Posted on 03/25/2005 3:50:13 PM PST by churchillbuff
Toward Tradition and Rabbi Daniel Lapin urge the husband of neurology patient Terri Schindler-Schiavo, and Judge George Greer, who issued her death warrant, to recognize that starving an invalid is murder, not mercy.
Florida Circuit Court Judge Greer Thursday last week re-interpreted the law, calling food and water "medical treatment," thus allowing Michael Schiavo to withdraw Mrs. Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube. This also ignores the rights of Terri's primary caretakers and loyal defenders, her mother and father. The court has ordered all food and water withheld beginning this Friday, March 18th; it is expected to take her between 1- 2 weeks to starve or dehydrate to death. One wonders if they will attempt to withhold air as well.
Rabbi Lapin, president of the national Jewish-Christian alliance, appealed to Mr. Schiavo and Judge Greer to choose life. "Not for nothing is the climax of God's relationship with Israel His admonition 'I place before you this day life and death--therefore choose life.' According to ancient Jewish wisdom, failure actively and deliberately to choose life makes death the default. None of us will be better off in an America in which death has become the culture's default," said Rabbi Daniel Lapin.
Those that support the impending murder might consider that Kate Adamson, a California woman who suffered a sudden double-brainstem stroke, was deemed a vegetable by her physicians; her husband was warned she would never regain full brain function. He refused to give up on her (although she could not speak or move), in stark contrast to Mr. Schiavo. Mr. Adamson's faith appears to have been correct, because his wife has written a book about her experiences: Kate's Journey: Triumph Over Adversity, which tells of her journey from isolation and catastrophic brain injury.
Mrs. Adamson recently spoke out on behalf of Terri Schindler-Schiavo at a rally protesting the pre-meditated murder plot by her husband and the courts.
As former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote: "If we ever decide that a poor quality of life justifies ending that life, we have taken a step down a slippery slope that places all of us in danger. There is a difference between allowing nature to take its course and actively assisting death."
Toward Tradition applauds US Senator Mel Martinez and Representative Dave Weldon (FL), who have introduced a bill to Congress entitled the "Incapacitated Persons' Legal Protection Act," guaranteeing constitutional rights to those who cannot speak for themselves.
"...The lapse of time between the various offenses and the indictment of defendant on July 27, 1967, is considerable but is adequately explained by the record. The murder weapon in each case was unique, insulin. The deaths of each of these victims were initially attributed to causes other than a criminal agency. Suspicion of insulin and of defendant as the person administering the insulin was not aroused until the death of Zella in 1956. It was not until years later, after much painstaking and persistent investigation by law enforcement officers, and the discovery of advances made in {Page 3 Cal.3d 621} medical knowledge and techniques, that sufficient evidence could be accumulated to charge defendant with these deaths. Unfortunately, by then other of defendant's victims had lost their lives. This is the only known reported case of murder by insulin poisoning in the United States. Only one other, reported world-wide, occurred in England in 1956. ..."
"...Dr. Grace Fern Thomas, a psychiatrist and an expert in insulin shock therapy, and director of the insulin shock department at the time defendant was at Camarillo, testified as to the procedures on the ward. A precise dosage of insulin was measured for each person at a particular time. At a specific level that patient would go into shock in approximately two hours after the injection. Patients do not progress at the same level. Careful watch must be kept of the pulse, color, blood pressure, general condition, and neurological signs, such as pupillary changes and body motions. When a patient is going into progressive stages of coma he sweats very profusely and breathes very heavily. Saliva is secreted in large amounts, mucous flows freely and mixes with the saliva, and the patient must be carefully watched, turned, or assisted so that he does not aspirate the fluid into his lungs. Otherwise bronchopneumonia may develop, leading to death. The gag reflex and the cornea reflex are lost. Convulsions may occur, and medication is given to prevent this. The extremities may stiffen. At a relatively deep level of coma the Babinski test (scatching the sole of the foot in a certain manner) will cause a reflex known as the Babinski response (toes fan out). The patient must be brought out of the coma within 10-15 minutes thereafter. This is done by administering glucose through gastric tubes, and if this is not effective, glucose is administered intravenously to raise the blood sugar.
She's already dead? Great then you won't mind if we hook up the feeding tube.
"She's already dead!"
You wish!
If MS took a hammer and beat Terri about the head right now until she died, would he not be charged with murder? If someone pulled Kervorkian out of jail and allowed him to inject Terri with some concoction that killed her, would he not be convicted of murder? (speaking of which, all this incident does raise the spectre of a Kervorkian appeal, mark my words)
By definition, this would mean that Terri is alive. And to withhold food and water for any number of days, would constitute neglect of any living person, by anyone's standard.
So how is it that MS and Judge Greer could possibly avoid being charged with neglect (in MS's case) and conspiracy to commit murder?
Jesus was a Rabbi
That is a very scary principle you are talking about. You said:
Oh I know they do. But Rabbi Lapin is the first I heard that will stand by them.
This is part of a very interesting article all should read it and post it.
http://www.theempirejournal.com/98981_terri_schiavo_could_be_sec.htm
According to records The Empire Journal has obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency has initiated collection procedures against the Hospice of Florida Suncoast to recover some $14.8 million which they say was unlawfully paid to the hospice as a result of fraudulent claims made for Medicare reimbursement for patients that were not terminally ill. Such as Terri Schiavo, and therefore not eligible for hospice care. According to the 2004 annual report of HHS filed Dec.31, 2004, the agency has initiated collection procedures against the hospice.
Federal auditors have been cracking down on hospices like Florida Suncoast that seek Medicare payments for treating the terminally ill when the patients aren’t on the brink of death-----such as Terri Schiavo.
The federal agency has been trying to recover the Medicare overpayments made to the hospice since May, 1997 at the time when Michael Schiavo’s attorney, euthanasia advocate George Felos was chairman of the board.
Qui Tam (“who sues on behalf of the king as well as for himself”) is a provision of the Federal Civil False Claims Act that allows a private citizen to file a suit in the name of the U.S. Government charging fraud by government contractors and other entitles who receive or use government funds, and share in any money recovered.
Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance).
That is if the patient is certified to be terminal.
George Felos also conveniently forgot to give notice to the court and her parents, Mary and Robert Schindler Sr. that he was chairman of the board of directors at the Hospice at the time and had been since at least Jan. 31, 1997 and perhaps earlier.
If functional Human Beings are the criteria I for one am in trouble
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
A Bump in the Celebration of Life!
YIKES!!!!
So we should starve newborn BABIES!???? They can't walk, run, play, eat on their own, talk, bathe on their own, go to the bathroom on their own. They are pretty well confined to a bed too!
FOX NEWS just reported that Judge Greer's Baptist church
has "disfellowshiped" him. (There is a killer in our midst!)
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Rabbi Lapin is a very good guy.
Oops. Sorry. I thought you were making a silly Star Trek joke.
I think you have a point there. As a society we do accept that killing innocents can be done under certain circumstances. Take the Iraq war, for example. Even though we never intend to, we know that innocent civilians will be killed by our soldiers as a result of conflict. It would be childish to suppose otherwise: war is messy. We haven't kept count of the number of civilians killed in Iraq, but we know it must be in the thousands. I'm not suggesting that this is equivalent to Terri's case - but I am saying that the deaths of innocents is considered to be acceptable under certain circumstances.
"Where's the proof she's a functional human being? Where's the proof she's "there"?
Are you saying that only "functional human beings" should be allowed to live?"
The debate over whether Terri is "alive" or not is ridiculous.
SHE IS ALIVE. Yes, She is severely brain damaged, but not brain dead, the definition of death. A person who on her own can breath and whose heart beats is alive. She is not in imminent threat of death ( of course, not until her "husband" and a man in a Black robe ordered her murdered).
WHY HAS THIS WOMAN BEEN IN HOSPICE CARE FOR 5 YEARS? HOSPICE IS FOR END OF LIFE CARE FOR THE DYING.
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