Posted on 03/24/2005 6:44:09 PM PST by NotchJohnson
was absolutely astounded yesterday when Florida Governor Jeb Bush held that press conference and talked about the State of Florida taking custody of Terri Schiavo. He presented to the media the opinion of a doctor that Terri Schiavo was not in a persistent vegetative state .. but rather just in some sort of a period of reduced consciousness. This doctor has never seen Terri Schiavo, except on videotape, and he's issuing findings that are completely at odds with doctors who have been personally examining Terri for many months.
Think about this for a moment. Attending physicians conduct their examinations and make their reports. The matter moves into the courts and is adjudicated ... adjudicated extensively. Nineteen state judges, one Federal District Court judge, one Court of Appeals, and three now four trips to the U.S. Supreme Court. Still, politicians aren't happy with the results ... so now the State contemplates using its police power to seize the body of Terri Schiavo so that she can be forced to endure this horrible existence for years to come.
Across America there are thousands of families who have faced similar situations and made their difficult decisions without political interference. There are tens of millions more who have expressed their wishes, both in writing and in words, that they never be kept alive in this manner. Now these people are watching this hideous spectacle of politicians plotting the literal kidnapping of Terri Schiavo. And why? To please a powerful political constituency .. the ant-abortion lobby.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that there are many people out there who, when faced with medical disaster, want to be turned over to politicians to be used as political pawns. I'm wondering if these people will be anxious to keep Republicans in power.
What are we going to do? We're going to bend over and take it up the tailpipe for lack of better options.
Too bad about your messed up family.
The polls do not indicate how uninformed people are. For example, the NAZIs got away with camps for Jews because they desentsitized people for their deaths. This is not a vacuum, this is a process.
I have been through a similar exercise - it is a hard task, and ought to remain so.
But I am more than a little frightened by the casual ease that many express about an explicit living will. They do not understand that such simple statements as "no tubes/wires" have the force of law when placed there, and can prevent even the most transient use of temporary support measures, such as a drain, a catheter, or even a heart monitor, that CANNOT be overridden by permission from the family.
its because the "vast majority" of americans don't know the facts of the case.
there aren't hundreds of cases like this every year - elderly people who are disconnected from feeding tubes in the last several days of their life, die of something else, whatever their underlying condition is (cancer, stroke, pneumonia, etc). they are not starved to death like this woman is. I don't know a single person in my family, or extended family of friends and relatives, who died of starvation.
stay tuned, because this case is going to trigger some parent someplace who is tired of caring for their child who has muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, to disconnect that child's feeding tube and starve the kid to death. Once Terri dies in this highly publicized case, that will be the "go signal", and surely there will be some parent, somewhere, who is tired of the burden of caring for their disbaled child and will make a move like this, when they see that the US judiciary will pave the way and allow it.
As tragic as this is the media has overblown it , as usual.
Cut off this wind bag's feeding tube...stop listening to his hateful show and call your station. I did.
If you believe that, I have some land for sale in Florida.........
Thank you for sticking up for Jeb. After careful reflection and listening to a very intelligent talk show host who's also a constitutional lawyer, I see that there is nothing more that Jeb could have done.
Boortz is an effeminate whining Smoke Gnatzi. I only hear him as I turn on the radio when it's about time for Rush to come on.
Tomb is right. I actually think that this is going to be the official Democrat proposal for saving Social Security!
Just eliminate the 'useless eaters'... the party line of the N-a-z, I mean, 'Democrat' party... /sarcasm off/
Reagan80
I hadn't heard that. Thanks for posting it.
Furthermore, there are items with this story that don't make the pro-Michael supporters look good. Conflict of interest with respect to Greer, the hospice, the behavior of Michael. Remember that this doctor was not PERMITTED to examine Terri because of a court order. In fact, Greer is preventing people from attempting to use a wet rag to hydrate Terri.
When then case is a theoretical discussion of euthanasia of brain-dead people (Terri is not) versus keeping them alive, the euthanasia crowd wins. When the details of the case are known, it looks terrible for the pro-death crowd.
You know, I think a lot of the support for killing Terri is just hatred of pro-lifers.
Yep, you are right. I said in the beginning this was all political posturing. I also said that the only people that could save Terri was The President or the Governor. I also said they would not do it, even though no one could stop them, if they really wanted to save Terry.
This morning Bill Bennett openly called for either of them to save Terry and let the people decide the consequences. I loved his advice but knew in my heart they would not take it. Living in California, my vote in the Presidential election will not matter at all, so a protest vote on my part would be a silly, but I think God is not indifferent to our actions, as does the President, if we can believe what he has stated.
Koolaid, Koolaid, tastes great, Koolaid, Koolaid cain't wait.
Terri's brother and sister were on H&C tonight, and the brother said that his family is very grateful to Governor Bush and they understand that he's done all he can.
You are absolutely correct. The 'real story' behind the history of this will only emerge, unfortunately, after Terri dies. The rush to snuff her will sicken all but the most hard-hearted lefties.
Listen, we could all easily be Terri. Any one of us could be there today after a car accident. There's a great deal of soul searching going on out there. Political price? People will not vote AGAINST Republicans in mass numbers over something that happened 18 months before the next general election.
However, I would not want to be George Greer in his next reelection bid...
Reagan80
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