Zogby Poll: Americans Not in Favor of Starving Terri Schiavo (poll with fair questions)

LifeNews ^ | April 1, 2005 | Steven Ertelt

[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 Other Harry]

And there lies the rub....

It's hard rub to scratch. I doubt I'll ever get it.

[EternalVigilance]

So, what destroyed your cerebral cortex?

I interviewed a nurse that took care of Terri for four months. Terri smiled when she entered the room. She laughed at her jokes. She ate jello smuggled in to ease her Michael-imposed suffering.

Sorry, I'll take her eyewitness account over your totally misinformed and agenda-driven drivel any day of the week.

[PleaseNoMore]

If you ever discover that Michael Schiavo was untruthful in his statements regarding Terri's wishes, and if it is proven that, based upon his lies, he acted out of malice and killed his wife for financial gain, would you still feel the way you do about the law that made it legal for him to do so?

[Luis Gonzalez]

It was apparently established by the Court that Joan Schiavo was a good (best friend) of Terri's.

[MHGinTN]

My friend, the system failed to function for justice. There were too many conflicts of interest with the judge (Greer) and with the grossly abusive husband. The entire finding of facts was kept with Greer despite very questionable connections and conflicts of interest that would have allowed other courts to bring in new evidence and cite the charges, and those other courts merely rubber stamped the rulings of Greer by effectively blocking anything that would reflect negatively on Greer or the court system or the Hospice program, or the guardianship (Greer even appointed himself her guardian at one point while still hearing the case and appeals in his court!). To top off all that, when the U.S. Congress fashioned a bill to settle the habeas corpus issue and allow a Federal court to do a de novo trial of ALL evidence, Federal Judge Whittemore ignored the bill and rubber stamped the entire past history of the flawed process, effectively ignoring the conflicts of interest, the evidence to the contrary of a PVS diagnosis, and the abuses of Terri's once husband.

In short, Terri was executed without anyone ever proving beyond a reasonable that Terri actually wanted to die after becoming severely disabled ... and even the most heinous murderers get that standard of proof before execution.

[supercat]

God allowed the ruling to happen did he not?

He also allowed the Nazis to kill millions of people. Does that make their victims any less MURDERed?

[Jorge]

Michael had abandoned his wife for another woman - he had been living with her for years before filing to have the court order her death. Those are the facts - the only person being hysterical is you.

WRONG! I am not the one posting photos of Michael with horns on his head as "SATAN" and labeling him as "EVIL" etc as some are doing here. THAT'S HYSTERICAL.

Furthermore Michael sought out ever means of medical help he could find for Terri for the first 3 years.

Then he gave up.

I think that is MORE than reasonable.

[Destro]

Terri was not disabled. She was in a PVS - Not the same thing.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"And yes Terri was deemed terminal because she was in a PVS."

No one dies from PVS. It is NOT a terminal illness. It might PERMANENT, but it is NOT terminal.

[Torie]

I regret you included me on your ping list. Please delete me. Thanks.

[Destro]

And she did not testify in court because................

[FairOpinion]

"I have not, I just returned from spending a few days in The Big Apple, and avoided any sort of news outside the weather for a week or so. "


That explains it. I did not follow this case over the years either -- in retrospect I am ashamed of it, I should have, but didn't. I started to pay more attention the last several months and I didn't have "an axe to grind". But the more I found out, the more suspicious circumstances (including the circumstances around Terri's collapse), motives and more uncertainties were revealed.

Ask yourself -- if MS just wanted to go on with his life, why didn't he just let Terri's parents have Terri and surround her with love? As someone put it, maybe MS wasn't afraid that Terri won't recover, he was afraid that she might, and might remember what he did to her.

[Destro]

I did not insert God in this conversation - but if you claim you know God's will - my reply is it seems God's will was to allow this to happen.

[TAdams8591]

Since Michael and Terri moved to Florida shortly after her parents and not long after they were married, and Joan Schiavo lives in Northeast Philadelphia, it is difficult to believe they would have had the opportuinity to develop a "best friendship," or one closer than that of Terri to her longtime childhood friends.

[KDD]

Michael Schiavo did not make the decision to discontinue life-prolonging measures for Terri.

As Terri's husband, Michael has been her guardian and her surrogate decision-maker. By 1998, though -- eight years after the trauma that produced Terri's situation -- Michael and Terri's parents disagreed over the proper course for her.

Rather than make the decision himself, Michael followed a procedure permitted by Florida courts by which a surrogate such as Michael can petition a court, asking the court to act as the ward's surrogate and determine what the ward would decide to do. Michael did this, and based on statements Terri made to him and others, he took the position that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures. The Schindlers took the position that Terri would continue life-prolonging measures. Under this procedure, the trial court becomes the surrogate decision-maker, and that is what happened in this case.

The trial court in this case held a trial on the dispute. Both sides were given opportunities to present their views and the evidence supporting those views. Afterwards, the trial court determined that, even applying the "clear and convincing evidence" standard -- the highest burden of proof used in civil cases -- the evidence showed that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures.

He should have just made the decision himself...But by taking into account her parents wishes and letting a court decide he gave his Guardianship over to the courts. Maybe when it came down to it he didn't want to make the hard decisions. If he had we would never even heard of Terri Schiavo.

[MHGinTN]

From your ducking I surmise you don't know why it is quackery by Dr. Cranford to say Terri's EEG was flat. You have shown your colors and your agenda.

[EternalVigilance]

Terri was not disabled. She was in a PVS - Not the same thing.

A distinction without a difference designed to justify torture/murder by the State.

If Felos is reading your posts, I'm sure he's cackling demonically.

[Destro]

I also regret any contact with you.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I listened to none other than Ken Starr discuss this case, and like Mr. Starr, I believe that it was adjudicated properly, and that the decision, though unfortunate, was lawful.

I also agree with Starr on the fact that the Federal government had no business getting involved in this.

I don't believe that you would have supported Terri's right to die EVEN with overwhelming documentation to support her wishes.

You can't be both pro-life, and supportive of a person's desire to end life willfully.

[TAdams8591]

That is TRULY your loss.