Posted on 04/01/2005 8:05:46 PM PST by FairOpinion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Polls leading up to the death of Terri Schiavo made it appear Americans had formed a consensus in favor of ending her life. However, a new Zogby poll with fairer questions shows the nation clearly supporting Terri and her parents and wanting to protect the lives of other disabled patients.
The Zogby poll found that, if a person becomes incapacitated and has not expressed their preference for medical treatment, as in Terri's case, 43 percent say "the law presume that the person wants to live, even if the person is receiving food and water through a tube" while just 30 percent disagree.
Another Zogby question his directly on Terri's circumstances.
"If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water," the poll asked.
A whopping 79 percent said the patient should not have food and water taken away while just 9 percent said yes.
"From the very start of this debate, Americans have sat on one of two sides," Concerned Women for America's Lanier Swann said in response to the poll. One side "believes Terri's life has worth and purpose, and the side who saw Michael Schiavo's actions as merciful, and appropriate."
More than three-fourths of Americans agreed, Swann said, "because a person is disabled, that patient should never be denied food and water."
The poll also lent support to members of Congress to who passed legislation seeking to prevent Terri's starvation death and help her parents take their lawsuit to federal courts.
"When there is conflicting evidence on whether or not a patient would want to be on a feeding tube, should elected officials order that a feeding tube be removed or should they order that it remain in place," respondents were asked.
Some 18 percent said the feeding tube should be removed and 42 percent said it should remain in place.
Swann said her group would encourage Congress to adopt legislation that would federal courts to review cases when the medical treatment desire of individuals is not known and the patient's family has a dispute over the care.
"According to these poll results, many Americans do in fact agree with what we're trying to accomplish," she said.
The poll found that 49 percent of Americans believe there should be exceptions to the right of a spouse to act as a guardian for an incapacitated spouse. Only 39 percent disagreed.
When asked directly about Terri's case and told the her estranged husband Michael "has had a girlfriend for 10 years and has two children with her" 56 percent of Americans believed guardianship should have been turned over to Terri's parents while 37 percent disagreed.
" The Florida definition of "extraordinary means" included gastric tube. "
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BUT Greer didn't order that the tube be removed and Terri not be fed through it, and if she could be fed and swallow normally, she could live, he ordered that NO nutrition or hydration be given to Terri -- by any means. Does that sound legal to you? He basically ordered the dehydration and starvation of Terri.
Your version of this question is really the only fair and accurate one that can be asked
Why do you suppose that someone hasn't commissioned a poll like that? What morons. It's the obvious question.
it is the obvious question, however the ABC poll had an adgenda, and it was all about killing a disabled woman. The MSM needs to be shunned, and turned off.
That's good enough for me. And it was obviously good enough for the courts over a period of several years.
Thanks for the ping!
So, you are assuming that Terri would have wanted a divorce?
What proof do you have to support that?
What can I say? Every court believed him. And the law says the spouse has the last word in situations like this.
In Florida they are.
No. Just Michael, Michaels brother and his wife. They all heard Terri make a comment "at a funeral".
While Terri was in the process of being starved to death, the brother changed his story to "They discussed it in the privacy of their own home" in a FOX interview. If it were in private and in their home, how then did he and his wife hear it?
The brother should make up his mind which lie he's going to keep and which lie has to go! It can't be both ways!
It's too late for Terri now, though.
Have you reviewed the testimony and evidence in the Trial and the review by the COA.
Have you reviewed all the informational links here?
http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html
good point !
sadly in fl hearsay evident such as the BS made by MS , his brother, and sister in law is allowable.
time to leave my home state .
Letting the "next of kin" "decide" to kill a person is homicide. That's what happened.
I was watching the series Numbers tonight and I got the idea that there are maybe clues that have been overlooked that could turn Terri's case into a murder investigation. Maybe bloggers could dig up what really happened to Terri. I believe if Michael has a problem with anger, that sooner or later he will have problems with his new wife and kids. Also, I think George Felos with his insatiable appetite for killing will be linked up with some murder in the future. Just as the planes that went into the trade towers were put together after crashing, I believe this case can be pieced together as to what the facts are. This all is based on feeling that tracks are left and even when covered up or changed, they are still there. We are all humans and will make mistakes. Our key is to find the mistakes that they have made and bring them to light.
Don't forget that stinking judge greer, he has been involved in this murder for years.
A duly-appointed lawyer for a person who cannot communicate in words is empowered to file such pleadings in that person's name as a "reasonable person" would authorize in that circumstance. It would have been malpractice for any independent lawyer for Terri NOT to file for divorce after Michael moved in with another woman AND took control of $1.6 million in Terri's name.
John
You are overlooking the fact that Greer also forbade the provision of oral sustainence. The media canard that Terri had to be fed by the feeding tube is just that--a canard: if she could not swallow liquids, her saliva would have to have been aspirated, and this was not the case.
A spoon or a tippy cup is not an 'extraordinary means'. The jackbooted thugs outside the hospice weren't keeping out rogue physicians who wanted to insert a gastric tube, but ordinary folk who wanted to give a dying woman a sip of water.
There is a nice piece by a Harvard neuropsychiatrist whose job deals with severely brain damaged patients posted somewhere here. (I think the title was "It is ended".) It addresses the real judicial excess in this case.
Greer should be impeached. His order violated Florida statutes which forbid the denial of food and water to disabled persons, and was nothing short of state sanctioned murder.
You said: "Michael Schiavo spent YEARS seeking EVERY means of helping Terri he could.
It was ONLY after NOBODY could offer any hope that he gave up on her and decided to let her go."
I just pointed out to you, that he only was going through the motions of helping Terri,while the malpractice suit was going on and wanted to kill her, as soon as he got the money, yet you keep repeating this false claim.
And if he wanted to "let her go", why not do as he parents begged him: divorce her and let them take care of her?
There was ONLY Michael's word for that, even.
Greer ordered the removal of ALL NUTRITION and HYDRATION from Theresa Marie Schiavo. The order never even mentioned the feeding tube.
I never believed for one minute that the American people are as evil as the media made them out to be. We did learn, however, how evil the media is. |
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