DCF: Terri Schiavo Not Abused, Exploited

ABC/AP ^ | 4.16.05

[ambrose]

DCF: Terri Schiavo Not Abused, Exploited

State Agency: Terri Schiavo Was Not Abused or Exploited by Either Side of Her Family

By VICKIE CHACHERE

The Associated Press

Apr. 16, 2005 - State investigators found no evidence that Terri Schiavo had been abused or exploited by either side of her family, according to documents released by Florida's Department of Children and Families.

The agency investigated 89 complaints dating back to 2001, when Schiavo's feeding tube was removed for the first time and the legal battle surrounding her right-to-die case intensified.

The calls alleged that the brain-damaged woman was being mistreated by her husband and her parents for financial gain. One complaint alleged that Schiavo's parents were selling videos of her through a Web site; another said Schiavo's husband wasn't spending money intended for her rehabilitation.

But investigators said they found no evidence that either her husband or parents were exploiting her, and often noted in their records that they found Schiavo well cared for on their visits to her Pinellas Park hospice.

The agency released the records Friday under court order.

Schiavo, 41, died last month after her feeding tube was removed for the third time, ending a bitter court battle between her husband, Michael Schiavo, and parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, over whether she would have wanted to live in a vegetative state.

The repeated allegations of abuse were based partly on bone scans showing Terri Schiavo suffered fractures and statements she made to family and friends that she was unhappy in her marriage.

Schiavo's husband has denied harming his wife. His lawyer said the fractures resulted from osteoporosis caused by the woman's years of immobility and complications of her medication.

Robert Schindler declined to comment there on the release of the DCF documents. An attorney for Michael Schiavo did not immediately return calls.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures

[billbears]

where beer kegs are registered and illegal aliens run free

LOL!!! Sorry just noticed your tag line. The truth in one fell swoop.

[drjimmy]

Yep, the State the judges the lawyers, hospice the police, nurses, doctors.

The Scientologists. Please don't forget the Scientologists.

[presently no screen name]

Terri's wish to die of starvation and dehydration?


Never. A 20 year old wouldn't say that? Only in MS's mind - popped into his mind years later. A 60 year old wouldn't even say that. Remember you are talking about a girl who gave her dog mouth to mouth resuscitation to try and save it. Also, the girl would was opposed to the decision of having Karen Quinlin's tubes removed. And this is the girl you believe would want to die of starvation and dehydration and want others to agree with you? How does that compute?

MS is a con man and he certainly conned you. It's the old thing, if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

[Howlin]

LOL....I stole it from somebody on that thread last week; it's so sad it's funny.

[Peach]

I live in the Bible Belt and came home a little while ago from a party. I deliberately asked every single person there (over 40 people) what they thought about this matter.

With the exception of two Democrats, we are ALL staunch Republicans and we're all over 40 (for what that's worth). Everyone, to a person, thought Congress should stay out of this.

And several thought that, like me, an unintended consequence is that some conservatives have moved more to the middle.

[EternalVigilance]

Some people were upset with W. and Jeb about what they didn't do; most people were upset with them about what they DID do.

That's right. That's always going to be the case. That's why they should have just done the right thing and let the chips fall. Instead, they chose the worst of all possible worlds. Very sad.

[Howlin]

I never could quite understand why they were brought into this; then all of a sudden, I didn't care. It was just one more "entity" to blame.

[Howlin]

You're just upset because people IN POWER made decisions that didn't agree with your demands.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Excuse me as I jump in... but THANK YOU for that survey. I really do think this may affect the next election. The saddest outcome, in the end.

[Howlin]

Here's my new living will:


I, _________________________ (fill in the blank), being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.

Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of peckerwood politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it.

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to sit up and ask for a cold beer, it should be presumed that I won't do so ever again. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my spouse, children and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day.

Under no circumstances shall the members of the Legislature enact a special law to keep me on life-support machinery. It is my wish that these boneheads mind their own damn business, and pay attention instead to the health, education and future of the millions of Americans who aren't in a permanent coma and who nonetheless may be in need of nourishment.

Under no circumstances shall any politicians butt into this case. I don't care how many fundamentalist votes they're trying to scrounge for their run for the presidency in 2008, it is my wish that they play politics with someone else's life and leave me alone to die in peace.

I couldn't care less if a hundred religious zealots send e-mails to legislators in which they pretend to care about me. I don't know these people, and I certainly haven't authorized them to preach and/or crusade on my behalf. They should mind their own damn business, too.

If any of my family goes against my wishes and turns my case into a political cause, I hereby promise to come back from the grave and make his or her existence a living hell.

[Drango]

I wonder if, in a Randian way, Keyes was also trying to destroy the GOP.

I believe Keyes heart was in the right place. However, there are a number of FReepers and Terribots who would install a religious Taliban that would put the Muslims to shame.

[Howlin]

I meant to ping you to 150, too!

[maica]

Relax, I'm on your (and Terri's) side.

Feeble-minded was a word in common usage in 1930 when the book was written. People who lived in institutions were often there because they were too severely mentally challenged, ie feeble-minded, to be cared for at home.

Many people used the reason that Terri would never improve, (similar in a way to 'incurable') to justify stopping her nourishment.

I agree totally with you that therapy that may have helped her was withheld from her in the most cruel way. I was just quoting from an old textbook.

[Peach]

LOLOL!

I think I'll copy that Living Will and take it to our lawyers office. We're updating our stuff this month. That's priceless.

[Drango]

And if anyone lets Jesse Jackson within a 100 miles of me, I'll haunt them from beyond the grave.

[EternalVigilance]

You're just upset because people IN POWER made decisions that didn't agree with your demands.

No. I'm upset because an American citizen is dead because our leaders have stopped paying any attention to our Constitution.

[MHGinTN]

"I hereby promise to come back from the grave and make his or her existence a living hell." Typically, you assign to yourself godlike power.

[Peach]

Further to that, in two weeks I've had 4 phone calls from the RNC and the state GOP asking for $$.

I've told them no and why. All the people handling the phone calls have sighed and said they are hearing a lot of that lately.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I couldn't care less if a hundred religious zealots send e-mails to legislators in which they pretend to care about me. I don't know these people, and I certainly haven't authorized them to preach and/or crusade on my behalf. They should mind their own damn business, too.

Exactly. This should be a private family issue. I'd rather my husband decide for me. As an adult, when I ever run into trouble in life, I turn to him first. He is my refuge. This shouldn't be decided by my sister. My husband is my next of kin, and has been, since the moment I married him.

[Howlin]

Typically, you assign to yourself godlike power.

And you, in your response, have proven once again that what most of us think is true: the only people around here with "godlike" qualities are those of you trying to tell the rest of us what's best for us and demanding that YOU be allowed to determine how and when we should choose to die.

I remember when "conservatives" believed in keeping the governmnet out of our lives.