Danger Zone - (Haleigh Poutre)

National Review ^ | February 01, 2006 | Wesley J, Smith

[Ohioan from Florida]

In the court (and courts) of life and death, a little 11-year-old Massachusetts girl named Haleigh Poutre could be the next Terri Schiavo. For those who have not heard the tragic story, Haleigh was beaten nearly to death last September, allegedly by her adoptive mother and stepfather. The beating left her unconscious and barely clinging to life.

Within a week or so of the beating, her doctors had written her off. They apparently told Haleigh's court-appointed guardian, Harry Spence, that she was "virtually brain dead." Even though he had never visited her, Spence quickly went to court seeking permission to remove her respirator and feeding tube. The court agreed, a decision affirmed recently by the supreme court of Massachusetts.

And so, no doubt with the best of intentions, a little girl who had already suffered so much was stripped by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of even the chance to fight to stay alive. If she didn't stop breathing when the respirator was removed, which doctors expected, she would slowly dehydrate to death.

Close Call

Then came the unexpected:

[T'wit]

>> You're not listening to what I'm saying.

I do listen, carefully. Please explain what I'm missing, IYO?

[Theodore R.]

99.9% of people would not want to live like her.

That hilarious, Hildy, there is that .1 percent in poor Terri's former condition who do want to continue living. And they are being denied human rights in what some call the "freest country" on the planet. You are still shilling for euthanasia. Wonder if you would change your mind if you were on the alleged "deathbed." I'm sure you would say that you would not.

[TAdams8591]

It's always different once you get there. Most people cooming out of coma's, seem to forget the part where they wanted to die. Most were screaming they were still here and wanted people to know it.

[TAdams8591]

You're thinking is terribly shallow, Hildy. You forget the strong will to live. People would prefer to be strong and healthy rather than be like Terri, but once in such a state most people exhibit a remarkable will to live.

[Wampus SC]

"I think Howard needs to come clean up the Coco Puffs again. You won't believe who spilled them this time."

Sure I will. That was my second guess. It must have been Groundhog Day, since it's just a repeat this time last year.

I think it's a case of jonesing. Haleigh got a year, and that's an awful long time to wait for a fix.

[Wampus SC]

I've run into those from several religions and non-religions. They're the kind who will say it's evil to keep a body alive when the soul is gone. If you ask them about the religious or philospohical basis of this, they naturally won't answer. But they will sidestep, of course, and change "when the soul is gone" to "when the brain is dead". The brain is physical. The soul is nonphysical. Can't be the same, but it is to them. Their view that it's all the brain means they deny the soul's existence. Which explains well nigh everything about them.

[Wampus SC]

"What good are any of these arms of government if they don't do the jobs they are supposed to do? Do we have to wait for tragedies (Haleigh is but one example) to get them to clean up their acts?"

I'd like to see an example of them cleaning up their acts after a tragedy. So far, all I've ever seen is CYA.

[Wampus SC]

"Then, in my opinion...and this is my opnion alone...you are one of the most selfish people I have ever come across. 99.9% of people would say they wouldn't want to be kept alive, and you know why? Because of the toll it takes on OTHER people...on the people you love...the effect it has on the people you love. That's why I think it's selfish."

Yeah, how DARE them be so selfish as to inconvenience ME! By perversely and selfishly clinging to life, their selfishness inconveniences ME! Their lives are worth NOTHING if they inconvenience ME! THEY MUST DIE for so selfishly inconveniencing ME! ME! ME! ME!</translation mode>

[8mmMauser]

Yesterday's story was about Haleigh's mom per the Boston Globe. Today's is per the Boston Herald.

Haleigh is likely safe with all the light shining on her, in more ways than just spotlight. What bothers me is that which could happen if the spotlight fades and she slips into obscurity.

As a long time government employee myself, I can say what we have always said, the most feared words to terrorize the innocent is "We are from the Government and we are here to help."

Semper Vigilens

Haleigh Poutre’s biological mother had a “very emotional” visit with her brain-damaged daughter this week, but is barred from telling anyone whether the girl moved, smiled or just lay still, her attorney said yesterday.

Mom must keep mum about visit to Haleigh


8mm

(this includes Ohioan from Florida's ping list, update to 01/18.)

[8mmMauser]

Here is where Haleigh is now:

One of Franciscan's chief missions is to help the dozens of hospitalized patients get to the point where they can, like Korey, depend less on automated devices to breathe, move, eat, or speak

Hospital is haven for severely disabled

[8mmMauser]

Lookey who weighs in on the side of Mikey and the Murderers. If anyone had doubts about fellow travellers, all they have to do is hear from the cheering section.

Anyone dare to guess which side the following are on regarding State Sponsored Bioethicking? CPUSA? DSA? MoveOn.org? Democrat party leadership?

World Socialist Website

North provides an overview of the case, which became a cause célèbre for extreme right-wing forces, including the Bush administration, and a focus for their efforts to undermine science and democratic secularism.

World Socialist Web Site Review:

If anyone wants to research it further, please do. I don't want to ruin my breakfast.

8mm

[8mmMauser]

Oh, I forgot, the Amerikan Communist Liberals Unlimited, ACLU weighs in as well!

If I considered cheering for the killing of innocents such as Terri and Haleigh, I would wonder why all these communists, socialists, and enemies of our country agree with me so much and count me amongst their friends.

A dangerous abuse of power to save a disabled woman's life with many unanswered questions surrounding her condition (before her starvation death)? What about the ACLU's mission statement "The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States"?

Perhaps in the case of Terri and others, we should modify the ACLU's statement by also adding the term "non-disabled" between the words "every person" to make it accurate.

The ACLU's love affair with death

8mm

[T'wit]

>> I probably trust lawyers even less than I do doctors.

Almost all high-level politicians are LAWYERS. No secret what people think of them! I remember a National Review item from long ago. They'd spotted an amusing opinion poll asking whom people would most trust: Prostitutes, Used Car Salesmen or Politicians? The ladies of the night won by a huge margin. NR's comment was something like: "If people are going to get screwed, they obviously prefer to have it done by a professional."

[T'wit]

Thinking about that film, I just got a ping. There was a big scene where the parents were led into a giant room at the hospital, everyone wearing white masks. It was a polio ward. Lining the walls were "Iron Lungs" for kids paralyzed by polio. Remember those huge, marvelous machines that kept the children breathing? They were a modern miracle. What occurs to me is that Iron Lungs were -- ventilators.

In those days, medicine fought like crazy to keep kids alive, and the whole nation was warmed by it. Nowadays they take a patient like Haleigh off her ventilator, expecting her to die. Nowadays the ACLU would sue to turn off the power to the Iron Lungs because they are too religious. But God love her, Haleigh Poutre didn't die.

Our latter-day doctors need to be reminded what medical care is supposed to be. Everyone knew it once, and not so long ago.

[T'wit]

I took a peek. I do not recommend that anyone risk it :-) The WSWS is a classic exercise in robotics, aka party line thinking. All facts, information, thought and emotion must be ideologized and forced to conform to the party line. Death to dissent! Death to human intelligence! You'd think a century of "progressive" extermination camps and gulags and genocidal murders would have raised a few doubts, but no, they revel in it and want more of it.

[syriacus]

Do you know when that photo (in your post) of Michael Schiavo was taken? I thought he looked a lot better tonight on Countdown.

From the teaser snippets of last night's show, which were shown the night before, Michael looked pretty bad.

[pickyourpoison]

bump for later

[T'wit]

>> If I considered cheering for the killing of innocents such as Terri and Haleigh, I would wonder why all these communists, socialists, and enemies of our country agree with me...

Easy question. It is pure socialist logic to kill the weak. Marx's children think of economic production as a giant honey pot from which everyone draws a fair share. Therefore (they infer), there would be more honey for all if the weaker half of humanity was liquidated. The elderly, the disabled and all but the most perfect babies head the list for elimination. The weaker half of us are unfair to the strong because they consume resources and eat food.

The only defense to Socialist Hell is the knowledge that we are all God's children, precious in His eyes and living under His commandments.

[8mmMauser]

Ahhhh, from those who have to those who want it... equality.

Also reminds me of that old cliche of insanity. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and each time expecting different results".

This isn't insanity, it's crazy!

;)

[TheSpottedOwl]

Is that a bruise on that child's face????

Why is Social Services threatening the biological mother if she speaks publicly about Haleigh? Because Haleigh is improving at a good pace? Disgusting...