Florida House passes tube-feeding law

Associated Press ^ | October 20, 2003 | By JACKIE HALLIFAX

[JohnHuang2]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)

[ordinaryguy]

Is anything happening on the video feed?

[ClintonBeGone]

What does the "15 days" part mean? Does this mean that this bill is a reprieve that expires in 15 days, that it only applies to cases the governor exercises in the next 15 days, or something else?

I think it means in a case like this where the victim meets the requirement of the law, the Gov has 15 days from the time the feeding tube is removed to order it replaced. If he's waited more than 15 days, he can no longer order it reinserted.

[ordinaryguy]

No, 15 days from the time the law is enacted.

[BSunday]

He looks like HE should be removed from feeding for awhile. Geez.

[HiTech RedNeck]

If non-PVS, the person would not be starved in the first place.

[MarMema]

No and ABC says this - "The Florida Senate scheduled a vote Tuesday on a House-passed bill to let Gov. Jeb Bush intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, one of the nation's longest and most bitter euthanasia cases."

LOL, they actually say the E word!

[ClintonBeGone]

Terri is certainly lucky this happened in Florida. Had it been Massachusetts or New York, she would already be fish food.

[MarMema]

Miami Herald

[ordinaryguy]

From http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=sb0012E.html&Directory=session/2003E/Senate/bills/billtext/html/

    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 12-E

    By Senator Webster





    41-639D-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the authority for the

  3         Governor to issue a one-time stay; authorizing

  4         the Governor to issue a one-time stay to

  5         prevent the withholding of nutrition and

  6         hydration under certain circumstances;

  7         providing for expiration of the stay;

  8         authorizing the Governor to lift the stay at

  9         any time; providing for revocation of the stay;

10         providing that a person is not civilly liable

11         and is not subject to regulatory or

12         disciplinary sanctions for taking an action in

13         compliance with any such stay; providing an

14         effective date.

15  

16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

17  

18         Section 1.  (1)  The Governor shall have the authority

19  to issue a one-time stay to prevent the withholding of

20  nutrition and hydration from a patient if, as of October 15,

21  2003:

22         (a)  That patient has no written advance directive;

23         (b)  The court has found that patient to be in a

24  persistent vegetative state;

25         (c)  That patient has had nutrition and hydration

26  withheld; and

27         (d)  A member of that patient's family has challenged

28  the withholding of nutrition and hydration.

29         (2)  The Governor's authority to issue the stay expires

30  15 days after the effective date of this act, and the

31  expiration of that authority does not impact the validity or

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 12-E
    41-639D-04




 1  the effect of any stay issued pursuant to this act. The

 2  Governor may lift the stay authorized under this act at any

 3  time. The Governor may revoke the stay upon a finding that a

 4  change in the condition of the patient warrants revocation. A

 5  person may not be held civilly liable and is not subject to

 6  regulatory or disciplinary sanctions for taking any action to

 7  comply with a stay issued by the Governor pursuant to this

 8  act.

 9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

10  law.

11  

12            *****************************************

13                          SENATE SUMMARY

14    Authorizes the Governor to issue a one-time stay to
      prevent the withholding of nutrition and hydration under
15    specified circumstances. Provides for the stay to expire
      15 days after the effective date of the act. Authorizes
16    the Governor to lift the stay at any time. Provides that
      a person is not civilly liable and is not subject to
17    regulatory or disciplinary sanctions for taking an action
      in compliance with any such stay.

[blastbaby]

"bitter euthanasia cases"

I would have thought that even the euthanasia advocates would have seen this case as a lose/lose situation. And not in any way helping their cause. Too many questions, unclear wishes from the patient etc.

[FITZ]

I still don't understand how he retains custody of his wife while begetting babies on another woman.

You would think the feminists would be livid ---- but as usual the hypocrits don't care in a euthanasia case that the cheating husband retains ownership of his wife.

[OXENinFLA]

It's discraceful what this state is doing, the liberals want PIGS treated better than people.

[jwalsh07]

"I don't believe that the Legislature has the authority to interfere," Felos said

BS. It's about damn time a legislature "interfered" with judicial quackery driven by whacky agendas.

A bid salute to the Flroida House, one could only hope that the US House would get the same shot of testosterone every so often.

And it could come at no better time. God bless Terri Schiavo.

Life over the culture of death is a no brainer.

[AmericanMade]

I called my father in Florida last night. He has two patients on hospice at the moment. (Home health care). He thought the woman was in a vegatative state and pretty much believed the media standpoint. I urged him to look at the video to make up his own mind. He said some of his patients in the past have lived 8 days without food or water. Many people think she is unconscious and has been for ten years and see no hope for her and have compassion for the husband because of the media spin.
With that said, I believe in Almighty God and the scrap of the robe from Mother Teresa should be enough to let us know miracles are already at work.

[HiTech RedNeck]

George Felos, attorney for Michael Schiavo, said he thinks the House legislation is unconstitutional. "I don't believe that the Legislature has the authority to interfere," Felos said.

Well, what do you want to bet Felos goes before Greer the second Bush orders the stay, and Greer issues an injunction against it in about 30 seconds with formal arguments scheduled to follow in, say, a couple weeks. The higher courts refuse once more to intervene. Terri continues to starve and is gone by the time the arguments actually take place, which Greer might even magnanimously grant the state now that his hands are washed of Terri.

[HiTech RedNeck]

and the scrap of the robe from Mother Teresa

How'd this happen, or do you mean she was sent/given a piece of MT's robe?

[ordinaryguy]

The Senate Rules Committee planned to take the bill up Tuesday morning, with the full Senate scheduling a vote by early evening.

[MarMema]

see above.

[Ferret Fawcet]

Praying for a miracle. btt

[wildandcrazyrussian]

Well if anyone knows Governor Bush or someone of his staff they could suggest having a photo-op where the Governor signs the bill (later today?) on the sidewalk right in front of the hospice (a massive complex from what I understand) with a group of state troopers (i.e. his own direct command) to be instructed to take charge of the security of Terri's room IMMEDIATELY.

The bill specifically authorizes no penalty for actions taken in accordance with the bill, so surely there could not be a lawsuit by the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast against the governor or law enforcement. Ironically, as I mentioned last week, if there were a marijuana plant growing on Terri's windowsill, there could already have been a SWAT team sent in to the room.

And once the paid armed guard are dismissed and replaced with real law enforcement, things can begin to happen. Then that pig of a lawyer can run around all he wants, but it would be harder to overturn a fait accompli.