Skip to comments.
New Guardian Urged for Terri Schiavo, More Evaluation of Her Condition Needed
LifeNews.com ^
| December 2, 2003
| Steven Ertelt
Posted on 12/02/2003 11:28:31 AM PST by nickcarraway
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- An independent guardian appointed for Terri Schiavo told Governor Jeb Bush Tuesday that she deserves a permanent guardian other than her estranged husband Michael. He also claimed Terri is in a permanent vegetative state, but added that she should be re-evaluated by experts.
Under Terri's Law passed by the state legislature, an independent guardian was authorized to provide Governor Bush with recommendations about Terri's situation.
On October 31, Chief Pinellas-Pasco Chief Judge David Demers appointed Dr. Jay Wolfson, a professor of health and law at Stetson University in Florida, as Terri's guardian ad litem, despite the suggestion of bias from Terri's family.
Wolfson submitted a lengthy thirty-page report to Bush on Tuesday.
According to a source familiar with the report, Wolfson describes Terri as being in a persistent vegetative state. However, numerous doctors say otherwise and videos made by Terri's parents show her responding to doctors and her family.
Dr. William Hammesfahr, a neurologist from Clearwater, where Terri was hospitalized, is a recognized national expert on PVS and is a Nobel prize nominee. He says Terri's eyes clearly fixate on her family and she tries to follow the simple commands her parents give her.
"She looks at you, she can follow commands," Hammesfahr said.
Wolfson says Terri should be granted a permanent guardian other than Michael Schiavo. Among other concerns, Terri's family says has denied her appropriate medical and rehabilitative care he was obligated to provide from a medical malpractice award he received.
Wolfson also said medical experts should be brought in to evaluate Terri's cognitive function and her rehabilitative abilities.
Following the passage of Terri's Law, Wolfson told WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida: "If this law stands the constitutional test of the courts, then it certainly implies the executive of our state has the prerogative of injecting the state into your life, or your family member's life."
Pat Anderson, the family's attorney, later told LifeNews.com that they met with Wolfson and were "very hopeful he can get his work done in the thirty days given to him."
Related web sites:
Terri's family - http://www.terrisfight.org
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: courts; florida; jebbush; prolife; righttolife; schiavo; schindler; terrischiavo; terrisfight
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100, 101-120, 121-140 ... 241-246 next last
To: daylate-dollarshort
Terri's guardian should be her parents, not Jay Wolfson. The husband has possible conflicts of interest. They had no children, next in line for guardianship should be her parents. The only reason they are not is because they are opposed to killing her.
To: Snykerz
Thanks for the post on Jason Childress. Evidently, there are many cases similar to Terri's out there.
To: Dante3
"Those who want Terri to die sure are afraid of being asked questions. As to why Judge Baird is blocking questions -- could there be payoffs or blackmail involved? It all leaves the impression of a desperate cover-up."I think something is mighty fishy about these hospice connections. If there is no money being made (by judges) through hospice or health care investments, which is clearly a conflict of interest, there might be at the very least, through their former positions on hospice boards, and associates serving on hospice boards, a pre-disposition to favor killing a disabled person when the law clearly states that it is better to err on the side of life.
Lack of clear evidence that Terri ever wished to die if she became disabled, and the retroactively applied law change making feeding tubes "artificial life support" add to the ICK factor in the rulings handed down from the Pinellas County Circus Court.
103
posted on
12/02/2003 6:04:31 PM PST
by
msmagoo
To: atruelady
this issue has been thoroughly investigated:
one of the Florida court of appeals opinions notes:
the Schindlers have not seriously contested the fact that Mrs. Schiavo's brain has suffered major, permanent damage. In the initial adversary proceeding, a board- certified neurologist who had reviewed a CAT scan of Mrs. Schiavo's brain and an EEG testified that most, if not all, of Mrs. Schiavo's cerebral cortex-the portion of her brain that allows for human cognition and memory-is either totally destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Her condition is legally a "terminal condition." § 765.101(17), Fla. Stat. (2000). Although it is conceivable that extraordinary treatment might improve some of the motor functions of her brain stem or cerebellum, the Schindlers have presented no medical evidence suggesting that any new treatment could restore to Mrs. Schiavo a level of function within the cerebral cortex that would allow her to understand her perceptions of sight and sound or to communicate or respond cognitively to those perceptions
in an earlier opinion the florida court of appeals noted:
On remand, this court anticipated but did not require that Dr. Webber, who had claimed in his affidavit that he might be able to restore Mrs. Schiavo's speech and some of her cognitive functioning, would testify for the parents and provide scientific support for his claim. However, Dr. Webber, who was so critical in this court's decision to remand the case, made no further appearance in these proceedings.
[23] Instead, the parents provided testimony from Dr. William Maxfield, a board-certified physician in radiology and nuclear medicine, and Dr. William Hammesfahr, a board-certified neurologist. Michael Schiavo, Mrs. Schiavo's husband and guardian, selected Dr. Ronald Cranford and Dr. Melvin Greer, both board-certified neurologists, to testify. The fifth physician, selected by the guardianship court when the parties could not agree, was Dr. Peter Bambakidis, a board-certified neurologist practicing in the Department of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a clinical professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University. His credentials fulfilled the requirements of our prior opinion.
[24] Through the assistance of Mrs. Schiavo's treating physician, Dr. Victor Gambone, the physicians obtained current medical information about Theresa Schiavo including high-quality brain scans. Each physician reviewed her medical records and personally conducted a neurological examination of Mrs. Schiavo. Lengthy videotapes of some of the medical examinations were created and introduced into evidence. Thus, the quality of the evidence presented to the guardianship court was very high, and each side had ample opportunity to present detailed medical evidence, all of which was subjected to thorough cross- examination. It is likely that no guardianship court has ever received as much high-quality medical evidence in such a proceeding.
How are people going to repair the wrong they have done to Terri by refusing to accept the facts and refusing to let her pass
To: linksduster; sweetliberty
Welcome to Free Republic!
linksduster - Since 2003-12-02
So, which banned KillTerri Troll are you remorphing as? Perhaps legerdemain? Deep_6?
105
posted on
12/02/2003 6:27:43 PM PST
by
FatherOfLiberty
(Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.)
To: linksduster
106
posted on
12/02/2003 6:29:13 PM PST
by
msmagoo
To: nickcarraway
bttt
107
posted on
12/02/2003 6:35:58 PM PST
by
tutstar
To: linksduster
Michael? Is that you?
108
posted on
12/02/2003 6:38:50 PM PST
by
MontanaBeth
(absolute power, corrupts absolutely)
To: linksduster
How are people going to repair the wrong they have done to Terri by refusing to accept the facts and refusing to let her passPriceless! The wrong they have done to Terri! LOL! Refusing to accept the facts! SMS! Refusing to let her pass! ROTFLMAO!
To: Ohioan from Florida
I hear the same creepy voice that said "they stole Terri from her deathbed", do you?
110
posted on
12/02/2003 6:56:46 PM PST
by
msmagoo
To: All
Felos was infuriated when Terri's feeding tube was replaced. He angrily denounced the move, saying bizarrely that Terri's
"deathbed experience was unlawfully stopped." Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, also appeared on NBC's Today show on Wednesday. He said Terri was "abducted from her deathbed" and that her personal rights and dignity are being trampled on.
111
posted on
12/02/2003 7:07:15 PM PST
by
msmagoo
To: msmagoo
Yes, the same creepy voice! Ugh!
To: linksduster; All
You are ridiculous. ANY evaluation of Terri was not done OF HER, only her medical records which were routinely sanitized by Schiavo and people helping him to present a distorted view of her true condition. EVERYONE WHO HAS TESTIFIED FOR HINO NEVER SAW TERRI HERSELF. THAT IS A DOCUMENTED FACT.
You lengthy posting doesn't mean jack.
To: msmagoo
Yes. He is a remorphed banned poster for sure.
To: MontanaBeth
I think it is Felos.
To: sweetliberty
Thanks for the ping and Thank God for watching out for Terri!
116
posted on
12/02/2003 7:39:28 PM PST
by
PeyersPatches
(I am intestinal fortitude)
To: Wheee The People
Boy, will that upset the "all Terri, all the time" crowd here at FR.
That was uncalled for. She doesn't deserve that flippant attitude and it was beneath you to type it.
117
posted on
12/02/2003 7:41:55 PM PST
by
PeyersPatches
(I am intestinal fortitude)
To: floriduh voter
ping. Wolfson wants Michael Schiavo OUT OF THE PROCESS...
We all want this but I just want to mention I have not heard this yet on any of the local news stations or read on the article on World Net Daily...Does someone have a hard copy where wOLFSON WROTE THIS ??
118
posted on
12/02/2003 7:54:12 PM PST
by
fiesti
To: msmagoo
Felos was infuriated when Terri's feeding tube was replaced. He angrily denounced the move, saying bizarrely that Terri's "deathbed experience was unlawfully stopped."
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, also appeared on NBC's Today show on Wednesday. He said Terri was "abducted from her deathbed" and that her personal rights and dignity are being trampled on.
Me thinks Felos is trying to interrupt her life process
119
posted on
12/02/2003 8:11:44 PM PST
by
fiesti
To: linksduster; Wheee The People
Hey FeeLouse and Michael - watch the kitty...
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100, 101-120, 121-140 ... 241-246 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson