[wildandcrazyrussian]

It was precisely "the government" in the person of Circuit Judge George Greer, who decreed that "the law of this case is that this girl will die". It was the private citizens in the person of Terri Schindler-Schiavo's parents and siblings who were prevented from effectively appealing this dictatorial decree (by the legal impossibility of getting the case ever reassigned to any other agent of the goverment, a judge, because of the way the government sets the rules).

So in fact the question is not really "should the government be involved in such cases" -- but "how in the world do you get the government from having total control"?

[firewalk]

.

[HairOfTheDog]

There will always be occasional need for a very local court to decide cases that are in dispute. That court found that in Terri's case there was no basis to overrule the long-established right of spouses to make decisions about treatment, or the decision to stop treatment, for each other.

If you wish to rewrite family and probate law to make our parents our legal guardian even in adulthood, you can argue that, but I don't think it'll be a popular or workable idea.

[floriduh voter]

Your #50. Yes, the government and special interests had extraordinary control over Terri's life and death and that includes THE ACLU, who freepers usually luv to hate. The ACLU played a big part at counsel table for Terri to be murdered.

But, remember that before they wrote the death warrant to murder Terri by a barbaric means, they robbed her rehab monies to DEATH LAWYERS, FELOS, BUSHNELL AND SOME TO HAM BASKIN.

How can you rehab someone who's just been robbed? Michael Schiavo cut off Terri's rehab and Terri still did really well. She wasn't PVS and neither is Haleigh, or Scott Thomas. Does everyone who has a brain injury need their very own watchdog group to make sure that their providers or judges aren't going to starve them to death?