Folks who want to see a larger view of this feeding tube can click on this picture Other images of specialized clothing available at The Bundi-baby e-store
Posted on 01/29/2006 10:06:22 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who took a leading role in the Terry Schiavo case, said Sunday it taught him that Americans do not want the government involved in such end-of-life decisions.
Frist, considered a presidential hopeful for 2008, defended his call for further examinations of the brain-damaged Florida woman during the last days of a bitter family feud over her treatment. Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state.
The case became a rallying point for right-to-life advocates, an important segment of the Republican Party. It also drew interest from those supporting the right to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment and led to charges that the GOP was using a family tragedy for political gain.
Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he had any regrets regarding the Schiavo case, Frist said: "Well, I'll tell you what I learned from it, which is obvious. The American people don't want you involved in these decisions."
Schiavo, 41, died March 31, nearly two weeks after her feeding tube was removed and 15 years after her initial collapse and hospitalization. Courts in Florida had supported her husband's contention that she would not want to live in such a state. Her parents and siblings disagreed and for years fought efforts to remove her feeding tube.
An autopsy later showed that Schiavo had suffered severe, irreversible brain damage and was blind.
Frist, R-Tenn., said in the full Senate that he supported what he called "an opportunity to save Mrs. Schiavo's life." A heart surgeon, Frist had viewed video ordered by a court and taken by a board-certified neurologist who had concluded she was not in a persistent vegetative state.
Congress passed a bill to allow a federal court to review the case, and President Bush quickly returned from his Texas ranch to sign the bill into law. But a federal judge refused to order the tube reinserted, a decision upheld by a federal appeals court and the Supreme Court.
Frist was later mocked as having made a diagnosis from his office using a video screen. "I didn't make the diagnosis," Frist said Sunday. "I raised the question of whether or not she was in a persistent vegetative state."
Looking back, Frist said, "When you're taking innocent life, with parents who want that life preserved, you've got to make sure, and therefore stepping in to say, let's take one more review, that's what we did."
He added: "I accept the outcome. I don't agree with the moral sense of it."
Frist plans to leave the Senate when his second term expires in January 2007. He said Sunday he will return to his home in Tennessee and decide whether to seek the Republican nomination for president.
((((andysandmikesmom))))
Peace to you and yours. :~)
And to you and yours as well...
Thanks for the many many great posts.
Those who don't want to talk about Terri on a thread in response to an article about the Terri situation are the same ones that are anti-Terri. They got what they wanted. They would rather discuss themselves - it was always about 'them' (pre killing and, now, post killing) and never about Terri.
IMO, a 'right to die' term is used to confuse. It's a 'right to live' issue. Did Terri have a right to live?
What jury sentenced her to death? Who violated her rights? Her right for therapy with her own money, her right for sunshine, her right for stimulation, her right for a divorce from a adulterous husband, her right for a drink of water? Who violated her 'right to live' when she lived by the motto, "where there is life, there is hope? Who held her captive like some slave and then killed her when she is no longer useful in their eyes?
Great point! You're right about this, and the many other things you wrote.
You've packed a lot of excellent, common sense questions into one post.
Level headed thinking is verboten by the folks who know that the first step in eliminating fellow humans is to to label them as "sub-human."
When the circumstances are right, caring for an elderly family member at home is very rewarding.
I have been able to care for my 90 year old mother. My brother and sister cannot.
You were smart to ignore their suggestions.
I'm sorry they put you through that.
And thanks be to God for the folks who can see shadows, when shadows are present.
The ones who tell children not to talk to strangers.
The ones who warn others about oncoming tsunamis on clear and beautiful days.
The ones who see connections between smoking and lung cancer or between radiation and cancer.
Folks who want to see a larger view of this feeding tube can click on this picture Other images of specialized clothing available at The Bundi-baby e-store
Government is already involved in end-of-life cases, Senator Frist. Times are changing and we need to re-examine the statutes.
Everywhere and at all times demons have been lurking in the dark, waiting for the moment when man is weak; when of his own volition he leaves his place in the order of Creation as founded for him by God in freedom; when he yields to the force of evil, separates himself from the powers of a higher order; and after voluntarily taking the first step, he is driven on to the next and the next at a furiously accelerating rate.Everywhere and at all times of greatest trial men have appeared, prophets and saints who cherished their freedom, who preached the One God and with His help brought the people to a reversal of their downward course
Mary, you are probably right in most end-of-life situations BUT this case was an exceptional one where many questions went unanswered. IMHO Justice, Health and Human Services, and many other governmental offices failed this woman in her hour of need.
We probably see things differently on the government's involvement regarding beginning-of-life decisions too? I think that the number of abortions would be significantly reduced if the mother was discarded and the baby was kept.....
From The White Rose link....
But out of love for coming generations we must make an example after the conclusion of the war, so that no one will ever again have the slightest urge to try a similar action.
Some saw 'it' then, some did not (turned their heads in denial)
Some see 'it' now, some do not (turn their heads in denial)
'History repeats itself' is a truth but not for those in denial.
Re: 371. Wow! That was quick. Thanks!!!
I didn't see it. Thanks for what?
Yes.
I posted a picture of the judge, Roland Freisler, who was remarkably similar to Greer. You can see the pictures, and read about his unjust rulings
I asked to have the picture removed after I read the FAQ at the White Rose Web Site.
remarkably similar to Greer.
Yes, moreso, in the 3rd picture
I know the Defendant Huber. He doesn't have the right to be a German." Alex, Willi and Professor Huber were each condemned to die.
Ruling the same, also - a judge saying someone doesn't have a right.
From an old Terri thread on FR
Is Terri a person with constitutional rights?1. Dr. Cranford said, to Hannity last night, that PVS persons have no constitutional rights.2. Cranford has said that Terri is PVS
Question: Does Terri have the constitutional right to ask to be starved to death?
Regarding your post #367...yes, of course, there are those who see shadows, when shadows are really present...I was probably one such person like that when it came to my children....
However, there are extremists, who will see shadows where there are none at all...
I guess the real wisdom, is to really understand, when a shadow is hiding some real threat, and when a shadow, is well, nothing but a shadow...
Knowing the difference between something that is a real threat, and something that is not a real threat, can be tricky....
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.