Attorney Who Aided Terri Schiavo’s Husband Now Advising Barack Obama

Life News ^ | 12/7/08 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- An attorney who won an award for representing Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife is now an advisor to the transition team of incoming president Barack Obama.

Thomas Perrelli, who raised over $500,000 for the pro-abortion presidential candidate and is the managing partner of a Washington law firm, Jenner & Block LLP, is helping advise Obama on putting together a Justice Department team.

However, Perrelli provided Michael Schiavo with legal advice during his response to the Congressional bill that President Bush signed allowing the Schindler fail to take their lawsuit seeking to prevent Terri’s euthanasia death from state to federal courts.

Perrelli led the Jenner & Block team that developed the legal briefs opposing appeals for Michael and he ultimately received the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Pro Bono Award in October 2006 for representing Terri’s former husband at no cost.

On Michael’s legal team, Perrelli worked with infamous pro-euthanasia attorney George Felos as well as lawyers from the Florida chapter of the ACLU.

Obama’s selection of Perrelli to participate on his Justice Department transition team is no surprise given his comments on Terri’s painful 13-day starvation and dehydration death during the presidential campaign.

During his debate with Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary, Obama said his biggest mistake was voting with a unanimous Senate to help save Terri.

In March 2005, just weeks before Terri died, Congress approved legislation allowing her family to take its case from state courts to federal courts in an effort to stop the euthanasia from proceeding.

Terri was not on any artificial breathing apparatus and only required a feeding tube to eat and drink. Her family had filed a lawsuit against her former husband to allow them to care for her and give her proper medical and rehabilitative care.

The Senate unanimously approved a compromise bill, which the House eventually supported on a lopsided bipartisan vote and President Bush signed, to help the disabled woman.

Obama said he should have stood up against the life-saving legislation.

“It wasn't something I was comfortable with, but it was not something that I stood on the floor and stopped,” Obama said.

“And I think that was a mistake, and I think the American people understood that that was a mistake. And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better,” he added.

That wasn't the first time Obama said he regretted supporting the bill to protect the disabled woman.

During an April 2007 debate, Obama said, "I think professionally the biggest mistake that I made was when I first arrived in the Senate. There was a debate about Terri Schiavo, and a lot of us, including me, left the Senate with a bill that allowed Congress to intrude where it shouldn't have.”

"And I think I should have stayed in the Senate and fought more for making sure [Terri's parents couldn't take their case to federal court to save her life]," he explained.

Since Terri’s death, the Schindler family has established a foundation to help disabled and elderly patients obtain proper medical care and legal and other assistance when they are denied it.

Related web sites:
Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation - http://www.terrisfight.org

[wagglebee]

Doctors are not always right!

Thread by Coleus.

Mother has healthy baby boy despite abortion warning by doctor

Gaynor Purdy was warned her first child could have a fatal chromosome defect and a life threatening heart condition. But she rejected two suggestions to terminate the pregnancy and she and her husband Lee are celebrating life with their "perfect" ten-month-old son. Mrs Purdy, 28, a quality control inspector, said: "We refused to give up on him, and decided throughout the pregnancy that as long as he was fighting, we would continue fighting with him."

The couple from Scunthorpe, Lincs, were delighted when they discovered they had conceived shortly before their first wedding anniversary. Four months into the pregnancy doctors told them that part of their unborn child's heart was narrow and underdeveloped and would mean open heart surgery if the baby was born.

They were warned the condition could worsen and around Christmas last year, an immediate termination should be considered. Further tests conducted a few days later on New Year's Eve suggested the baby could also have Edwards Syndrome - the presence of an 18th chromosome - with a life expectancy of only up to four months if birth is survived.

Consultants again recommended the couple consider aborting the baby, fearing he would little to no quality of life once he was born. For the second time, Mrs Purdy and her husband, a 29 year old forklift driver, declined the suggestion. Kai was born six weeks premature on March 5 at Scunthorpe General Hospital weighing just 2lb 6oz and immediately admitted to intensive care, but was discharged within six weeks.

One side of his heart was slightly bigger than the other which may need an operation to correct in the future, but regular tests have been showing the condition is constantly improving...

[wagglebee]

There is no doubt in my mind that abortion is the single most racist institution in history and it CANNOT be defeated until the Black community starts fighting back.

Thread by rhema.

Black genocide: African-Americans fighting high toll of abortion in their own community

Alabama State University (ASU), a historically black college, is planted near the west side of the capital city of Montgomery, a birthplace of the civil-rights movement. The campus sits at the edge of a major housing project. Or as Tijuanna Adetunji puts it: "It's in the 'hood."

That made it the perfect place for Adetunji, 38, who grew up in the Montgomery projects herself, to share her message on African-Americans and the true nature of abortion.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Figures. They both had living human beings “keeping them” from buckets of money.

[wagglebee]

ALL life is sacred to God.

Thread by GonzoII.

WITH INFANT IS NOT JUST FRESHNESS OF NEW START AND LIFE BUT ALSO POWER TO HEAL

Did you ever stop to contemplate the spiritual power of a baby? They're innocent -- fresh from Heaven -- and breathe purity. One priest recently said that he would take the power of the presence of an infant over that of an adult healer.

A baby enters the world and brings people together, as Jesus was a magnet in the manger. A baby comes with angels -- as an angel appeared to the shepherds. Angels heal. A baby loves without reserve (there is healing in love) and does not judge. A baby finds joy in simplicity.

From the very start of life, a person -- a baby -- has a mission. Some babies complete their task by the simple act of birth and what they convey during that birth...

[wagglebee]

The selfishness and hubris of some people is just revolting (and that would include the trolls who support infanticide).

Thread by me.

Abortion, not adoption - Two women tell how they would prefer termination to giving up the child

At least two women who have had abortions say they would rather terminate a pregnancy than give the child up for adoption.

The women were responding to a call recently made by several members of the church community and other anti-abortion advocates for expectant mothers contemplating abortion to take the babies to them instead.

Father Gregory Ramkissoon, executive director of Mustard Seed, threw out the lifeline during a press conference recently, saying his organisation and other churches would be willing to care for children whose mothers believed they could not keep them.

However, the two young professionals who spoke with The Gleaner said they would feel guiltier if they were to carry the baby to term and then give it up for adoption, than they would if they terminated the pregnancy.

"I would feel like I neglected my child," said 22-year-old Cecile Lyn.

Lyn explained that the idea of carrying a child to full term and then turning it over to an adoption agency or the church would be more traumatic than having an abortion.

"I don't really see the sense in that," she said. "Why bond with a child for nine months and then give it away?"

. . .

[little jeremiah]

A very well deserved BTTT.

The MSM is the publicity arm of the Dems/leftists.

[wagglebee]

I've posted a couple threads about euthanasia in Montana.

Ethicists, ministers, doctors debate issues associated with assisted suicide

David Karnos retired last year after teaching philosophy for 31 years at Montana State University Billings. Every year, he taught a class on death and dying, exploring end-of-life subjects including euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

If we think such discussions are new, he said, it's worth remembering that the most famous philosopher in history, Socrates, killed himself by drinking hemlock in 399 B.C.

"We've argued about it for 3,000 years," Karnos said.

In Montana, the age-old debate over end-of-life decisions took on a new urgency early last month, when a state district judge ruled that Montanans have a right to doctor-assisted suicide...

____________________________________________________________

The language of dying puts debate in perspective

To talk about the issue of physician-assisted suicide, the first thing you have to do is sort through the words and phrases used in the debate - starting with "physician-assisted suicide."

The Rev. Milous "Mike" Repka doesn't care for the term. "I think of it as an assisted way of dying rather than suicide," he said.

Dr. Deric Weiss, who has been with Billings Clinic since 1997 and is board-certified in internal medicine and in hospice and palliative care, also favors calling it assisted death.

Writing in the Dec. 11 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Robert Steinbrook said designations like "death with dignity" and "physician-assisted suicide" can be considered "emotionally charged and judgmental," depending on which side of the issue you're on...

[wagglebee]

DakotaRed has posted an excellent thread on the dangers of euthanasia.

Assisted Suicide? Or Encouraged Suicide? It Still Should Be Opposed.

As we all know, this past Novembers election saw Washington States voters duped into passing the so called “Death With Dignity” initiative, making us the second state to allow “doctor assisted suicide.”

The measure passed due to a massive campaign from out of state sources that see the death of others as “humane.” Or, as many refer to it, the “Culture of Death,” that group that sees suicide and abortion as peaceful and humane, but are virulently opposed to the execution of mass murderers...

[Sun]

“For faithful Roman Catholics, the thought of yet another pro-choice Kennedy positioned to campaign for the unlimited right to abortion is discouraging. Yet if Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of Catholics John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, abortion-rights advocates will have just such a champion...”

Sadly, I think just about anyone who Gov. Paterson would pick for U.S. Senator would be a pro-abort.

Tom Suozzi (a Dem who ran against Spitzer in the gubernatorial primary) isn’t a front runner, but his name has been mentioned as one of the politicians under consideration. Suozzi is a practicing Catholic, but I don’t know his position on abortion, except that he is against partial-birth infanticide. I’m currently doing more research on him.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Dante3]

BUMP

[wagglebee]

The media will NEVER understand.

Thread by Peet.

NYT Ethicist: Pro-life teacher's ideas "nutty"

At the public high school where I teach, a school-sponsored student club, Sharing Our Spirit, staged a "Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity" during school hours. Students wore red armbands and did not speak. The club's faculty adviser sent an e-mail to the entire faculty, including this: "They will be standing on behalf of the one-third of their generation that have been innocent victims of abortion." Was the students' activity legitimate? The adviser's? -- Name Withheld, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

-----

If the school rightly permits students to form clubs irrespective of ideology, from protesting the Iraq war to promoting a pre-emptive attack on Mars, there is no reason to bar this one. If its members do not hamper the school's educational function -- and a daylong silent vigil need not -- their activities ought to be allowed. The school would have a beef if, for example, a club directed students to refuse to answer questions in math class.

The teacher, too, has an ethical right to free expression, but because she is in a position of authority, she must be sure all students, regardless of their views, are welcome in her class and treated fairly. Nothing in your account suggests that this wasn't the case. And it is noteworthy that she sent her (to me, nutty) e-mail message to her colleagues; she did not declaim it in class. As a legal matter, Arthur Eisenberg of the New York Civil Liberties Union cautions, "She may not turn the classroom into a soapbox for her views on matters unrelated to the curriculum."

Another lawyer I consulted noted that a public school, as a government institution, may not promote a religion. Although the club's message is expressed in secular terms, anti-abortion activism is so often bound up in religious sentiment that a religious message can be implicit. When the adviser of a school-sponsored club takes up religious advocacy, the school must intervene.

(Readers can direct their questions and comments by e-mail to ethicist@nytimes.com. This column originates in The New York Times Magazine.)

[wagglebee]

Sadly, Big Abortion has started convincing Hispanic women that death is preferable to life.

Thread by rhema.

American girls: When it comes to abortion, some Hispanics are becoming a bit too assimilated

It was late November when Angel and her boyfriend visited Silent Voices, a pro-life pregnancy resource center (PRC) in Chula Vista, Calif. Angel's menstrual cycle was also late. It wasn't the first time.

The sexually active 17-year-old Latina had stopped in at Silent Voices five or six times since 2004 to take a free pregnancy test. Over the years, said Sharon Pearce, the center's executive director, Angel revealed herself bit by bit. From her perfect French manicure to her designer handbag and jeans, it was clear that her family had money. When she wanted a certain kind of car for her 16th birthday, she told Pearce one day, it appeared in the family's garage, right on time.

Each time Angel took a pregnancy test, it came back negative. Until November. When she saw the double lines indicating she was carrying a child, she said, "I don't want to have a baby, so I shouldn't have to."

On her intake form, Angel had marked that if she was pregnant she would have an abortion.

Culturally, Angel cuts against the grain of traditional Hispanic thinking on abortion. For 19 years, Silent Voices has operated in Chula Vista, about five miles north of the Mexican border. Ninety percent of its clients are Latinas. The majority come from Catholic homes and attend churches whose official writings define abortion as a "grave moral disorder" on par with murder...

[wagglebee]

Didn't Big Murder assure us that they were going to end "back alley abortions" with coat hangers?

Thread by me.

New Report: Legal Abortions Not Stopping Dangerous Self-Induced Abortions

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- To hear abortion advocates tell the story, legalizing abortion is supposed to stop the incidence of women engaging in dangerous self-abortions that could endanger their lives. A new report published Sunday in the New York Times makes it clear self-abortions continue despite abortion's legality.

According to the report, women are resorting to the use of misoprostol, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating ulcers -- but not for abortions.

In fact the maker of the drug, also known as Cytotec, insists that it not be used on pregnant women or for abortions...

[wagglebee]

This story will warm your heart!

Thread by me.

Ironman Triathlete Michael Hennessey Races for Attention for Trisomy Children

Ironman triathlons--where athletes swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles--take strength, dedication, and sacrifice. But Michael Hennessey knows that these qualities are present every day in kids with the chromosomal disorders Trisomy 13 and 18, and he runs the triathlons in their honor.

"So many people think that these children are 'defective,'" Hennessey told NRL News. "But if you know one of these children you can see they are just love. They've inspired me to do more than talk about it, to make sacrifices and show my support."

Hennessey has already beaten the Guinness World Record mark for most Ironmans in one year, although his record is still unofficial. But in the 15 races he's finished since March 2008 his focus is on increasing awareness and knowledge about chromosomal disorders and the courageous families dealing with them...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[wagglebee]

An update on the attorney from this post, he is now number three at the Justice Department.

Thread by julieee.

Obama Makes Lawyer for Terri Schiavo's Husband Third-Ranking Justice Official

Washington, DC -- Barack Obama has named the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department. Thomas Perrelli, who won an award for representing Schiavo's former husband, had served on Obama's transition team...

[wagglebee]

Eluana Englaro Update

Thread by me.

Eluana Englaro Sentenced to Death without Medical Examination Charge Italian Activists

MILAN, January 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A petition has been presented to the Appeals Court of Milan to re-open the case of Eluana Englaro, the disabled young woman that the court agreed could be killed by dehydration.

Epidemiologist and writer Paul Gilusano and Dr. Piero Pirovano, a journalist and president of the group Solidarity, Freedom, Justice and Peace, have asked the court to revoke its decree. They are arguing that Eluana’s case was decided without any medical determination of her condition, but on the word of her father, Beppino Englaro, alone.

The Englaro case has been front-page news in Italy since the Court of Cassation in Rome, Italy’s highest appeals court, ruled in November that the decision by the Milan Appeals Court could be upheld.

Eluana Englaro, now 38, suffered a car accident in January 1992 and has since then been in a state of diminished consciousness. Her father has requested the right to end his daughter’s life and has pursued the case through the Italian courts.

Despite claims that Eluana is in a “persistent vegetative state,” her exact condition was not determined by a medical examination in court. Moreover, although the media has spoken of her father’s desire to “switch off her life support system,” Eluana is not on a respirator and requires only food and water and ordinary nursing care. 

Gilusano told journalist Bruno Volpe his reason for the intervention at the Milan Court: “The view of the father of Eluana has been upheld by the courts as gold standard. In short, this man ... told the magistrates, ‘My daughter is a plant,’ and they believed him on the floor, with no means of investigation.”

Gilusano admitted that it is possible the court will reject the application, but he said that even if it fails the effort is worthwhile.

“We want to send a message to the various nursing homes and regions,” he said. “‘Do not ever accept passively the death of Eluana, we must defend life and we are also prepared to sue anyone for murder, doctor, or even relative, guardian or as may be responsible the death of Eluana.’”

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

European Court Refuses to Intevene to Save Italian "Terri Schiavo"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08122302.html

Italian Government Must Act Fast to Define Food and Hydration as a Human Right to Save Eluana: Prominent Italian Lawyer
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112106.html

It is "Illegal" to Stop Food and Hydration of Vulnerable Patients: Top Italian Minister
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121703.html

[wagglebee]

How academia and media bias are used to sell infanticide.

Thread by rhema.

Selling abortion: Through academia, the press, and TV, pro-abortion forces peddled their cause

During the half-century from 1860 to 1910 in which America's rate of abortion declined sharply, The New York Times regularly reported on prominent physicians who did abortions. A story in 1884, "Two Physicians in Trouble," noted that two of the "best known physicians in Providence, R.I.," were on trial for abortion. A typical story in 1886, "DOCTOR INDICTED," detailed abortion charges against a highly regarded New Haven physician, Dr. Gallagher. A similar story about a well-connected doctor noted the abortion arrest of Philadelphia physician David Otway.

The Times often contrasted the power of abortionists with the powerlessness of unborn children and the vulnerability of their mothers. After the indictment of Newark physician Herman W. Gedicke in 1880, the Times noted that "the accused is wealthy and is a member of the board of Aldermen." Gedicke paid $2,000 to bribe the jury but ended up receiving a two-year sentence for criminal abortion in a verdict the judge called "a most signal triumph of the law over power and influence." Gedicke, though, later received a pardon...

[wagglebee]

Our Lord hears ALL prayers, especially those for the unborn.

Thread by GonzoII.

Commentary: The Truth about Life and Conversion of the Heart (Prayer Against the Culture of Death)

The “abortion rights” captain is a master of deception. He is the father of lies. He is the procurator of selfishness and fear.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - I’ve been trying to figure out the how and why of the “abortion rights” mindset, now the mindset of our President-elect, because frankly, I just don’t get it. I can’t comprehend how they (he) can defend the indefensible.

HOW can they rationalize and justify the act of abortion as a perfectly acceptable and reasonable “right”?

WHY are they so defiant in the face of medical evidence proving the presence of life in the womb from conception, and why are they so adamant, so militant in their demand to be allowed to murder that small life?

HOW can they continue to insist that it is not murder? If the fetus is human, and not a plant or a rock, then how else do you describe the intentional cessation of that fetus at the hands of another who is more powerful?

WHY do they think that terms like “reproductive choice” can disguise the reality that one person has willfully caused the death of another?

. . .