Husband in Right to Die Case Moves to Block Parents in New Trial

Tampa Bay Online ^ | Nov 3, 2003 | A P

[sweetliberty]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Attorneys for the husband seeking to carry out what he says is his wife's end-of-life wishes said in court papers Monday her parents shouldn't be allowed to enter the constitutional fight over the new law which is prolonging her life. Attorneys for Michael Schiavo, whose wife Terri is at the center of the massive legal battle over whether she lives or dies, responded to legal filings seeking a judge's permission to allow Bob and Mary Schindler to become parties in the challenge of the new law.

The law allowed Gov. Jeb Bush last month to order Terri Schiavo's feeding tube - which has kept her alive for more than a decade - be reinserted six days after her husband ordered it removed.

Michael Schiavo's attorneys said that while the Schindlers arguably had a stake in the legal battle on whether their daughter's wishes should be carried out, the legal challenge of what's been dubbed "Terri's Law" is between her husband and the governor's attorneys.

"The rights at stake in this litigation are uniquely those of Mrs. Schiavo and it is those rights that are directly affected by the challenged legislation and Governor's actions," said the legal response filed in Florida circuit Court. "The Schindlers' interest in continuing to pursue their belief that the prior litigation was wrongly decided simply does not meet the requisite legal standard for intervention."

Doctors and a judge have ruled that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. She suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped beating - cutting off oxygen to her brain - because of a chemical imbalance.

The conservative law firm founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson asked last week to be allowed to intervene in the case on behalf of Schindlers. Circuit Court Judge W. Douglas Baird would have to grant permission for the Schindlers to enter the lawsuit.

The couple have said their daughter had no end-of-life wishes and believe she could be rehabilitated. They also dispute that she is in a vegetative state and believe she has enough mental abilities to respond to them.

The American Center for Law & Justice said in its filing that it believes lawmakers and the governor were within their authority to intervene in the case. Her parents are seeking to be appointed their daughter's guardians and to exclude them from the case would "violate their constitutional rights to be heart," the law firm said in its filing.

[trussell]

Kinda funny that Terri doesn't seem to understand that she is suppose to be dead. She continues to breathe and maintain her own blood pressure.

Guess maybe someone ought to let her know that she shouldn't be doing that anymore!! /sarcasm!!

[yesnettv]

Have you considered seeing a therapist about your inability to experience reality?

[trussell]

Unfortunately, Florida doesn't recognize Common Law marriages.

[yesnettv]

Maybe Deep 6 needs electroshock therapy.

[MSCASEY]

I did not see that in the video! I only hear that from MS and his attorney who has stolen the rehab money from Terri's fund. That is why they won't allow any more videos to be taken of Terri!!!!

Don't believe everything you hear!!

MCD

[keri]

She is without a cerebral cortex

No, she isn't. Felos hasn't got that sort of control over the mother ship just quite yet. He can't take what's left of Terri's brain; it's just enough he takes her life.

That life support system was inserted as a temporary measure while testing was done to give a sound prognosis.

The PEG was inserted to keep Terri from starving to death. Period. Prognosis had nothing to do with it.

Terri's soul is locked inside a useless shell and keeping it there should be considered government ordered purgatory.

Everybody's soul is "locked" inside a useless shell. (It's called a body.) I'd guess that Terri Schiavo's soul is lot less locked in her useless shell than you are in yours.

[4Godsoloved..Hegave]

After watching my mother suffer with cancer, I am all in favor of Dr. Kavorkian.

:-(

Ya know....I had my Dad die suddenly at age 55 of a heart attack, he was dead on arrival to the hospital, a few minutes away. My, Mom died at 52, of cancer. 19 months of the "terminal" diagnosis.

What I have learned

...My Dad died an easy death, on the job, backing into a parking space and next second dead. He never considered that day would be his last. But...no good-byes, no sorry's, no thank-you's, no I love you for the last time. Many unanswered questions.

....My Mom died a harder death, she had to live with the knowledge that she was going to die soon. And everyone at work, in her neighborhood and family knew her days were limited. They all discussed her hair loss, her vomitting from the chemotherapy, her demise. But...she got the time to say her good-byes, her sorry's, her thank-you's and I love you for the very last time. As her daughter I had the honor of loving her through her most difficult days and to help bare her burden. What the last 24 hours of my mothers life yielded can never be measured. Every question thought of, answered.

We don't know or can we pick our final exit from this life. I see Terri's life hanging in the balance, and many of the "right to die" trying to exert control in an area that few of us have any control whatsoever.

However we go, may we go with the grace of God. For one thing is certain, today is the day of salvation.
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.

sunryse, killing someone in yours or their perceived time will never yield the full crop of their life, however devastating the circumstances are, God's timing is perfect! To actively participate in the ending of a humans life is never the answer. There are many hidden treasures amongst the thorny brush. Just because circumstances are downright tough doesn't mean we should avoid them.

[Coral Snake]

It's about time someone use the ABUSE BUTTON on these Michael Schiavo-George Felos wannabee TROLLS!!! Every time we think they might be rid of them these pains in the show up again!!!

[Concerned]

SWEETLIBERTY WROTE TO DEEP_6: "Thank you Doctor Death. Or is it doctor God? Or is it Michael? Either stop believing everything you hear on CNN and learn some of the facts of the case or at least show a little respect for those who have."

DEEP_6 RESPONDED TO SWEETLIBEDRTY: "Or the report from the court ordered independent physician that concurred with the two of four physicians that initially gave Terri a thorough examination? (The two dissenting physicians also concurred that Terri will more than likely never recover, but also gave some allowance of a possible chance of some type of recovery.)"

I AM RESPONDING: "There hasn't been a court ordered independent physician!!!!! They are all Michael's and Felos' choice of physicians!"

[Wampus SC]

"I definitely don't think its about the money, and hasn't been for some time. If you recall, Terri started to begin to talk when she first had some rehab. MS then cut off all her rehab! I think he just wants to make sure she does not get to talk.....ever! WHY?"

I'm sure his reasons aren't hard to figure out, but I think they're now being eclipsed by the so-called "right to die" movement using Terri to advance their goal.

Their goal, as I see it, is to replace the traditional view of the value of human life with their view.

The traditional view, for most in the US, is that a human life has inherent value given by God - created in his own image.

The "right to die" view is that the value of a human life is strictly utilitarian - like just another cow in the herd. Or maybe like another lump of coal from the mine. It is allowed to continue only as long it's considered "valuable" to those with the power to declare it valuable or not. Their term "quality of life" refers to arbitrary standards they use to decide the value of a life. Ultimately, the decision to make someone die will be made by some bureacrat or bean counter reading a book of regulations. They see no sanctity or inherent value of human life. None at all.

The "right to die" movement's goals are in total opposition to the traditional, God-centered view. I think evil forces would love to see the "right-to-die" people win, and am convinced they are inspiring some of its promoters.

I have no doubt that this is a spiritual battle.

"<"/rant">"

[Mo1]

said in court papers Monday her parents shouldn't be allowed to enter the constitutional fight over the new law which is prolonging her life.

On what grounds?

[Wampus SC]

"This trial won't be about Terri. It will be about the new law."

Yeah, there will be a case tried about the new law. Then, a decision about Terri will be made according to the decision. Whether Terri is allowed to live or forced to die depends on the outcome of the case. That's about as "about Terri" as you can get.

[sweetliberty]

Good queston. I'm sure they'll make something up.

[Mo1]

Just because someone is interested in the outcome of a case, doesn't entitle them to intervene in it. The courts simply cannot allow everyone who cares to intervene

Thank you for explaining about this

[Concerned]

DEEP_6 WROTE: "Terri's soul is locked inside a useless shell and keeping it there should be considered government ordered purgatory."

I AM RESPONDING: "Who died and made YOU GOD???"

I AM ADDING: "You know, I felt about the same way about PRE-BORN babies back in 1974. I was adament about someone telling a woman "what I could do with MY own body" and about a woman not being forced to keep "just a mass of tissue." I was about as PRO-DEATH as you could imagine---both for PRE-BORN babies and allegedly PVS/Coma patients---"they have no soul"---"they aren't worth keeping alive when their parts could be used for someone else."

I AM ADDING": "Then, in 1974, I had to do a simulated radio broadcast on a controversial topic for a college class---and I picked abortion because I thought it would be a "piece of cake." I knew all the PRO-ABORTION arguments---I wholeheartedly BELIEVED them! I thought I would put all those what I thought then were "religious nuts," to shame!!!"

I AM ADDING: "By having to HONESTLY INVESTIGATE the FACTS, I discovered the TRUTH and realized there IS LIFE "in there." When I had our now 19 year old daughter, who neither walks nor talks, who wears diapers and does not feed herself, and who has a very rare type of dwarfism, I realized that my child does not have to be perfect or perfectly formed for me to LOVE her immensely."

I AM ADDING: "Our daughter has been a BLESSING to us and I believe that God gave her to us---just the way she is---so that HE could use my ability to be a "Crusader for Causes"---and now a "Champion for the Disabled"---to Glorify HIM!"

[Coral Snake]

I pulled those Bible verses from a Windows Bible Program. I am currently setting up Dev C++ under Windows so that I can use GNU C/C++ as a cross platform programming environment rather than paying Borland $2000.00 for the privelege.

[Wampus SC]

"Once again:

"Terri's soul is locked inside a useless shell and keeping it there should be considered government ordered purgatory."

To repeat something untrue over and over again, hoping it'll be believed, is called "The Big Lie" technique of classic propaganda.

[sweetliberty]

"The rights at stake in this litigation are uniquely those of Mrs. Schiavo and it is those rights that are directly affected"

Indeed it is.....her RIGHT TO LIFE you sorry POS SOB!

[Wampus SC]

"Excellent! I think Deep_6 should spend the next thirty days surviving only on the food he can cultivate, raise, harvest and prepare himself. No artificial means like hybrid seeds or combines. No electric or gas ranges either, only campfires started without the artificial means provided by matches or lighter fluid."

Gotta watch out about letting him cultivate it. He'd need a hoe, or rake, or shovel. Those aren't natural. We must make sure he does this the 100% natural way. <"/sarcasm">

[Concerned]

DEEP_6 WROTE TO SWEETLIBERTY: "Terri is in a vegetated state and it is physically and mentally impossible for Terri to respond. She does not have that capability and she will never, ever have that capability."

I AM RESPONDING: "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT---and neither do Doctors!!!!!!!"

I AM ADDING: "What she NEEDS is the $750,000.00 of REHAB THERAPY SHE was awarded going toward HER REHAB THERAPY!!!!!

I AM ADDING: "I guess, it's not until you have a child born with severe mental and/or physical disabilities, or you personally experience a near fatal accident---or a severe war injury---and live through it---that you really appreciate how precious God's gift of life is."

I AM ADDING: "What YOU take for granted, I never will again! EVERY improvement my daughter makes is precious to me. Someday, maybe you will have a child, parent, or close friend who has a severe mental and/or physical disability, and you'll finally understand. Our disabled daughter is truly a GIFT from GOD!!!"

I AM ADDING: "BTW, after several years of trying to talk my husband into having other kids, and after FOUR miscarriages in THIRTEEN months, we now have a very smart little four year old. We don't love one any more---or less---than the other. And at my age of 48, they are BOTH PRECIOUS GIFTS from GOD!!!"