Posted on 03/27/2005 6:31:02 AM PST by gesully
When did Michael Schiavo first start trying to kill Terri? Mary Mostert March 23, 2005
Because I try to track down facts before I write about a subject, I have not written about Terri Schiavo and the battle over her condition. What actually happened to Terri back in 1990 that caused her to be the topic of world conversation today? Before we decide to permanently dispose of her, shouldn't we first find out how she got into this predicament?
Well, she collapsed, we are told by her husband Michael, in 1990 and was taken to the hospital . Some stories say she had a heart attack. Other stories, including a medical report by Dr. William Hammesfahr, a world-reknowned neurologist, totally refute any heart attack. Hammesfahr reported:
"Ms Schiavo was in her usual state of good health until 2/25/90, when her husband reported that he was awakened from sleep approximately 6 Am by her falling. He reports that she was unresponsive. "Paramedics were called, and aggressive resuscitation was performed with 7 defibrillations en route.
"In the Emergency Room, a possible diagnosis of heart attack was briefly entertained, but then dismissed after blood chemistries and serial EKG's did not show evidence of a heart attack."
Some reports guess that she collapsed due to an effort to lose weight — although, she was not at the time overweight. Hammesfahr's report stated:
"The patient had a difficult hospital course with the development of poorly controlled seizures and prolonged coma state requiring, for a time, ventilator support. However, the staff noted improvement, and it was recommended by several physicians that she be discharged to an intensive rehabilitation center."
In 1992, Michael Schiavo sued for malpractice and won over a $1 million. He was personally awarded $300,000 for his "loss" and $700,000 for Terri's rehabilitation and care for the rest of her natural life. However, the therapy, after the award, was not approved by Michael Schiavo and she was confined to a nursing home after the settlement.
It was after the settlement that Michael first claimed that Terri had previously stated that she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means — a statement he never mentioned during the malpractice trial. He has never produced any written proof that Terri said that.
Beginning almost immediately after receiving the malpractice funds, Michael Schiavo, as Terri's legal guardian, began to refuse approval for ANY therapy or rehabilitation efforts and she has been confined to bed.
Since 1995, Michael Schiavo has lived openly with a girlfriend, Jodi Centonze, with whom he has two children, while remaining legally married to Terri, as well as being her legal her guardian.
In 1998, Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to have Terri's feeding tube removed. In 2003, Michael Schiavo's attorneys reported that the trust fund was down to $50,000, with more than $430,000 going to "pay for court costs associated with her husband's legal battle to remove his wife's feeding tube." Meanwhile, Medicaid helps to pay Terri's $5,000-a-month nursing costs at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. 13
During this time period, Terri's parents have attempted to gain guardianship over their daughter. During the legal battles that have ensued, in 2003 a deposition was taken from Dr. William Campbell Walker, a radiologist, concerning a bone scan the hospital did on Terri in 1991. That bone scan revealed what Dr. Walker reported at the time as "compression fracture in the 19 vertebral body of the spine."
For seven years as Terri has been consistently denied rehabilitation treatment that, according to several doctors, would have significantly improved her chances of recovery, Michael spent her money awarded for her therapy on lawyers trying to get her starved to death. Several doctors pointed out, including Dr. Hammesfahr, that Terri not only CAN swallow on her own, but frequently DOES swallow and pictures shown clearly indicate, as Hammesfahr and other testify, that she can and does respond to voice commands and particularly to her parents.
This would indicate that she is NOT in what the State of Florida defines as a "vegetative" state. It also makes me wonder, now that the feeding tube is removed, if any effort to help her swallow water or food is being made today, or whether under the court order spoon feeding also has been outlawed? Terri's parents, if they just came and got her and took her home, I guess would be arrested for kidnapping under Florida's legal system.
At this point, the legal system of Florida has, in the words of one legal observer, created the "framework for legal euthanasia." Of course, euthanasia is technically the practice of killing someone painlessly because they prefer death to life for whatever reason. I would not classify starvation as a "painless" way to die.
Dr. Hammesfahr stated in his report:
"In the spring of 2000, three physicians, including Dr. Jay Carpenter, who is a former Chief of Medicine at Morton Plant Hospital, filed affidavits after observing Ms. Schiavo. All three physicians stated that it is visually apparent that Ms Schiavo is able to swallow and, in fact, does swallow her own saliva.
"The patient continued with no physical therapy, communication or speech therapy, or routine medical screening evaluations and treatment such as dental care, mammography, gynecological exams or pap smears during this time."
Under these conditions and questions, it would appear to me that Terri SHOULD have a totally different guardian, such as her parents, until some questions are answered about the spinal and other injuries that appeared on her bone scan a decade ago. Why is it that a man who clearly wants his wife dead, cannot explain how she actually got into the state she is in, or produce ANY proof, other than his unsubstantiated words, that she would want to die, is being unquestioningly defended by the Florida courts?
Increasingly, it appears to me, that Terri would have gotten better care had her husband never won that malpractice suit and been given $1 million to spend — much of it on lawyers to legally kill off his wife.
It all makes me wonder just when Michael Schiavo made his first effort to kill Terri? Was it before or after she ended up in the hospital with an unexplained problem that put her in a coma?
Mary Mostert is a nationally-respected political writer. She was one of the first female political commentators to be published in a major metropolitan newspaper in the 1960s. After working in President Lyndon Johnson's failed War on Poverty programs in New York state, she became a Republican. She ran, unsuccessfully, for the New York State Senate and became campaign manager for a number of candidates. She once served as the secretary of "Positive Action NOW!"--a South African women's group that sought to reduce the hostility among South Africa's various racial, religious, and political groups.
In recent years, Mary has researched, written, and edited articles for national talk show host Michael Reagan's Information Interchange on the Internet, and for The REAGAN MONITOR, a monthly newsletter that provides in-depth information on key issues. Her book, COMING HOME - Families Can Stop the Unraveling of America," was published in 1996 by Gold Leaf Press. Mary maintains a political media site, Banner of Liberty. She can be contacted at mary@bannerofliberty.com . Click here for more information.
It has been stated by Terri's friend Frances Casler that Terri's parents did not want to become "embroiled" with Michael. Everytime they confronted him about something, he would deny them visiting rights or make things worse for Terri.
I think in the beginning of this struggle, they simply thought they were going about it the best way.
And remember, the family did not even have access to her medical records until 2002 or 2003. They were unaware of the bone scan of 1991 which showed all the bone injuries she had had.
They tried. When that failed, I would have killed my 'son-in'law' to protect my daughter.
True, would'a, could'a, should'a doesn't accomplish anything now I guess.
This has to be a Medicaid fraud and abuse situation. I know of several people who had to divorce their spouse to have Medicaid kick in. Otherwise, the medical care would have taken every dime they had and then some. Why didn't Medicaid make the husband spend the cash settlement on the medical bills? Why wasn't he responsible for all those bills? If he could afford a girlfriend and two extra kids, he could have paid the medical bills.
The state of Florida should charge the husband with murder and take charge of the body when she dies as evidence. The case would be extremely difficult, but at least some of the facts could be ascertained.
Not true. At a time yes, but more and more catholics do just that. Nothing sinister there.
supposedly this is because she is afraid of bugs....
funeral directors across this country should be screaming their objections to this! "CASKETS ARE SEALED! THEY ARE PLACED IN VAULTS! Bugs don't get into them!" If MS wants to hide his crime, he needs to come up with a better excuse for cremation.
Not in Michael Schiavo's case... anyone else in his family ever been cremated? I mean really.
religious catholics?
Yes, I am one of them. The catholic church has no problem with it.
And now, they are "administering MORPHINE" to a woman they assert can feel no pain!
The morphine will now be the mechanism of her death!
It is the least preferred end of life ritual in the Catholic Church. It wasn't even part of the RCC till 1963. It is not the majority of Catholic burials.
If you come across any links, please ping me. Americans dominate the internet so it is hard to get a pulse on the rest of the world's thinking.
Maybe I'll see if Newsweek has anything about it.
As soon as Terri is dead, he will have her remains cremated, and in doing so, destroy the evidence that could prove beyond a doubt, that he assaulted Terri and caused her condition.
Cremation also removes the evidence that she is not in a permanent vegetative state.
Yeah, that's right, let's investigate the doctor. There's the real priority here.
I hope you think about this poor girl starving to death while you are stuffing your face at Easter dinner.
Why don't you go back under your rock over at DU with your like-minded slugs, or why don't you just simply go away.
"God. The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations"
Thats nice. Its unfortunate that the Religious Right is not grounded in this reality.
I was told, that more and more catholics are opting for this. Overall, burials are common but the majority of folks my age are opting for cremation while the older folks are opting for the traditional burial.
The breakdown comes from the fact that most younger folks do not attend church while the majority of older folks do. So when a younger catholic who does not attend church regularly dies, the preferred type of burial is cremation which if you count these types, it over takes the burial method.
I hope I did not confuse you. After writing this explaination, I confused myself. LOL :-)
I agree with all your points. Problem is we have to find solutions within the context of the Rule of Law - if not, the replacement will be a similar mockery that won't stand the test of time (or lawyers).
If more people are picking cremation, it's because it is cheaper. Were it not for the changes in 1963, there would be NO cremation in the RCC. Cremation has always been the hallmark of pagan culture.
"We were just following orders".
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