Lawmakers Set Out To Determine Terri Schiavo's Legislative Legacy (Florida)

The Florida Times-Union/AP ^ | April 18, 2005 | Samantha Gross

[MisterRepublican]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - When word of Terri Schiavo's death arrived at the state House floor, Rep. Dennis Baxley told colleagues, "her death is not in vain."

Now Baxley and other lawmakers are working to make true on that promise, brainstorming legislation that would apply the lessons of her story. Even legislators who did not want the government to intervene to keep the brain-damaged woman alive say they'll work to prevent a tragedy like hers from happening again.

"There are some things that we could do and possibly should do," said Sen. Jim King, one of the nine Republicans who helped block a measure aimed at keeping Schiavo alive. King now says he's considering proposing legislation next year stemming from the case.

The story of the once-shy woman, who died last month in the glare of a national spotlight on right-to-die issues, captivated lawmakers and citizens - in part because it was so ripe for speculation.

Some said that Terri Schiavo's interests were overshadowed by the escalating acrimony between her husband and parents. Others worried that Michael Schiavo's battle to have his wife's feeding tube removed might have been influenced by money or by a desire to marry another woman with whom he has two children. He insisted he would not benefit financially from his wife's death and said he remained a loyal husband.

Accusations flew that the courts, which rejected the appeals of Bob and Mary Schindler to keep their daughter alive, had somehow missed vital evidence. And some argued that food and water, even when provided through a tube, should be standard as the most basic of care.

Everyone could agree on one thing: It all might have been prevented if the 26-year-old Terri Schiavo had had a living will in 1990 when she collapsed from a chemical imbalance.

[tessalu]

I do not agree that a living will would have helped, for I do believe that most people would never believe that our courts or government would push for starving or denying water to any human being. I know that I could not have guessed that.

It was just so unbelievingly cruel to force the parents and blood family of Terri Schiavo to watch this cruel and heartless death. No human on earth should be subjected to watch this sort of death, and have the courts to actually not allow them to do anything at all.

[ClaireSolt]

I think the government should back off in any new legislation. I don't think that their laws made a bad situation any better. I went through a very similar situation when I was 25 and conflict was resolved within the family. It did not result in starving my husband.

[Tarantulas]

I agree with part of what you said. The living will would have done no good, since the Schindlers vowed they would have gone to court to force Terri to live in that condition even if she had said (in writing, notarized) that she would rather die.

Keeping the government from legislating against my end of life decision seems to me to be the best course of action.

[sr4402]

The legislation should state when there is a clear conflict of interest, guardianship should be reconsidered.

Terri fell into a crack in Florida and maybe federal laws. It is up to the legislature to fix this. Just as they should fix the crack created by abortion (Right to Privacy judicial activism) and marraige (also violated by judicial activism).

Folks, hold the legislators feet to the fire. They are lazy and foolish, when you don't.

[Saundra Duffy]

Blah blah blah. Yada yada yada. I'll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile, NEVER FORGET TERRI!!!!!!!

[Future Useless Eater]

To those who care to do so... I suggest typing up something like THIS, making many copies, sign and send one to EVERY ONE of your elected officials, state and federal.

I also ENJOY SENDING one out EVERY TIME I get a solicitation in the mail from a politician!!!!
(returning it with THEIR OWN self-stamped envelope of course! ;-)

---

Never again!

Congress made a nice half-hearted attempt to reign in an out-of-control judge from murdering Terri Schiavo, but it was NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Never again will I support a politician with my money or votes, until YOU can prove with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that this can happen NEVER AGAIN.

Killing our disabled based on hearsay evidence is wrong.

Killing our disabled without their OWN LAWYER is wrong. A guardian ad litem, (typically a 'bio-ethicist" with no law degree) is never good enough.

Evaluating life and death evidence with less-than "Beyond ALL Reasonable Doubt" is wrong.

Evaluating life-and-death evidence without a jury of 12 is wrong.

Killing our disabled without a federal "trial de novo" of the 'FACTS' is wrong.

ALL OF US could be in this condition TOMORROW. We should not NEED to create a written "Will-To-Live". That should ALWAYS be assumed!

Guardianship trials should ALWAYS be completed before killing the ward.

Food and Water should NEVER be withheld based on substituted judgment.

Our INNOCENT disabled persons need BETTER protections than serial killers.

The EuthaNazi's in our country need to be sent back to Europe.

[Future Useless Eater]

I ALSO understand it is VERY EFFECTIVE to call a politician who does not represent YOU, but tell them right off the bat,
YOU WILL GIVE MONEY TO THEIR OPPONENT, if he doesnt pass these new safeguards for the disabled.

...but don't be a hypocrite, you have to follow thru, so don't threaten more than you can $afford$.

[Future Useless Eater]

apparently some death mongers prefer to trust out of control judges with an agenda, rather than our elected officials.

I heard recently that EVEN if you have a "WILL-TO-LIVE" specifying you WANT food and water and medical care, that in 10% of the states, a DOCTOR or HOSPITAL can overrule you and/or your family and kill you if they feel your quality of life is too low in their opinion.

[Dante3]

Good idea - tell the politicians you'll donate money to their opponent. And we can't let them forget that they could have but would not save Terri.

This is a horror story, somehow I don't have quite the same feeling towards this country that I used to have. Terri was denied due process, a sadist such as Michael Schiavo was assigned to be her guardian, and she was tormented to death. What kind of country have we become?

Martin Katz (in The American Thinker) said it well.

[harpo11]

Eliminate specious terminology that states food and water are a medical necessity.

Food and Water and air are a basic and natural necessity and shall never be withdrawn from human beings.

[Future Useless Eater]

>>>Eliminate specious terminology that states food and water are a medical necessity.

why JUST eliminate things like that? REPLACE them with profoundly impossible to mis-construe statements to the opposite!

Those fcukhead judges will STILL try to find loopholes, and twist and contort, and read between the lines, and declare people PVS without ever seeing them, after tossing out 50% of the evidence (everything that favors life)

[Earthdweller]

Ditto that..already have a letter similar to this on my word processor.

[harpo11]

Absolutely correct. No loopholes.

[floriduh voter]

Florida's legislature did nothing to protect Floridians in 2005 or 2006. The candidates in my tag line will protect all Floridians.

[floriduh voter]

You are so right about blah, blah, blah. They did nothing to protect Floridians, not in 2005 or 2006. Florida's politicians don't care what happens to the disabled and are slightly more interested in what happens to seniors and children.