No choice for Terri

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | March 24, 2005 | Debra J. Saunders

[AliVeritas]

I'VE HEARD the clamor as to why Terri Schiavo must die. No one, it is said, would want to live like her. Her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, are religious fanatics. Many of her so-called supporters are "pro-life" zealots. Evil GOP geniuses passed a special law to help her live. And so, she must die.

I've followed this poignant case for two years. Also, my husband served at one time as an unpaid informal adviser to the Schindlers. I've heard the arguments, and they often start with: No one would want to live like that.

After all, this case is supposed to be about Terri's "right to die," even though no one knows for sure that she wants to die. She never wrote a living will or other document asserting as much. A court decided that she would want to die, based on casual remarks she made to her husband, Michael Schiavo, and his brother and sister. She told them she would never want to be kept alive by machines.

I hate to insert facts here, but it is a fact that a feeding tube is not a machine. Yet somehow the courts found that those casual comments have the force of a legal document -- and apply to a feeding tube, when they were meant for a respirator.

[Sybeck1]

From San Fran no less.

[bikepacker67]

How long has she survived in this state? Twelve? Fifteen years?

If that doesn't display a powerful will to live, I don't know what does.

[Mark in the Old South]

A feeding tube is inserted as a convenience to the nursing staff much of the time. Which do you think is more effort a feeding tube with prepared nutrients or cooking a meal special then spending the hour or so feeding her three times a day?

They want her dead and they want more of you useless feeders dead. Terri will die on the GOP watch.

[cripplecreek]

"Her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, are religious fanatics. Many of her so-called supporters are "pro-life" zealots. Evil GOP geniuses passed a special law to help her live. And so, she must die."


That would explain some of the signs held by the pro death crowds. I saw a video clip of Terri's parents walking out of the hospice yesterday. As they did some idiot was wildly waving a sign in their faces that read "Jeb Bush is as brain dead as Terri, please resign". The guy clearly wanted nothing more than to cause emotional pain to the parents and promote his political agenda at the same time.

[beyond the sea]

Debra Saunders is cool.

[rocksblues]

If her so called husband hadn't stopped her therapy almost immediately after receiving a large money judgement for her care she would probably be living at home with her parents.

Read the story of the last 15 years here.

http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43463

[StonyBurk]

Someday some jackass Judge will decide that the author of
this Piece ha sno value and should be starved to death.But then that has not yet happened to this ignorant uneducated
twit so sh'e just fine with her MTV degree.

[ILBBACH]

Did you even read the article?

She thinks Terri should live...

[expatpat]

She told them she would never want to be kept alive by machines. I hate to insert facts here, but it is a fact that a feeding tube is not a machine.

Seems like a powerful argument to me -- but then I'm not a member of the Death Squad.

[Almondjoy]

Half the democrats voted for the bill to bring it to the federal level and this left wing wackos want us to swallow that the nation wants us to butt out and let her die?

From San Fran no less indeed. It just goes to show the insanity it's being pushed by the very few.

[StonyBurk]

OOPS-- I should have read the article -not just the lead.

[jwpjr]

re: If her so called husband hadn't stopped her therapy

Amen! When all is said and done, it comes down to the simple fact that whatever state she is in today it's the result of the care that her husband, as her court-appointed guardian, demanded she receive. It's indeed possible that Terri is too far gone now to benefit from rehab, but that was not the case a few months after her 'collapse'. In the earliest videos and photos she is far from the poor lady we see in the latest videos and photos. Whether she lives or dies, the next chapter in this long, sad story simply MUST be a careful examination of the care she received, did not receive, at the hands of her guardian. I know he will answer for it on judgment day, but I am just impatient enough to want to see some answers now.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Has anyone thought of cryogenics? That may sound crass, but it is another option. (?)

[Vyce]

that is about the dumbest thing I have heard to date on this case. To blame the GOP for her death and no the husband who is seeking her death or the liberal court justices that are doing all they can to see that she does die is absolutely ignorant to no end. You cant actually expect the President to step in and mead out law on this issue do you?! heh.. thats the problem with ppl today.. they always either will not accept responsibility for their own actions or they try to bend the blame to their political ends. Here a woman is starving to death by the desire of her husband and the court system and your trying to place blame on GOP when it is a liberal activist Judge who is presiding over this in the first place.

[Mark in the Old South]

There is no way these judges are acting without smokey backroom approval of the leadership in the White House and Congress. Remember Roe v Wade was in 1973. Shortly after the REPUBLICAN won reelection for a second term. It seems to be a pattern. The Democrats push the envelope and the Republicans standardize the new low. You see this in the Welfare State, Taxes, Immigration, Abortion and now Killing the infirm.

Many seem to forget the notion of a Living will began as a means to ensure they would pull the plug. The presumption in the law was you would wish to live. Now suddenly the whole notion has been reversed. The Republicans are standing by pretending to care, perhaps a few do but many are looking for cover. Let us face it the behavior of the Democrats is not what you would expect. Almost half in Congress publicly support action, even Jessie Jackson, for crying out loud. There is no price to pay for the Gov. or the POTUS should they act. They do not wish to is the only rational conclusion. Why they do not is debatable. Remember Bill Clinton defied the courts so did Eisenhower in AK desegregation. There are lots of things the Republicans could do, contempt of Congress charges for one. They will not and I doubt you have an explanation for that. Yet you will waste time saying I am being unfair to Bush. Well if that is what you think you explain it. Because collusion is the only thing I can come up with to explain it.