Terri Schiavo's Family Continues Effort to Block Jack Kevorkian UF Speech

Life News ^ | 9/3/07 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Gainesville, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The family of Terri Schiavo is continuing its efforts to block a speech by Jack Kevorkian scheduled for the middle of next month. The speech would be the first for the former assisted suicide crusader following his release from prison for killing a disabled man and showing the death on national television.

Kevorkian would speak to students at the University of Florida on October 11 and receive $50,000 for the talk, as long as his parole officers approve the trip.

The family of Terri Schiavo has been leading an effort to stop the speech by gathering petitions from concerned citizens so Kevorkian doesn't get a platform in their home state.

They don't want the former pathologist telling students that people with disabilities should be killed, like their sister, rather than receiving appropriate medical treatment or rehabilitative care.

Bobby Schindler, Terri's brother, told LifeNews.com, "We have collected thousands of petitions (and they are still coming in) to deliver to the Office of the President of the University of Florida."

"We're demanding the University rescind its offer to pay $50,000 for Kevorkian to address the students," he added.

"Despite the ongoing message of death spreading through our society and those, like Jack Kevorkian, who attempt to justify killing the most vulnerable among us, we are committed to fight against this death-obsessed culture and spread Terri's legacy of life, hope and love," Schindler explained.

He said there is still time for pro-life people and others worried about Kevorkian's pro-assisted suicide message to sign a petition asking the University of Florida to cancel the speech.

The petition can be found at the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation web site.

ACTION: You can also contact the University of Florida President J. Bernard Machen at 352-392-1311 or president@ufl.edu.

[Mr. Silverback]

I’m looking in the Constitution, and I’m not finding any reference to taxpayer funded speaking fees in the First Amendment. Can you point that out to me?

[wagglebee]

It’s right by the part of the Constitution that says that a woman has the right to kill her baby.

[Mr. Silverback]

Worked for Klintoon, besides what was Kevorkians crime showing someone how to end their miserable life with a self operated machine.

I say this without intending insult: You are ignorant of the realities being discussed here.

Kevorkian and those who support him ignore the role of depression in assisted suicide decisions. Here's a good example of someone who'd be dead now if she'd had Kevorkian available.

Kevorkian and those who support him ignore all advances in palliative care and act as if we are still living in the medical dark ages.

He served his time let him talk.

Fine. You and those who think like you can take up a collection, but there's no reason the citizens of Florida should have to put up tax money for this criminal, and there's no reason that Terri Schiavo's family can't use their free speech rights to oppose this misuse of funds.

[Mr. Silverback]

It’s right by the part of the Constitution that says that a woman has the right to kill her baby.

Oh, it's in the penumbra...thanks for helping.

[Gerfang]

The essential difference between the conservative and liberal positions on euthanasia is that conservatives believe in the sanctity of life while the liberals believe that an unhappy life is not worth living.

Liberals will point out that that no one forces people to choose euthanasia and that individuals should be empowered to make that decision themselves. Conservatives fear that the right to die will eventually become the responsibility to die. This is a reasonable concern, but the obvious solution is proper legislation to insure euthanasia isn’t misused rather than outright prohibition.

As a pro lifer, why do you feel it necessary to use the power of the state to stop assisted suicide? How did Dr. Kevorkian’s work harm you or society at large? Was it really necessary that he go to jail for helping people who wanted to die?

I’d honestly like to know.

[wagglebee]

As a pro lifer, why do you feel it necessary to use the power of the state to stop assisted suicide?

Because I believe in the sanctity of life, from conception until natural death.

How did Dr. Kevorkian’s work harm you or society at large? Was it really necessary that he go to jail for helping people who wanted to die?

He killed well over 100 people and that is a crime, REGARDLESS of anyone's wishes. And there is a lot of evidence suggesting that many of these people were simply depressed and quite possibly not stable enough to express their wishes.

[bjs1779]

If you wanted to die and I gave you the means say a gun and showed you how to pull the trigger and you shot yourself and died how did I kill you? It was your hand that did it not mine so why would I go to jail.

60 Minutes showed a video where he PULLED the trigger. That's why he was sent to jail.

[bikerman]

I am not debating the fact the Schiavos have the right to protest Kevorkians speech nor am I supporting Kevorkians right to make any talks he wishes I am just saying People who are in pain because of terminal disease who want to end it might be depressed yes but the truth is they will die either way so why not give them a choice,thats all Kevorkian did was give them the right to do whatever they wanted with their life or whats left of it.I hope if I am ever in a condition like that I can make my own decision to do whatever I wish and not have some bleeding heart tell me I cant.

[Fishtalk]

Sheesh.

This guy got his rocks off killing people.

Much as I hate to watch people be fooled, at times it is fun.

They found some positively obscene pics of death scenes in Kevorkian’s house. This fellow was no champion of the suffering. He enjoyed killing people and I mean “enjoyed” in the lowest denominator possible.

And yet he is cheered on by the fools.

[Fishtalk]

If someone wants to die bad enough they should get a damn gun and pull the trigger. It’s not that hard to kill yerself. What, they gonna put you in jail for killing yourself?

Don’t go asking the government to pass laws that basically send a society down a slippery slope that we should know all about since the government saw fit to allow uninhibited abortion on demand.

I find this kind of irrational justification of euthanasia often on liberal forums. It’s a surprise to see the normally intelligent posters on FreeRepublic be so fooled.

Also, you do know that this fine doctor had a fetish about death, don’t you? His intentions were far less than the honorable notion of freeing someone from pain.

But like Stalin said about....what? ...useful idiots....

So too does Doctor K.

[bikerman]

I understand but to say he did this to a 100 was a little out of line and he paid for that mistake and is now free.

[bjs1779]

I understand but to say he did this to a 100 was a little out of line and he paid for that mistake and is now free.

Do I have the right to entice your children to commit suicide? That might have a bad day once in awhile. Wouldn't you be glad that I was there to HELP?

[bjs1779]

That might have a bad day once in awhile.

(They) might have a bad day once in awhile.

[bikerman]

Huh? Thats what I have been saying all along if you want to die you should have that right to do so anyway you wish if your healthy enough to go and purchase a gun and want to do it that way fine,or if I am to disabled to do so why not have someone like so called Dr Death make me a machine for me to make it easier I am not asking the government to get involved or anything like that as for the fetish about death I don't believe he was going door to door drumming up customers they were calling him. Stalin was going door to door. useful idiots.

[bikerman]

Do I have the right to entice your children to commit suicide? That might have a bad day once in awhile. Wouldn’t you be glad that I was there to HELP?

Where did the children get into this? having a bad day is a lot different than being terminally ill with no chance of survival because of old age.

[bjs1779]

I don't believe he was going door to door drumming up customers they were calling him.

Right. Now he wants to go to school to school. Sad to see you apparently support that type of disease.

[bjs1779]

Where did the children get into this?

Where is he salivating to speak?

[bjs1779]

Where did the children get into this? having a bad day is a lot different than being terminally ill with no chance of survival because of old age.

The guy he was convicted of killing was neither. Glad to see how forgiving you are when a killer wants to work his deeds again.

[BykrBayb]

I understand but to say he did this to a 100 was a little out of line

How far out of line is it? How many do you think he killed?

and he paid for

No, his victims paid. He got out of jail early, based on the lie that he was too unhealthy to continue serving his sentence. But he's healthy enough to go drum up business at a college campus.

that mistake

It was not a mistake. He did it on purpose, many times. He said he'd still do it again if he could.

and is now free.

Oh yeah, he's free alright. That is not a good thing.

[bjs1779]

It was not a mistake. He did it on purpose, many times. He said he'd still do it again if he could.

The only reason he was not convicted earlier was that there was no video of his crime. He got brave and put one on 60 minutes and he went to jail. He felt invincible and he got caught.