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 'doctor' upon whose diagnosis Greer based his decisions regarding Terri said on CNN that Terri's EEG was flat. I don't think he is qualified to make a diagnosis on Terri of PVS if he believes her EEG was flat. Know why, by any chance? ... And we won't even have to cite the more than thirty qualified Neurologists who do not concur with the PVS diagnosis, nor will we have to look at Terri shown swallowing on her own and following commands. We won't even have to consider the sworn affidavits from Nurses who treated Terri and testify that she was not in PVS.
It is right.
The judge ordered that no one could attempt to feed or water her by mouth after the tube was removed. If you didn't know that, please stop making opinions about a case you weren't following. Seriously - it's ridiculous to just make things up as you go along and expect people to respect your opinion.
Not before God.
The same thing happened when they asked Greer to recuse himself several times. He said no. Appeals courts said he had a right to say no. No one else looked at the facts as to whether or not there were grounds to remove MS as guardian or Greer as judge.
All technically correct under the current laws, both in Florida and in most states.
As a former stockbroker, I have seen conflicts of interest between guardians / trustees and the people they are supposedly caring for. Some do well, some do not.
Michael did not.
Please knock off the attacks
I finally did find the link to Judge Greer's order
"ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that absent a stay from the appellate courts, the guardian, MICHAEL SCHIAVO, shall cause the removal of nutrition and hydration from the ward, THERESA SCHIAVO, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2005"
Flordia is ruled by a rubber stamptrooper squad in black robes. That state is still too dangerous to even drive through on the way to somewhere else.
While finding excuses to not confront the Swamp Thugs, slapping Sandy Burgler on the wrist, granting Ted Kennedy a big fat prize of Federal Education money, letting the Mexicans run our southern border, adding big prescription benefits to the AARP, passing out mood control drugs for school children, pissing away money for AIDS in Africa -- you might find the Republican Party more quickly digging an even deeper grave for themselves.
Jeb Bush signed it into law so my answer is yes it is righteous before God.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! UNFAIR! WHAT KIND OF ATTACK IS 'IT IS RIGHT'?!? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
The right to life is God-given and inalienable. As Thomas Jefferson said, this fact is self-evident.
That is the foundational principle of America.
Sad to see FReepers working with the loony Left to try and destroy the foundation.
You stop the lies - no one but medical quacks said otherwise - she was in fact in a PVS.
I did not note any post out of line myself. Maybe I missed it. Maybe that was because it was one of mine. I would certainly hope not. I try hard not to attack anyone, not always successfully. :)
AMEN!
Let these ossified brains watch this video, if they dare, of Terri being woken up by a dr. and following his request..There is NO doubt she understood him and even responds emphatically as if to say "How's this!" If you haven't seen it, it will touch your heart - make you laugh and then sad to think what they were able to get away with and how many people swallowed the lies...like on here.
http://web.Tampabay.rr.com/ccb/videos/Terri_Big_Eyes.rm
More important than that: the Catholic Church explicitly forbids the denial of food and water when such denial will cause someone to die of starvation or dehydration (food and water may be removed from someone if such removal will not cause them harm becaue they'll die of something else first). Consequently, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, Michael Schiavo murdered Terri. Whether or not civil authorities ever charge him with a crime, the church will see him as a man who murdered his wife.
Further, the Catholic Church explicitly forbids a couple from getting married if either the bride or groom has murdered, or conspired to commit the murder of, the bride or groom's former spouse. Since Michael murdered Terri, he is forever inelligible for remarriage.
BTW, one thing I don't know: if a couple that is inelligible for marriage deceives a priest into marrying them, can the Church involuntarily annul the marriage on the grounds that it was never legitimately entered into? Anyone familiar enough with Catholic Church rules to answer?
Ah, his Right Up There With God-ness kicked in then. But of course Greer was an even greater Right Up There With God so he could do nothing. I see.
feeding someone is NOT extending life. if you think it is, please stop eating.
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.