Posted on 03/25/2005 5:21:18 AM PST by mhking
My position on the Schiavo matter has vascilated back and forth over the past few days as I've agonized over the matter.
Should she be given a chance at life? If so, what kind of life are we talking about? Is there a chance at rehabilitation? Is Michael Schiavo an evil S.O.B., or is he simply a heart-broken man?
Conversely, is she truly in a vegetative state? A virtual zombie with eyes open, and nothing inside? Are her parents and family in denial about her pain and suffering? Are the evangelicals coming to her aid getting so worked up that they are looking past the true nature of this situation?
Difficult questions these. Who wins? Who loses?
There is no winner here. This situation is heartbreaking at the core. A vibrant woman struck down in the prime of her life. A myriad of doctors, most of whom have indicated that much of her brain tissue has deteriorated and possibly even liquified inside her skull. CAT scans that support that diagnosis.
Conversely, we see her eyes focusing on a balloon, we see her apparently responding to people entering her limited field of vision.
What do we believe?
After 22 different judges have agonized over this, they all have come to the same decision: that her husband has the right to make that agonizing decision.
Talk show host Neil Boortz has taken the stance that Terri Schiavo has earned her place in heaven, and that we, as a people, should let her go home.
Do you believe in Gods promise of everlasting life? Do you believe that the reward for a life well spent on this earth is a life with God in heaven after you die? If you do, then a few more questions if you will.Jesus awaits Terri Schiavo at the gates of heaven with open arms. He will grant her eternal rest. He loves all, no matter which side of this sad story the people are on.Do you believe that the human soul can make the transition to everlasting life while the human body that carried that soul through life clings to life on this earth? If you do, then you must surely believe that Terri Schiavo has earned and is already enjoying her reward in heaven. That being the case, why is it so important to you that the now-unneeded body of Terri Schiavo is kept alive?
But perhaps you believe, as I do, that the human soul is so connected to and integrated with its earthly body that any transition will not be made until that body ceases functioning -- until death occurs.. That being the case, why do you so ardently desire that the soul of Terri Schiavo spend five, ten, perhaps 30 years or more trapped in a useless and non-functioning body, unable to move on to whatever reward awaits her? Isnt 15 years enough?
Where do your concerns truly lie, with the eternal soul of Terri Schiavo, or with her earthly body?
Let her go home. We can only commend her spirit among the angels for the journey.
Sadly, those who damn the judges and politicians and those of us who wish her spirit to move on are going to fracture the fragile fabric of the conservative wing of the GOP. In their zeal to ignore the rule of law and the Constitutional process, they are sliding down the slippery slope of anarchy toward mob rule.
This is a land of laws, not men. And the political problems that are surfacing -- on both sides -- point toward the deterioration of our constitutional republic. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for that will mean in the future?
I weep for Terri Schiavo today. But I fear for more tears in our future, thanks to those who would wad up the Constitutional protections and freedoms wrought by the notion of ignoring the rule of law, simply because those in power didn't get their way.
"I weep for Terri Schiavo today. But I fear for more tears in our future, thanks to those who would wad up the Constitutional protections and freedoms wrought by the notion of ignoring the rule of law, simply because those in power didn't get their way."
"Let her go home. We can only commend her spirit among the angels for the journey."
Thank you"mhking"
Watching good law and order conservatives advocate anarchy and the use of children who were knowingly going to be arrested at the Hospice has been eye opening, to say the least. The GOP seems to have forgotten as well that the goverment that governs least, governs best.
Christians shouldn't fear death...but they should sure fear causing death. Terri wasn't dying before someone decided to make her die.
What I fail to understand, however, is why Michael is so intent on letting her die....
I wonder the same. "Why?" about Michael, "why?" about some of the things Terri's parents have done...Why? Why? Why?
We may not always agree with God's ways.
"Jesus awaits Terri Schiavo at the gates of heaven with open arms."
This will be true of any Christian who is murdered at the hands of the state.
It appears to be little-reported in the news that Michael Schiavo put on a parade of witnesses - Terri's friends - who confirmed his testimony that she did not want to be kept alive in such a state.
I agree.
Anyone else pained by the whole idea I hear everyday of "who would want to live like that?" i just sense a soft bigotry in that. I know what people mean---no one wants to be in her condition...but the "Who would want to live like that?" is often ask not just in a rhetorical sense, but in an argument towards killing her. That's bigotry, in my mind. Imagine if people said "Who would want to live like that?" to a war veteran who lost his arm. I mean, its upsetting the arrogance and selfishness some approach Terri with.
Yes, this is 1 of the cruelest ways to die, and certainly not "dignified"!
I don't care what the experts say now (just like Clintonistas, we're getting new and improved ways to rationalize everything - "oh, she's not feeling anything; oh, hunger is a great way to go"). Tell that to the concentration-camp dwellers! Tell that to the Ethiopian children!
Yup, no great technology in the world can beat God; if He wanted her w/Him, even if she had to be hooked up to all kinds of things, He would get her no matter what!
Amen...
Perfect in every way.
This may be the bottom line difference. Who gets to say that her body is useless? It is clearly not useless to her parents, who want to take that body home and feed it and love her.
We do not know that it is useless to Terri. The evaluations on her condition seem to lack clarity. And it is said that she has been denied therapies than could improve her condition.
The "let her go to Jesus" is just a sugar coating to hide the horror of what is actual happening. It is not letting nature take its course. It is the premeditated taking away of a human life.
I have always believed that Jesus will remove her pain and tell her she is loved. Terri will always be in our hearts and we love her dearly. I still also pray for God's justice for her life.
Only one judge presided over this case and that is Greer. All other judges just reviewed to determine if Greer followed the law. But those other judges totally overlooked the fact that Greer may have had a conflict of interest in deciding this case. It has been reported (by John Armor) that Greer accepted campaign contributions from Michael Schiavo's lawyers? The world can see that the decision to allow Michael Schiavo to continue as guardian for Terri was a bad decision. He has so much conflict of interest baggage and possible criminal involvement in Terri's present condition that it is almost insane to let him decide her fate..........
Ahh, Michael. This is where I disagree. I don't think they did.
You had one arrogant incompentent with most of the rest seeking to duck the issue to avoid unpleasant at the club. At least that's my view.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.