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.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Ha! yeah, but Freerepublic needs to stay open and debating. If I wanted to hear just ONE view I could listen to a tyrant. It is important also to discern the various issues we are discussing and often the pro life issue gets confused with palliative care, etc.

[bjs1779]

Okay...here we go. Get ready to get flamed. I agree with you.

You mean that you disagree with the Judge in Dr. Jack's case?

"Referring to the ''60 Minutes'' program that featured a videotape of Dr. Kevorkian's administering the lethal injection that resulted in the charges, Judge Cooper said to Dr. Kevorkian: ''You had the audacity to go on national television, show the world what you did and dare the legal system to stop you."

Dr. Jack

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

THAT is what the peition SHOULD be about...not just refusing to let him talk.

[wagglebee]

You are wrong about “ its not that hard to kill yourself.” If you are terminal, it is almost impossible to ‘kill yourself”.

And it is not only liberals who want to discuss these issues. What are all the “outraged ‘..so called ‘normally intelligent posters “ afraid of.??? I am not afraid to hear and debate Dr. K. I can’t stand him personally, but it is important to have these discussions and debate!

Depressed people attempt and often succeed at committing suicide every day. Society and the psychiatric community has ALWAYS believed in treating depression so that the depressed DON'T harm themselves or others. Are you suggesting that society should abandon these principles? Are the depressed simply "useless eaters" who place an unnecessary financial burden on the rest of society?

[wagglebee]

Ha! yeah, but Freerepublic needs to stay open and debating.

Really? What other liberal positions should we be "open" to debating?

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

No, the judge was right. And DR. k is hideous, however, the topic is one that should be discussed. And, if he did his time, he is now free in our society.

[bjs1779]

It is important also to discern the various issues we are discussing and often the pro life issue gets confused with palliative care,

The point is he was convicted of murder. Discern all you want.

[wagglebee]

And DR. k is hideous, however, the topic is one that should be discussed.

Do we "discuss" these ideas with the premise that both points of view are valid?

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

uh, and where in heaven’s name did you get that out of any of my comments.

BTW...we are moralistic Morons when it comes to treating pain. On the one hand we criminalize docs who try to help dying people and on the other hand we yap about how ‘terminal people can be helped with their pain.” Uh, there you go...more hypocrisy.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

we should be open to DEBATING everything....especially in colleges where young people need to hear things debated.

Oh, I forgot, they are just going to take YOUR word for it. No need to hear anyone else.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

That’s right, just point to how awful DR. K is and shut down any discussions of terminal illness, palliative care, death and dying, pain, etc. The group at UF that doesn’t want him to speak offer NO ALTERNATIVES!

[BykrBayb]

Temporary highjack ~ You need to add Camden, NJ to your tagline. Oh what the heck, add the whole rotten state.

Now, where were we? Oh yeah, palliative care vs. extermination. I agree that we need to apply better palliative care. Lacking that, the solution is not to kill the patient.

[wagglebee]

Many of those who Dr. Death killed WERE NOT TERMINALLY ILL.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

You don’t have to, but each side will have that beleif and it is important, especially for young people, to hear both sides debated so when they hear one side,...like DR. K...they just don’t think “oh, yeah, that makes sense.”

[bjs1779]

BTW...we are moralistic Morons when it comes to treating pain. On the one hand we criminalize docs who try to help dying people and on the other hand we yap about how ‘terminal people can be helped with their pain.” Uh, there you go...more hypocrisy.BTW..

Doesn't make much sense. Where does Dr. Jack fit into your equation?

[wagglebee]

we should be open to DEBATING everything

No, we shouldn't, this is a conservative forum, not an open debating society. And for our rationale that colleges should debate these issues, why exactly do you think so? Should they debate the various "merits" of slavery or cannibalism?

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

That has nothing to do with his premise...which is what needs to be open for debate.

the anti having Dr. K speak group should have insited on a debate ..THAT WOULD HAVE TAUGHT THE COLLEGE KIDS SOMETHING.

But, of course, no need to do that, just tell the kids “You can’t hear that” and that will take care of it. Yeah, right.

[BykrBayb]

Kevorkian is being $50,000 of public money to speak to the students, without any opposing view. He’s a convicted killer. He got out of jail early because he was supposedly too sick to complete his sentence. But he’s not too sick to travel and conduct a speaking engagement? He should not be allowed to speak proselytize to anyone, much less college students, and he certainly shouldn’t be allowed to profit from the killings. Especially if the tax payers are being billed for it.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Dr. K offers what is really not a solution, but to the sick and dying it is the only solution they have if they don’t get pain treatment. But our society ties doctors hands about pain treatment so it pushes people into the euthenasia camp.

[wagglebee]

Oh, I forgot, they are just going to take YOUR word for it. No need to hear anyone else.

What exactly are we taking MY word for?

- Dr. Death claims to have killed at least 130 people.
- Dr. Death was convicted of killing a person.
- Killing innocent people is against the law in Michigan.

This is not my word, this a matter of public record.