Posted on 03/19/2005 6:03:33 AM PST by mathprof
Congressional leaders are playing a dangerous game with their intrusion into the hotly publicized fight in Florida over maintaining life support for a severely brain-damaged woman. With state legislative and court appeals being exhausted, the House and Senate began some grim one-upsmanship to stop the removal of the feeding tube from Terri Schiavo. She is the 41-year-old woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for the last 15 years, with her parents contesting that sad diagnosis. They also challenged the careful decisions by Florida's trial and appellate courts, based largely on the testimony of her husband that their daughter would have chosen to die rather than live indefinitely in such condition.
Congress seized the issue in the closing hours of its March budget debate. After bungled attempts to grant federal court review of the case, leaders of the two houses blamed each other for Ms. Schiavo's potential demise. They then landed on the ghoulish gimmick of postponing removal of her feeding tube by subpoenaing her to a House hearing and inviting her to a separate hearing in the Senate. The Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, said that criminal law protects witnesses called before Congress "from anyone who may obstruct or impede a witness's attendance or testimony."
After considering the issue yesterday, the state appellate judge presiding over the case ordered the removal of Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube to proceed, finding Congress's intervention created no "emergency" requiring postponement. No doubt this is not the end of this painful drama. Meanwhile we can only lament the Republicans' theatrical effort to expand their so-called pro-life agenda to include intervening in a case already studied and litigated exhaustively under Florida law. Congress's rash assumption of judicial power and trampling on established state and federal constitutional precedents in "right to die" cases is nothing short of breathtaking.
Where has she not received due process? This has played out for 12 years.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
If my wife told me she did not want to live in a vegitative state and god forbid it happened, I can tell you right now nothing would end my crusade to fulfill her wish.
If she was black or a terrorist the NYSlimes would be defending her (ò¿ó)
These goofy S.O.B.'S pissed themselves over an Iraqi with a pair of panties on his head, but they have no qualms over the slow painful thirst and starvation death of a woman whom none can prove ever expressed a wish to have treatment stopped.
Speaking of Ann, I assume she will note that if Terri is killed by these monsters, we will probably find Terri's name listed as a registered Democrat (who just happens to vote a straight Democrat ticket) in the '06 elections and every election after that. Murder is the first problem. Voter fraud waiting to happen.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
In otherwords, it is ok for congress pass laws creating death (abortion) but not protecting a life?
ah, but the "abuse" of terrorist prisoners at Abu Gahrib was important and their exhaustive coverge wasn't ghoulish
I'm sorry, but this isn't accurate, at least here in Iowa. In the "absence of anything from her" we have to rely on the judgement of her medical power of attorney.
I have to agree with you on that. Conservatves pushing for expansion of federal powers and liberals talking about the trampling of states' rights. What a world we live in.
If this were truly a right-to-die case, I could understand why liberals would take the position that they have. If Terri had a living will stating that she would not want a feeding tube, then I would say that her parents are wrong for trying to prevent it from being removed. But all we have as proof of Terri's wishes is the word of a man who has been living with another woman for years and has been unfaithful to his wife almost from the beginning. I just can't understand why so many people are willing to accept that Michael Schiavo is telling the truth under these circumstances.
One of the duties of the US Marshals is to protect endangered federal witnesses.
Terri Schiavo is a federal witness who is in danger as we speak!
President Bush must use the US Marshals to protect her.
Congress didn't. The U.S. Supreme Court invented a right to privacy. In Terri's case Congress has overstepped their authority.
Whether you like it or not, the law is being followed in this case. My Gosh, it's gone on for almost a decade. This is not a Congressional matter. If you don't like the law, fight to change it, or at least make it more understandable. You will regret allowing the government to intervene in this matter. You are all letting your emotions get in the way of what it is we are fighting for.
Is anyone surprised that the Stalinists at the NYT wants to see Terri dead so that would make way for other people to be killed as well?
Would sure save a bundle on Hillary Care if she ever gets elected.
Of course. That is your obligation as her husband. But I bet that you wouldn't move in with another woman and father two children by her before your wife was dead. That is my problem with Michael Schiavo. His actions make me question the sincerity of his quest. If he loves his wife so much that he feels compelled to fight to fulfill her wishes, why doesn't he respect her enough not to openly carry on with another woman?
WRONG! They made it a Congressional matter by calling for Terri to testify.
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