Posted on 03/25/2005 5:40:55 AM PST by Zivasmate
THE SCHIAVO STAKES: WHAT THE FIGHT'S REALLY ABOUT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 25, 2005 -- THE looming death by starva tion of Terri Schiavo has ex posed yet again the key fault line in American culture. Those who have sided with her parents in seeking the reinsertion of her feeding tube have a view of life that is profoundly different from those who have sided with her husband's quest to have her die. Those who want her to live tend to view life as a gift — a treasure beyond value that has been bestowed upon us and that we therefore have no right to squander. The giver of the gift cannot be seen by the human eye, and the essence of the gift cannot be seen either. We usually call that essence the "soul." Our souls define us: They make us who we are in the deepest sense. And they transcend us as well: They are our connection to the divine, to all in the universe that is unseen and unknowable but is still there. Most religious people share this set of beliefs, which is why those who have pushed hardest to save Schiavo are devout Christians. Many of those who want her to die, by contrast, view life as a natural phenomenon — a collision of egg and sperm that gives rise 280 days later to a baby. That baby is the product of human interaction, deriving genetic information equally from mother and father and recombining it into a new human form. It's a wonder, but it's not a miracle. It's explicable within the laws of nature, and so there isn't anything necessarily transcendent about it. In some sense, then, the human body has a mechanical quality to it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
They will not be able to visit the property to pay respects to their daughter, leave flowers, meditate or pray, ever. Nor will the extended Schindler family members.
I swear, the machinations of MS would rival those found in an Edgar Allen Poe macabre tale.
Leni
As is stated in another thread on an article by a doctor (William Anderson) in the Weekly Standard titled "Terri's Last Chance" there is no medical, legal or moral reason to not attempt a trial of natural drinking. He argues all the outcomes of such a trial, even if it results in a quicker death, are better than refusing to allow her to attempt to take food and water on her own. Only Greer's order stops this and such an order is not within the power of a court to make.
Jeb and George Bush should blast Judge Greer out of the water on this illegal order and immediately give her water by mouth. Who is going to stop them? All the law enforcement people are under the governor's jurisdiction. Greer is only getting away with this order by default because there has been so much focus on the feeding tube and I don't think this issue has even been pressed. We don't know if Terri could accept enough nutrition to stay alive but every human being has the right to try to take a drink of water! If it works, this could allow time to dismiss Greer for violating her human rights by his order and overturn the guardian decision.
...scatter those ashes up in PA on
some Schiavo family property,....
So her parents and other family members as well as the public will not be able to place flowers at her grave?
That's malicious. Terri's family deserves to be able to do at least that. For crying out loud!
There have been reports she is being given morphine - why, if she can't feel pain? I do not believe for one minute that she can't feel pain and I believe she is suffering. But again I have to wonder why her family and supporters who are there don't just rush in and physically remove her. Are the police gonna shoot them? If it were my daughter in that hospice, I would not stand by and watch her die like this.
"I have read that Michael already got an order from - you guessed it, Judge Greer - that says she is to be immediately cremated. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"
Everything about this digraceful case has made me wonder. but you can't help but get the feeling that MS has some influential people in influential places. Sooner or later, unfortunately probably long after Terri is no longer with us, all the dirty laundry will come out.
The Hemlock movement is long-active, well-funded, and very involved in this matter.
swear, the machinations of MS would rival those found in an Edgar Allen Poe macabre tale."
If I were him I'd watch my back for the rest of my life.
How convenient. There will be no investigation of attempted murders over the years.
Without God, we are beasts, and are very likely to be monsters.
Perhaps the screams are disturbing?
// For crying out loud! // exactly.
And here's another way to look at it: The liberal left in this country has embraced a culture of death.
Their major platforms now are euthanasia and abortion at home, capitulation and cowardice against enemies abroad.
They wallow in death. They embrace death as a long, lost friend. It is all they have left to them.
.
GOD Save the Vulnerable from the Bullies
Exactly right. Morphine and other drugs can be given to treat the symptoms but no medical professional knows for sure what pain the person endures!
Your statement showed just why we have the dilema we have right now. The pastors of this nation refuse to actively involve themselves. They pray without telling the names of the people they pray for, ect. We will see a change in this nation when the pastors are not weenies and will be willing to stand up and pray openly without fear of who or what will dislike what they do.
Terri did not want to live this way. Her parents want to continue the 15 years of torture. Her husband wants to relieve her suffering.
You contradict yourself because you miss a key distinguisher. Of course rationalists will fight for life because once life is over it is over. Religionists can be more sanguine about the fate of the individual because the individual will live on - possibly in a much better place than this one.
But your second statement brings in the notion of a "properly qualified" life. Religionists value life because it is, not because its owner values it, or others value it. Yet religionists also recognize that some must die for the preservation of the common good. That those die is not considered ultimate destruction because they will have an afterlife. However, they must not be killed indiscriminately. There must be rules. Those rules are supplied by the Author of Life, and are therefore reasonable rules to follow for determining when someone must die.
In the end this isn't about Terri. She will go to her Lord and be much happier. This is about us and what we have become. And what we have become is a nation that murders people when they are no longer wanted.
When being unwanted is a capital crime G-d help us all.
Shalom.
The court, in 1997 when Michael announced he was'engaged' should have immediately conducted a guardianship hearing and transfered Terri to State guardianship. Because of this failure, we are in the present situation.
Questions to consider:
(1) Why did Michael choose to 'ignore' her wishes for nearly 7 years until 1997 when he announced he was'engaged' to Jodi Centonze and 'suddenly' remembered the conversation about life support with Terri from years before?
Michael Schiavo answer would probably rationalize that it took that long before he realized there was 'no hope for recovery...'
(2) However, the 1992 malpractice suit for $20 million was based on the premise/conclusion that Terri would NOT recover and she would require constant medical care for the remainder of her life estimated by Michael Shiavo and his laywers to be 51 years(which is the normal life expectancey)...Where were her WISHES at that time?
(3) The court, in 1997 when Michael announced he was'engaged' should have immediately conducted a guardianship hearing and transfered Terri to State guardianship, at a minimum because of the obvious conflict of interest on the part of Michael Shiavo.
The court system failed to act at that point, and that is a major factor on why we are at the point we are today.
Guardianship, by law and practice, is determined to be given to that person who is most heavily 'biased' in favor of the disabled person. Under most conditions this would be the spouse. However, most prudent courts, if during the guardianship period, the appointed guardian by circumstances or accident tilts the 'bias' away from the interest of the person so guarded, would conduct an immediate review, and at a minimum, transfer guardianship to the appropriate State agency.
An additional thought, as I presented it to my class at the university yesterday and I posed the question to the students:
If Terri Schiavo's medical condition, feeding tube et al, was exactly the same as it is, age 25, etc. with the single exception that she was not 'mentally' disabled but had all other functions; and she expressed a desire to have the feeding tube removed and wanted to die, what would we do?
Of course the answer is clear, she would not be allowed to make that 'choice' and would be sent for counselling, etc.
Van & Katherine Jenerette
North Myrtle Beach, SC Professor, Political Science, SCC Associate, Sociology, Coastal Carolina University, South Carolina
Don't forget the elderly. This is the solution to the Social inSecurity crisis. Logan's Run, here we come.
Shalom.
Please urge Gov. Jeb Bush to use his LEGAL powers as governor to take Terri S into protective custody.
jeb@myflorida.com
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.