8mm
Posted on 05/22/2007 10:11:42 PM PDT by monomaniac
LifeNews.com Note: Bobby Schindler is the brother of Terri Schiavo and works with the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation to help disabled and other patients like her to receive the lifesaving medical treatment they deserve.
I recently returned from Austria and Germany where I had the fortunate opportunity to speak in front of several organizations to give witness to my family's struggle to care for my sister Terri.
Along with the circumstances of Terri's life and death, I spoke about how the medical community continues to target the disabled by convincing the American people that if someone's "quality of life" is deemed unacceptable then it's "okay" to kill them by withholding their food and water.
The audiences were profoundly disturbed and unable to understand why our country could permit Terri to be dehydrated to death, and also by the fact that we no longer protect our most vulnerable American citizens.
One of the speaking engagements I had was with two high schools in Fulda, Germany. The students were wonderful and, incredibly, knew more than I could have ever imagined about Terri's story. Afterwards, I had the chance to speak with many of them and it touched me to hear of the impact Terri has had on their lives.
Among the more memorable events of the trip was the International Conference on Euthanasia held at Castle Hartheim in Linz, Austria. In attendance were the President of Austria, the Governor of Austria and His Excellency, the Cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schцnborn.
Castle Hartheim was an especially fitting location for this event, as it was one of the centers where the physically and mentally "inferior" were killed as part of the Nazi T-4 Euthanasia Program during World War II. After I spoke, I toured Castle Hartheim which has now been made a memorial to the more than 30,000 handicapped people who were deliberately killed there.
While touring, I read something inscribed on the wall that was particularly chilling to me in light of the current struggle we face as we fight the growing threat of euthanasia here in the states.
The inscription read, "From the spring of 1940 till August 1941, patients who were, "incapable of improvement" were transported from hospitals, nursing homes, and old age homes to Hartheim and murdered." I then read that in order to carry out these killings, the staff were "sworn to extreme secrecy" in fear of being convicted for murder if what they were doing leaked out.
I thought to myself, "that is exactly how they described (and continue to describe) Terri -- as 'incapable of improvement' -- in order to justify killing her." However, just as alarming to me was how these atrocities were carried out, as they said, in "total secrecy" for fear of being prosecuted.
How far we truly have drifted, to where killing the physically and mentally disabled is not only accepted, but essentially done out in the open. Even more disturbing is how, as in the case of Judge George Greer who ordered Terri's death, we now hand out awards for "courage" to people who prey on the disabled.
I believe it was a Dutch journalist who recently said, "It's taken only one generation to transform a war crime into an act of compassion."
Fortunately, however, in the two years since Terri's death my family and I have had a great deal of encouragement, as well. Having had the experience of not only speaking to many groups in the US, but also in several countries outside the US, we have been blessed by the outpouring of support - not only for Terri's cause, but for the cause of life in general.
In spite of how so many people, especially in the mainstream media, describe my sister as having a life of no value or worth, the one thing that those who killed Terri could never have predicted is that she continues to touch people every day and all over the world. This gives me hope that our country, as well as the rest of the world, will one day treat people like Terri with the compassion and the kindness they deserve.
On behalf of Terri and her Foundation, we thank you for your continued support.
Well put.
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TERRI WAS MURDERED. It was PRE-MEDITATED.
I agree - well stated.
It wasn't safer for Terri. Florida embraces a culture of death. Hospices loan their medical equipment to patients and unplug the medical equipment before they are deceased. They unplug oxygen tanks on live patients. If you become ill folks, leave Florida if you possibly can.
FLORIDA: The new touch screens are BEING TOSSED OUT. The new optical scanners will at minimum cost $30 MILLION. Crist did this for a democrat who lost her race in Sarasota. He’ll do anything for a democrat.
Then there's Mickey Mouse Mel who is ruining the country and the RNC. He's on c-span 2 right now. He doesn't look upset about all the phone calls he's been getting.
Then there's Mickey Mouse Mel who is ruining the country and the RNC. He's on c-span 2 right now. He doesn't look upset about all the phone calls he's been getting.
I really liked your new slogan so I posted it twice.
We're not like the Nazis. We don't do this in secret. And the Nazis had something we don't. Laws that made it perfectly legal. The judge who ordered Terri Schiavo's execution flouted many laws in pursuit of Terri's extermination. He even broke the law campaigning for the bench that he abuses. Check out his campaign ad, where he illegally uses government employees and resources.
In 2000, 11.0% of the severely cognitively impaired residents of the United States were starved and dehydrated to death.
In 2001, 11.4% of the severely cognitively impaired residents of the United States were starved and dehydrated to death.
I haven't found data yet for other years, but I think it's a fair guess that the killings continue to climb.
This doesn't represent a percentage of patients who died (which would be bad enough). It doesn't mean that 11.4% of the patients who died were starved and dehydrated. It means 11.4% of all the people living in the U.S.A. with severe cognitive impairments were killed this way. And it doesn't include the ones who were killed using other methods, such as denial of antibiotics for simple infections, removal of breathing assistance, etc.
The standard used for determining severe cognitive impairment for the purpose of this study is a score of 5 or less on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Patients in a coma or PVS cannot possibly score 1, much less 5. You've probably seen people in the grocery store with a score of 5 or less. So these killings include a wide range of brain damaged people. I wonder how many thousands of people are living with a score of 5 or less. And for every 1,000 people living with a score of 5 or less in the year 2001, 114 of them were starved and dehydrated to death that year.
All I have before me are the percentages. I'd like to see the corresponding numbers. Or would I?
Following is the breakdown by state for 2001. Notice that Rhode Island tops the list, with just over a third of that population exterminated this way. That might have something to do with the fact that RI has appointed the pro-euthanasia group Choice in Dying the official State agency in charge of informing the public about “end-of-life choices.” They supply forms for “living wills” and “assist” the public in filling out those forms. This is what happens when you put the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Believe it or not, Florida and Texas are both below the national average. Every state is on the list. Georgia is at the bottom of the list, exterminating only 1.30% this way.
RI - 33.80%
OR - 32.50%
MI - 28.30%
MT - 28.00%
WI - 27.20%
CA - 23.40%
UT - 23.40%
AZ - 20.90%
PA - 17.40%
MN - 17.20%
AK - 17.10%
CT - 15.40%
WY - 14.90%
MD - 14.60%
NM - 14.20%
SD - 14.10%
WA - 13.20%
OH - 12.90%
ID - 12.30%
IA - 12.10%
MO - 11.90%
National Average - 11.4%
VT - 11.20%
HI - 11.10%
DE - 10.80%
ND - 10.80%
MA - 9.90%
IN - 9.70%
ME - 9.20%
NH - 8.70%
NY - 8.50%
NE - 7.70%
CO - 7.20%
AL - 7.10%
TX - 7.10%
IL - 6.70%
WV - 6.70%
KY - 6.60%
SC - 6.50%
TN - 6.30%
FL - 6.20%
NV - 6.20%
AR - 5.70%
NC - 5.20%
KS - 4.80%
NJ - 4.80%
OK - 4.10%
LA - 3.70%
VA - 3.60%
DC - 3.10%
MS - 3.00%
GA - 1.30%
Facts On Dying ~ This study was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who adamantly opposes the rights of vulnerable people to continue living. So if any trolls show up, complaining that the data is skewed in favor of life, check the facts and get back to me.
How far we have drifted! Now we are determining it is “compassionate” to deny people care or even kill them. This is one of the fears with possible nationalized health care. The state decides whose life is worth living based on money. This could be an unborn child with disabilities killed or a born person who the state determines will die soon. Just because a person might not live with a disease or disability or even due to age, it doesn’t mean that their life isn’t worth saving, and they shouldn’t be denied such things as air, food, water, medicine, and treatments like chemo or dialysis. Perhaps they personally don’t want certain treatments like a respirator or have a DNR, but that is theirs and their family’s choice, not the states.
LOL
As you point out, attempts are made to pervert the word “compassionate.” It alleged by some to be “compassionate” to aid and abet illegal aliens and other criminals to commit crimes. And it is “compassionate” to kill people. The word “dignity” as in “death with dignity” is another such word.
I had expected Florida to be higher on the list. Overall just horrifying.
See my post #15. Florida was below the national average in percentage of cognitively disabled people exterminated via starvation and dehydration. I predict they'll steadily climb up on the list.
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