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Case Similar to Terri Schiavo's Has Wife Deciding Her Husband's Fate Email this article
LifeNews ^ | 5/16/05 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 05/16/2005 6:39:12 AM PDT by Former Fetus

Case Similar to Terri Schiavo's Has Wife Deciding Her Husband's Fate
by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor
May 15, 2005

Jacksonville, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A case similar to that of Terri Schiavo has a Florida woman holding her husband's fate in her hands. Schiavo's family is calling on Jacksonville resident Eliza Thomas to allow her husband to live.

Scott Thomas suffered brain injury in September of 2004 and has since been incapacitated and dependent on others.

As with Terri, Scott's wife is seeking to move him to a hospice and remove the gastric tube that provides him with food and water. Scott's mother, Pamela Patton, has petitioned the courts for guardianship of the disabled man and was awarded a temporary guardianship.

However, the guardianship will expire in June and Eliza wants to take over making Scott's medical decisions at that point.

Despite Eliza's desire to end her husband's life, Patton says her son speaks a limited vocabulary, answers yes or no questions with hand signals, and can tell basic factual information about himself such as his former school and hometown.

Patton says the cause of Scott's injury is under dispute.

Eliza claims Scott was backing up and fell over the family dog in the kitchen and hit his head, causing the disabling injuries. However, Scott has communicated to his mother that Eliza struck him and caused his current incapacitated state.

"The doctors say that his injuries are not consistent with such a fall and believe the severe head trauma was caused by a blow to the head," Patton told the Empire Journal newspaper.

Patton has approached Dr. William Hammesfahr, a world-renown neurologist who said Terri Schiavo could have been rehabilitated if she had been given proper treatment and care instead of being starved to death. She wants him to work with her son.

Terri Schiavo's father Bob Schindler hopes Eliza will change her mind and not starve Scott to death.

"I am pleading with Mrs. Thomas to please reconsider her decision to seek the removal of Scott's feeding tube and to allow him to receive the therapy and rehabilitation he needs to improve," he said. "I beg Mrs. Thomas to give her husband a chance."

Schindler said Scott would endure pain and suffering similar to Terri if he is starved.

"The suffering our daughter endured and her death over the course of nearly two weeks was horrific," he explained.

The guardianship issue will be determined at a June 3 hearing. Eliza attempted in October to move Scott to a hospice and remove his feeding tube.

Scott has reportedly indicated he does not wish to be moved or to be denied food and water.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: braindamage; dehydration; donaldherbert; elizathomas; emotionalhysteria; euthanasia; feedingtube; florida; hospice; hughfinn; hypocritesonparade; hysteria; hysterria; letitrest; maemagouirk; marjorienighbert; murder; notyourconcern; pamelapatton; schiavo; scott; scottthomas; stephaniemartin; swindlers; terri; terrischiavo; terrywallis
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To: Former Fetus

That's right. We unleashed a 'spirit of death' across this nation with the Schiavo case. We will see more and more death in the form of suicides, murders, and things like this. Our country needs to be prayed for! MERCY is needed from God to save us against this culture of death.


41 posted on 05/16/2005 7:35:03 AM PDT by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: ktvaughn

I can't find the story anywhere else except on activist sites. But that doesn't mean it's not true. The media can't report on every single story, so they pick and choose.

Maybe someone can get FOX to cover it...?


42 posted on 05/16/2005 7:35:19 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (News junkie here)
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To: Former Fetus
A case similar to that of Terri Schiavo has a Florida woman holding her husband's fate in her hands. Schiavo's family is calling on Jacksonville resident Eliza Thomas to allow her husband to live."

Similar?---so Eliza Thomas is living with another man and asking a judge to order that her current husband be deprived of food and water even without a tube, and money has been provided for his care, but Eliza is using up that money on lawyers to get her first husband terminated?

43 posted on 05/16/2005 7:43:14 AM PDT by cookcounty ("We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts" ---Abe Lincoln, 1858.)
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To: Tired of Taxes

As I was leaving my grandmother's driveway, leading the horse, my aunt swung open the front door of the house and shouted "You be careful around that horse!".

Then she let go of the storm door to go back in the house.

The arm on that particular heavy metal storm no longer worked and the door didn't gradually "whoosh" shut like it was supposed to do.

It always SLAMMED shut with the noise of cannons going off.
[the door was at the end of a long center hallway and the hallway acted like an amplifier. you had to hear it yourself to really appreciate how loud the slam was]

The noise and the concussion caused the horse spook, jump sideways away from the noise source whereupon he knocked me down onto the pavement and then ran over me.

The aunt first called an ambulance and then my mom and the years of the "riding lie" commenced.

After a short amount of time, the lie began to be more "embellished", as in "I think the guinea fowl came out of the flower bed and attacked the horse". [etc etc etc]

Sorry to have been so vague.
The point is, while I was in a coma, my aunt had an 11 day head head-start in cementing the "facts" into place.

Nothing I said after I awoke ever convinced my parents that the event was anything other than what she described.

People often do amazing and awful things to keep themselves out of trouble, even if it destroys another preson's life or relationship with their family.

If the guy says she hit him, I'd believe him, simply because I "been there".






44 posted on 05/16/2005 7:43:38 AM PDT by Salamander (No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn,.......)
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To: newgeezer

It's okay if it's legit. This doesn't sound legit to me. She may have actually done the deed that got him there. It does need investigating thoroughly.


45 posted on 05/16/2005 7:44:43 AM PDT by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: newgeezer
If someday my wife wants to end my life, I sure hope people let her do it.

Don't bet on it. The new 'conservatism' uses God (and I mean uses) as yet another reason we should turn over our lives, our prosperity, and our freedoms to the Almighty State. The 536 idiots in Washington apparently know what's best for us anyway...Centralization of the state is good. Centralization of the state is right. It's sickening to see this is what has become of the conservative movement.

Can't wait to see the hospitals that will have to be built to keep millions of inert bodies alive, all in the name of 'pro-life' (which it really won't be).

46 posted on 05/16/2005 7:44:49 AM PDT by billbears (Deo Vindice)
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To: Salamander; Tired of Taxes
You didn't actually come out and say what happened to you, only that your aunt slammed a storm door and it spooked a horse.

I guess someone could infer the horse kicked you in the head.

47 posted on 05/16/2005 7:45:13 AM PDT by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: Salvation

I agree with you. Florida has opened itself up for demonic attack and now you see SO many kidnappings, murders, etc. A spirit of death has entered and we CAN pray against it. If we don't, the entire country will have this unleashed against it.


48 posted on 05/16/2005 7:46:35 AM PDT by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: ktvaughn

I've sent a tip to Fox, CNN and Drudge.


49 posted on 05/16/2005 7:46:53 AM PDT by Former Fetus (fetuses are 100% pro-life, they just don't vote yet!)
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To: Marysecretary
It's okay if it's legit. This doesn't sound legit to me. She may have actually done the deed that got him there. It does need investigating thoroughly.

That's just it; I wouldn't want anyone's investigation to stand in the way. The worst that could happen is that I pass on earlier than the judicial branch or some do-gooders (e.g parents) would like.

At any rate, God is sovereign. If it's time for me to go, I'll go; if not, I won't. The same holds true for everyone, even Terri Schiavo.

50 posted on 05/16/2005 7:52:31 AM PDT by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: Salamander

Oh, I see now. The aunt knows that the door she let slam spooked the horse, and that's why she lied. Thanks for the clarification. (I'd thought maybe your aunt hit you...)

Yeah, there have been a few incidents within my own extended family that were "questionable".


51 posted on 05/16/2005 7:54:50 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (News junkie here)
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To: newgeezer

The horse knocked me sideways and the first thing to contact the pavement was the right side of my head.
[I had turned around to hear my aunt who was in the house behind me and my left side was against the horse's left side when he jumped]

Subsequent injuries from his horse shoes imply that he continued moving to his left after I was down and stepped on me in several places.
[left hand, right ankle, right shin]
It happened so suddenly that I didn't have have time to put out an arm to break my fall.




52 posted on 05/16/2005 7:56:15 AM PDT by Salamander (No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn,.......)
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To: Rutles4Ever
"What is it with Florida?"

The corrupt legal system that is bipartisan in nature so there is no will to set it right, wants to keep it easy as possible to snuff people and collect their assets. This is beneficial to spouses wanting to commit murder as they can "piggyback" on to the present corruption (probably for a piece of the action to the right lawyer, judge, etc.)

53 posted on 05/16/2005 8:00:56 AM PDT by penowa
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To: Tired of Taxes

Part of me doesn't blame her.
Not only was she my aunt, she was my god-mother and my dad's favorite sister.

I think my dad would've killed her, had he known, at worst and at best, she knew he'd disown for her for life.

As it was, not only did I get the near-fatal injury, I got the insult of the blame and guilt for "making it happen".

My sympathy to you for the "questionable" incidents.
I don't think anything cuts as deep as a betrayal by family.



54 posted on 05/16/2005 8:01:51 AM PDT by Salamander (No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn,.......)
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To: Former Fetus

While their guardianship is still valid, they need to get him out of Florida! Maybe he'd have a better chance of survival in the Dominican Republic - even given lower quality health care - than in the US with the court system deciding life and death matters.


55 posted on 05/16/2005 8:02:42 AM PDT by knittnmom
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To: newgeezer
"The worst that could happen is that I pass on earlier than the judicial branch or some do-gooders (e.g parents) would like."

Nothing wrong with passing on just a little earlier than some branch of gov't would want you to. Nah, nothing at all. Heck with do-gooders as well. /sarcasm off.

You're reasoning is among the worst I've seen on FR.
If you go along with suicide then do whatever you've got to do. Please don't ask the government to take give a blind eye to blatant murder. Jeez, such thoughtlessness.
56 posted on 05/16/2005 8:03:04 AM PDT by SolomoninSouthDakota (Daschle is gone.)
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To: Marysecretary

There is no causal relationship except that which exists in your imagination.


57 posted on 05/16/2005 8:04:40 AM PDT by verity (A mindset is an antidote to logic.)
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To: Salvation
"God and only God can give and take life."

It seems to me many people are doing it.

58 posted on 05/16/2005 8:05:54 AM PDT by verity (A mindset is an antidote to logic.)
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To: Former Fetus

You guys are on the ball--I'll stand by.


59 posted on 05/16/2005 8:16:41 AM PDT by ktvaughn
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To: billbears

I have a pair of dress shoes that didn't fit me 20 years ago, I have never worn them for longer than 6 hours at a time; I was saving them to be buried in but it seems the body is generally unclothed from the waist down, so maybe I'll throw them away - someday.


60 posted on 05/16/2005 8:21:45 AM PDT by Old Professer (As darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of good; innocence is blind.)
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