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Terri Schiavo’s Brother Says the Press Is Still Lying About His Sister
cnsnews.com ^
| Friday, January 22, 2010
| Pete Winn
Posted on 01/24/2010 4:07:21 AM PST by GonzoII
Terri Schiavos Brother Says the Press Is Still Lying About His Sister
Friday, January 22, 2010
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor
(CNSNews.com) -- It’s been nearly five years since his sister, Terri Schindler Schiavo, was starved and dehydrated to death, and Bobby Schindler says the mainstream press is still “telling lies” about her.
"It’s still being misreported by the mainstream media,” Schindler told CNSNews.com Thursday. “There’s things that are being said that were simply not true."
“They refer to Terri as being brain dead,” Schindler said of news accounts. “I see that all the time, and it simply is not true. They say that she was on artificial life support, without explaining to people what artificial life support means. There’s this perception out there that Terri was on a machine – that people like Terri need machines to keep them alive. And it simply is not true."
Terri Schiavo became the center of a crisis that played out on the national stage beginning in 2003, when a Florida judge, Judge George Greer, ordered her feeding tube removed -- at the request of Michael Schiavo, Terri's husband.
Despite a two-year long effort by Bobby's parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, to save their profoundly disabled daughter, Terri Schiavo died of severe dehydration on March 31, 2005, almost 14 days after her feeding tube was finally removed.
Schindler said the autopsy report showed that his sister was physically in good shape at the time of her death -- and that the pathologist indicated she could have "quite easily lived a normal life-span." he said.
"Terri died because we took away her food and water – just like we would all die if our food and water was taken away. It took almost two weeks."
Still, the media continue to report that his sister, who was left profoundly disabled after a heart attack cut off oxygen to her brain, was brain-dead, that she was on artificial life support, that she was unresponsive and that she was blind.
"These are simply not factually correct," he told CNSNews.com. "It’s patently false.
“If Terri were alive today, she could be here to ‘March for Life’ with us,” Schindler said. “All she needed was a wheelchair, and we could have taken her anywhere. But there’s the perception out there that these people basically need to be bed-ridden, and they are unable to be taken anywhere. It’s just not true."
Many people still do not know that food and hydration are now defined, at least legally, as artificial life support, Schindler said.
“So when they refer to someone as being on artificial life support, (people) think that they are on machines – when the fact of the matter is that Terri could be taken anywhere," he added.
A former teacher, Schindler now speaks for the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, which was formed after her death to help families with disabled loved ones in similar situations.
"There seems to me to be a profound prejudice against people with disabilities that exists in our culture today," he said.
“If you go on YouTube, or go on MySpace, and put my sister’s name in there and see all the horribly offensive things that come up, and how she’s made fun of -- it frightens me, because of what exists in our culture today and how we view people like my sister and people with cognitive disabilities," Schindler said.
"I think we’re being taught to look at these people as burdens, as inconveniences, instead of what I believe they are – as gifts. They allow us to show our compassion, our love. I believe that they are blessings.
“And if you talk to families that are caring for people like my sister, they look at their loved one as a blessing – to be in this position of having to care for them – because they are completely vulnerable to us.”
On April 11, the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation is sponsoring a concert in Indianapolis to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Terri’s death. Country music superstars RandyTravis and Collin Raye are headlining the event All proceeds will go towards helping families.
For more information, you can visit the organization's
Web site.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: moralabsolutes; prolife; terrischiavo
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To: rexgrossmansonlyfan
Yes, I know. My Mom was so for very many years. Until her brain finally shut down each part of her body. Would I have taken her life? NO. Even when she finally clamped her jaws and refused to eat or swallow, I couldn’t do it. Not until the only thing left moving was her heart and lungs and she had pneumonia.
It’s a terrible decision to have to make for anybody.
81
posted on
01/24/2010 12:43:34 PM PST
by
RowdyFFC
(The opinion of a wise Welshtino woman...)
To: rexgrossmansonlyfan
Awww, don’t worry, I have two beautiful children and six healthy grandbabies that occupy all my time.
No problemo whatsoever.
82
posted on
01/24/2010 12:46:33 PM PST
by
RowdyFFC
(The opinion of a wise Welshtino woman...)
To: RowdyFFC
I agree Mickey should receive most of the blame. But not the only one. I recall wondering why was Jeb dragging his feet - and then his pathetic "Nothing I can do" claims. He could have saved her but chose not to do it.
I regret not having done more. But some of us naively believe she would be saved, that what was done to her would not be allowed in this country.
83
posted on
01/24/2010 1:24:53 PM PST
by
Dante3
To: RowdyFFC
Bob and Mary Schindler have two beautiful children. They had three, but your heroes murdered one of them. Do you think any of your children deserve to be treated as their youngest child was? Or is that just for other people?
84
posted on
01/24/2010 2:18:14 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: wagglebee
Not just the press, but others out of ignorance or because they have an agenda keep on spreading lies. The list of laws broken in Terri's case is long. Yet Jeb Bush failed to speak out and failed to save her. You could say Terri is his Mary Jo.
85
posted on
01/24/2010 2:22:16 PM PST
by
Dante3
To: rexgrossmansonlyfan
86
posted on
01/24/2010 2:28:52 PM PST
by
Dante3
To: rexgrossmansonlyfan
87
posted on
01/24/2010 2:31:44 PM PST
by
wagglebee
("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
To: Dante3
Sir, this was a terrible tragedy for this woman. What these guys keep leaving out is that they had the window of opportunity to appeal, they didn’t. And due process took it’s course. And yes, Jeb Bush did make an effort but due process took it’s course.
Again, if there’s to be blame, I blame the husband. But then who knows, I don’t and you don’t know whether he knew the wife’s wishes better than the family did.
Hopefully this was a terrible lesson and people will make sure they have a living will stating their wishes explicitly and not leaving the burden of such a decision up to somebody else to make, or have to fight.
Why is this being brought up again NOW? Somebody needing a distraction from the events of today?
88
posted on
01/24/2010 2:59:05 PM PST
by
RowdyFFC
(The opinion of a wise Welshtino woman...)
To: BykrBayb
You know not about me and my children. But NO, we’ve taken steps to cover ANY legal issues that we can think of to cover my children or grandchildren in the event something happens to the parents. Have YOU? Or is it easier just to sit back and blame somebody?
I didn’t take Terry Schaivo’s life, and neither did anybody else, except her husband.
You folks need to get over yourselves.
89
posted on
01/24/2010 3:03:25 PM PST
by
RowdyFFC
(The opinion of a wise Welshtino woman...)
To: RowdyFFC
How can you claim to know the facts when you don't even know anything about the much publicized appeal?
How can you claim due process took its course [sic] without recognizing the fact that the process that was due was more than just making a decision without respect to the evidence, and standing by that decision. Words mean things. "Due" has a meaning in the phrase "due process." Shuffling papers and doing anything you damn well please in violation of the law can be a process, but it's not due process.
It's true that we don't know, for an absolute fact, whether Michael knew the wifes wishes better than the family did, but we do know that he testified in court that he had to become a nurse in order to fulfill the promise she got from him, to take care of her for the rest of her life, which he expected would be several decades. His testimony was that he promised to care for her until she died of old age. He didn't say that he promised to cut that life short. He said he promised to take care of her for all of those many years. Do you think he lied about that?
What lesson are you claiming Terri lacked? That it was her fault she was murdered, because she didn't protect herself well enough? Because she didn't fill out the papers which might one day become popular, but which in her day were only filled out by people wanting something in complete violation of everything she held dear? Papers which no one who wanted what she wanted would have filled out? It's her own fault, because she caused Michael a burden by not taking legal steps to prevent him from murdering her? Terri was the one who did wrong by Michael, because she created a burden, and dumped that burden on him? I guess that explains why he called her a bitch, and lamented "When is that bitch going to die?"
This is not being brought up again NOW. You must have been under a rock for the past several years not to know that Terri has been in the news since before Michael announced his plan to kill her. She's been in the news ever since. This is nothing new. And it isn't going away. As long as you and your kind continue to push for expanded powers to murder people, you should expect vocal opposition.
![](http://i42.tinypic.com/35m0i80.jpg)
We will not be silent.
We are your bad conscience.
The White Rose will give you no rest.
~ Sophie Scholl
90
posted on
01/24/2010 3:51:09 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: RowdyFFC
You didn’t answer the question. Do you think any of your children deserve to be treated the way Bob and Mary Schindler’s youngest child was treated?
I don’t know what legal steps you think you’ve taken, but do you think it will be fair if the rules change later, and there is some requirement in the future which you can’t possibly know about now, and your child is killed because you didn’t meet that future requirement yesterday?
91
posted on
01/24/2010 4:00:27 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: RowdyFFC; BykrBayb; floriduh voter; Lesforlife; Dante3; Sun; Coleus; narses; EternalVigilance
92
posted on
01/24/2010 4:29:39 PM PST
by
wagglebee
("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
To: RowdyFFC; BykrBayb; floriduh voter; Lesforlife; Dante3; Sun; Coleus; narses; EternalVigilance
I dont and you dont know whether he knew the wifes wishes better than the family did. Then why did he wait until AFTER an award of over a million dollars before deciding this?
93
posted on
01/24/2010 4:36:16 PM PST
by
wagglebee
("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
To: wagglebee; RowdyFFC
The only documents I know of that weren’t filed correctly were the guardianship reports which Michael Schiavo was supposed to file, but never did.
94
posted on
01/24/2010 4:42:46 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: BykrBayb
I would be interested in seeing a copy of an INDICTMENT charging Terri with a capital crime and a SIGNED JURY VERDICT sentencing her to death because both of these are clearly required by the Fifth Amendment before someone can be executed.
95
posted on
01/24/2010 4:47:22 PM PST
by
wagglebee
("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
To: wagglebee; RowdyFFC
By the time he started claiming she wanted to be starved and dehydrated to death, he had already testified under oath to the contrary. When he was seeking money in a fraudulent lawsuit, he claimed that Terri had him promise that if anything like this disability ever happened to her, he would take care of her for the rest of her life, which he expected to be several more decades.
96
posted on
01/24/2010 4:48:19 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: wagglebee; RowdyFFC
You’re right. Those papers were never properly filed either. Terri’s family filed all the proper paperwork, but in the interest of “truth” we must lie and say they didn’t. Because RowdyFFC is only interested in the “truth.”
97
posted on
01/24/2010 4:51:21 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
To: BykrBayb
If they weren’t properly filed, who’s fault is THAT? Why weren’t they properly filed????????
98
posted on
01/24/2010 4:54:19 PM PST
by
RowdyFFC
(The opinion of a wise Welshtino woman...)
To: RowdyFFC; BykrBayb
Your homepage states that you were a bleeding heart liberal and nothing on this thread indicates otherwise.
Do you know what documents we are referring to?
Did you make a decision to kill a relative because comments you’ve made on this thread suggest that you did.
99
posted on
01/24/2010 4:57:33 PM PST
by
wagglebee
("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
To: RowdyFFC
Probably because there was no reasonable expectation of a conviction.
That, and nobody could agree on what crime to frame her for.
100
posted on
01/24/2010 4:58:52 PM PST
by
BykrBayb
(Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
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