Posted on 03/22/2005 3:58:24 AM PST by billorites
Shameful! There's really no other word to describe what is now both the Terri Schiavo ``case'' and the Terri Schiavo ``law.''
Before there was a ``case'' or a ``law,'' Terri Schiavo was just a 26-year-old woman, wife to Michael Schiavo, daughter of Bob and Mary Schindler. Then in 1990 a heart attack, likely resulting from an eating disorder, cut the oxygen to her brain, putting her in what doctors describe as ``a persistent vegetative state.''
Since then Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers have played dysfunctional family - neither willing to relent on who should have the last word on Terri Schiavo's care. They have fought out their battle over 15 years before 19 different judges in six different courts and the Florida Legislature, which attempted - ultimately unsuccessfully - to intervene. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the case on three separate occasions.
Common sense has long since gone out the window as politicians, first at the state level and now in Congress, have shamelessly used the case to pursue their political agendas - and as the equally shameful relatives of Terri Schiavo have allowed themselves to be so used.
Ah, but there's so very much shame to go around here. The U.S. Senate, of course, passed the Schiavo bill ``unanimously'' on a voice vote with only three members present Sunday because, well, all of those future Democratic presidential contenders like Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry [related, bio] wouldn't want to actually put this to a debate and roll call.
Then, of course, there's the utter shamelessness of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - Dr. Frist, a heart surgeon, remember - who insisted after watching a video that Terri Schiavo ``has a level of consciousness.''
Most doctors actually examine a patient before rendering a diagnosis, but not when that doctor ends up in Congress.
And then, of course, there was the 203-58 vote in the House, in which a lot of good Republicans who as a matter of philosophy want to keep the federal courts out of people's lives were perfectly willing to make an exception in this case where the political stakes were high.
The only question is whether Terri Schiavo's due process rights were protected. And the answer is more than those of any patient, anytime, anywhere.
Dripping with irony, indeed.
Isn't it Ironic that today is "World Water Day." ? !!
You never seek the opinion of two doctors do you?
If I understand correctly, to diagnose and treat the stroke, no. Afterwards, for the purpose of assessing impairment, that's when I believe the MRI is of more use. But I'm NOT a medical professional. This is just what we've been told by them :)
Because it's comfortable for those affluent and able bodied privileged elites in the courts to decide that Terri's condition is "too awful" (for Michael, which presumably also is too terrible for her). Does this mean that activist judges can set up groundrules to make the decision to end lives even when the legal guardians want to preserve it?
How is coercing the death of the weak humane? Can there be legal action taken against him for judicial malpractice?
If any good is to come of this case, you're right...people will get Living Wills.
Our family did the same thing with a stomach tube for an aunt, based on her ORAL orders only when she still had the capability to think and make decision, when we all knew there was no hope.
I'm not advocating it as a humane thing. I think this country needs to determine these things...how to proceed in the future. And if we're going to litigate these matters when family members disagree, we're going to need a LOT more judges.
The shame lies on us, all of us, for allowing our society to reach the point where people are a throw away commodity. We are all harmed by the death of Teri because we could be next. A human life sacrified for the sake of convience. John Donne said it "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."
You could be right about that, MortMan. And if he was advised to get them removed, they should have been removed. I'd like to know more about that myself.
I am only commenting that Dr. Frist and Sean and Rush have completely ignored the fact that at this time, Terri is ineligible for an MRI because of those electrodes.
You know, the right-to-die issue is important, and the particular facts of Terri's case (no written request, theword of one family member against the other, etc)... but how on earth can every fricking judge in this case condone starvation as an appropriate means of termination? You can't starve a dog to death, and you can't starve a serial killer to death... but apparently it's okay to starve a helpless innocent to death. How can this stand?!
What is there in Terri's brain that is going to show up on an MRI that wouldn't on a CT scan? The CT scan shows EVERYTHING, just like an MRI. I now see some posters are saying she has metal in her head from a previous treatment. I guess that'swhy she's not going to have an MRI. Now maybe we can change the argument to, "Michael intentionally had those wires left in her head so she could never have an MRI" If you think that sounds crazy, just watch.
BTW, in my mothers' case, she had the CT scans at the time of the event, and then again later. Never an MRI.
I am more comfortable relying on court documents than on the word of internet doctors (LOL) and the absolutely speculative chatter that is out there about this case. Others seem to feel differently.
And Terri has had 3 guardian ad litems and they all agreed that she is PVS and beyond help. She has had numerous tests through the years.
How many doctors and how many tests do we need to conduct in order for people to rely on their veracity?
Already happened see post 56.
The shame in all of this is Terri never was granted "her" due process. There is not a living will and who says the husband is a man of his word?
What a sad shame to see the Pro-death people win once again! We live in a nation who would rally behind the cause of saving a snail darter but hind behind the guise Terri's death is about choice. The question arises whose choice was this....Terri's or the husbands?
It is is God's very capable hands now and may He use this horrible situation and turn it into good.
I rest my case. Unreal.
It is shameful, but this is what happens when you allow judges to do this kind of thing. And since the Dems tell us that it's none of the legislature's business, my guess is that the next time there is a dispute over whether to euthanize an incapacitated person, it will be handled in exactly the same way.
Better get a Living Will then.
You're a doctor?
Peach, wasn't one of those guardians Judge Greer, in a blatant conflict of interest? And since another one of the GAL's didn't follow through on the tests he wanted to see done, I disagree on how well served she was by her guardians.
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