person's own right to "die" (end artificial life support), and right to kill themself, it appears that Terri can't make that decision. Since she left no known written directive, the decision ought to go to the parents.
I'm not even sure they should be able to decide because Terri 'isn't dying'. It's reasonable to assume that her wish would be to exhaust her resources in order to keep herself alive with the possibility of coming out of a coma. This assumes a self-centered individual. On the other hand, she might see more benefit to her offspring if she were to die and give them her resources, instead of gambling on her own life.
I need to mull it over more.
Good post!!
He's nauseating to watch, isn't he?
Wait a second. Isn't this kind of like claiming Abraham Lincoln for the pro-aborts? George Wallace, until near the end of his life, was for depriving people of rights, not defending their rights. Converserly, Jeb wants to protect Terri's right to life, not take it away; that's what Schiavo/Felos/Greer are trying to do. THEY are the George Wallace.
Bump
Here, or somewhere else?
Michael has done a pretty good job exhausting Terri's resources for her, buying things for himself and his mistress, and expending substantial sums of legal fees to have Terri killed - with the very money earmarked for her rehabilitation!
Visit www.terrisfight.org for a brief rundown of the facts. This is not just an ideological tug-o-war but a fight to save an innocent, healthy albeit disabled person from a horrific death by starvation. The business about Terri being vegatative is pure bunk: she responds to doctors, laughs, shows emotion, follows a balloon with her eyes. There is enormous potential for this very special woman given the proper care.
Many believe Michael's strident efforts to end her life and then cremate her body as quickly as possible belie something more sinister that would turn up in an examination or autopsy. Police reports from Terri's original collapse (linked earlier in this thread by another poster) seem to corroborate this.
He killed Terri's cats, melted down her wedding ring to make a new ring for himself.
He won't release Terri to the care of her parents because (as he stated on public TV, THE LARRY KING SHOW) "He holds a grudge for the way they treated him since he got the Judge to declare Terri's feeding tube be removed."
He has gotten the judge to declare orders keeping anyone from taking any pictures of her, especially video, no antibiotics, no rehabilitation efforts (for the past 5 years minimum), and soon, slow and painful death by starvation and dehydration.
She is kept in a room with the blinds closed, no personal pictures of family, no flowers,
AHEM, ALL YOU WOMEN, NO FLOWERS ALLOWED IN TERRI'S ROOM,
no family, no last rites from a Catholic Priest, armed guard at the door, door kept locked.
Hospice personnel fired for going to police over conditions at Suncoast Hospice. Suncoast and FELOS being sued by government for over $14 million in MEDICARE/MEDICAID scams involving over 150 patients IMPROPERLY DIAGNOSED AS TERMINALLY ILL.
....Just thought you might want the short intro.
Good, but chilling, summary. Mikey shed tears tonight that strangers accuse him of being a murderer and an adulterer, about a minute before he confessed to being an adulterer. Shortly after Friday, he'll be a murderer, too, if he gets away with his plan. Felos was far more slimy than I ever expected, and my expectations were low. It will be interesting if there will be any effect on public opinion from this charade tonight.
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