Terri’s Legacy, It Is Time for a Real Culture of Life Bill From Progressive America; Terri's Law

opednews.com ^ | March 31, 2005 | Anthony Wade

[Destro]

In an early posting of mine, I warned that the Left would use the Social Conservatives' "Culture of Life" mantra for their own gain. The Republican leadership inserted itself into the "Terri" issue at a time when they cut Medicaid (which Terri was on), made malpractice awards harder to win (which Terri had won and used to pay for her medical care).

How will "Culture of Life" Conservatives (who have already shown they don't mind being big spenders) react to what the Democrats will put forward now?

Will Social Conservatives be against universal health care from conception to age 18? How can you be pro-life and not back universal health care? A case of being for the fetus but against the baby and child?

The Terri case has opened a Pandora's Box of big govt. Socialisim.

These last few weeks have not been good for small govt./fiscal Conservatives.

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.

[Constitution Day]

BTTT

[theFIRMbss]

>If you cannot do that, then the culture of life are just words without meaning

This woman's sad death
has revealed that most people
aligned with the phrase

"culture of life" don't
give a flying fudge about
the meaning of words.

[FormerACLUmember]

Is dishonest hypocritical words were a nickel apiece, this weasel would rival his buddy George Soros' wealth.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

but all you need to know about the judge in this case is that he was a republicanRINO.

Blatant inaccuracy corrected.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Yhe height of liberal cynicism never ceases to amaze me:

"..... The GOP will not do anything about this case except try and use it to their political advantage,"

[sarasota]

Perhaps we should send a few emails to Anthony?

[Destro]

I am sorry but that is a pathetic answer to this guys article/points. Either you can answer him back or this position will win out for the democrats - playing Devil's advocate: are you against universal health care from conception till 18 years of age at least? No? How can you call yourself pro-life? Pro-life for those that can only pay their own way? Those that can't pay get the plug pulled on them like in Bush's Texas........

[agere_contra]

How can you be pro-life and not back universal health care?

Very easily. I would look at Canada and the UK for an object lesson in how badly universal health care actually works

[upchuck]

Terri's Legacy, It Is Time for a Real Culture of Life Bill From Progressive America; Terri's Law

Uh-oh, now we're in trouble. Blue trouble.

[Destro]

Are Social Conservatives really CINO's? Conservatives In Name Only? They don't act like classic small govt. Conservatives.......

[Phocion]

I saw this coming too. People were saying that moral law trumps the law of the US, and therefore any extralegal or extraordinary government action to save Terri was justified. I was telling people that Democrats see gay marriage as a moral issue. They see Social Security as a moral issue. They see Medicare as a moral issue. And the door has been opened a little for them.

I don't think it's been a good two weeks for ANY kind of conservative. The state intervened and Terri died anyway. Both the social conservatives and the "keep government out" conservatives lost bigtime.

Terri might be gone, but the rift in the party still exists. And it seems certain the strength of the bond holding the whole thing together will be tested again and again over the next four years. We can only hope the Democrats continue to be inept at exploiting it.

[Destro]

Really, agere_contra? Democrats will respond that elders go to Canada for their drugs - and what kind of pro-lifer is against universal health care for babies? You just want woen to not have abortions but damn if you pro-lifers will help the unwed mother with her baby's health care costs? Shouting "socialisim" will not work now thanks to the door the Social "Culture of Life" Conservatives have opened.

[theFIRMbss]

>that is a pathetic answer to this guys article/points. Either you can answer him back or this position will win out for the democrats...

Q: Is Maria here
blowing a kiss, or giggling?
(A: She's laughing at you.)

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

They don't act like classic small govt. Conservatives...

... and, conversely: some fiscal policy-only tub-thumpers, sadly, don't act much like classically Reagan-esque, pro-life conservatives.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

[freekitty]

We need to look at our judiciary system and change it. These lawyers, judges, etc. are getting away with too much. We also need to look at the people behind them.

[nikos1121]

Thanks for the posting. This is a time for some hard boiled thinking between all of us, and to set aside the finger pointing for a moment before we lose site of some of the objectives you raised but also to fully understand some things that may not have been fully presented in the press coverage.

I've had some time to reflect on this and I listened to Tom Delay last night. Then re-read Ann Coulter's article from yesterday.

I understand what you are trying to say but I wish to make a point regarding the criticism of our president and the republican party in Terri Schiavo's case.

Talk show hosts and fellow FRs are joining the bandwagon to condemn the president and republicans. If you are listening to Michael Savage, someone I usually agree with, he is at a frenzied pitch about it, to the point that I think he is being short sighted. I think we need to step back and consider some things.


There was a bipartisan support from Congress signed by the president that asked for the federal courts to consider interceding in behalf of Terri Schiavo.

This would be similar to a Scott Peterson attorney asking for a Federal Hearing on his stay of execution in few years from now. We all know that in a situation like that, death row, his case will be reviewed right?

In this case, Congress and the President asked the courts to do the same thing. But what did they do? They essentially thumbed their noses at Congress and gave Bush the finger. They refused to re-insert the feeding tube, step back and review the merits of the case one more time.

This is revealing and makes one ask "why?" Why did the courts do this? I think we need to know this. Especially when we lay people see glaring problems.

We all know that the lawyering on the case was terrible. So bad, much of the information used in Greer's decision was not available or ignored. For example, did you know that the bone scan, 18 months after her admission, showing multiple fractures was not used in the defense of the malpractice claim?

Also, Greer did not allow Shindler attorneys to pursue the reason for the fractures. A fracture on a bone scan could be fresh or could be as old as 18 months. Could the husband have been responsible?

In other words she could have been battered 18 months earlier. Sure, the fractures could have been secondary to the process of trying to revive her. But I think this inserts some question about the husband perhaps, and his guardianship.

If Bush had rode in like Teddy R. then he would be abusing his office as much as all of us are saying the judicial branch is abusing theirs. He would make this a more partisan issue on everything other than Terri Schiavo. He has now, the appearance of democrats and republicans together wanting to know what happened and with the American support will do something.

Our government requires the branches of gov't to check and balance each other. We need to ask the the judges of these courts "why"? Why did you not re-open the case? Why did you go against both the request of Congress and the President in this matter when we are not talking about anything more than looking one more time in behalf of a severely ill woman who cannot speak for herself.

We need to know why and then correct it. If Bush has some support from the other side of the aisle it may make a big difference in changing things.

Now Jeb Bush, is another thing. If he could have intervened some how because of Florida Law maybe he should have, I don't know.

One last thing is for sure. Congress, the president, better yet, Jeb Bush should take custody of Terri's body to make sure that an independent autopsy is performed not from some local yokel medical examiner.

Make no mistake of this. Terri died for all of us. Her death will not be in vain.

nick

[Destro]

OK I will again play Devil's advocate - I am pro-Life so much so that I want the Federal govt to create univeral health care for children and the elderly at least. Put your money where your mouth and your convictions are! You would help save Terri's life but don't want to pay for her health care costs? Hypocrite!

Your turn to reply.

[Walkin Man]

This is massive hypocrisy from Republican Terri fanatics that really galls me!

Terri was able to get medical care for 15 years because of the one million dollar or more medical malpractice lawsuit that her husband won. And yet President Bush is totally against any medical malpractice judgment over 250,000!

I will be waiting for the RNC mouthpieces like Rush, Hannity, Savage, etc and pols like Delay, the POTUS and just about every republican you can think of to put their money where their mouth is and insist that we MUST save social programs like Medicare and Medicaid which Terri was forced to use when the settlement money ran out!

I will believe these Terri supporters are for real when they demand no limits on medical malpractice lawsuits and not only keeping Medicare and Medicaid where they are but expanding them in a substantial way to cover the thousands of people that will be in Terri's place in the future!

If they don't do these things they are hypocrites blowing hot air and they are also in favor of economic euthanasia!

I'll be listening for Rush, Hannity, Savage and all of those other hypocrites to start pushing for more social programs from the government....somehow I don't think its gonna happen!

[Destro]

Sorry - in this case Judge Greer upheld Florida law to the letter. There was no judicial activisim.