From James Taranto's Best of the Web (Wall St. Journal) Email today --
Till Death Do Them Part?
... Supporters of Michael Schiavo's effort to end his wife's life have asked how conservatives, who claim to believe in the sanctity of marriage, can fail to respect his husbandly authority. The most obvious answer is that a man's authority as a husband does not supersede his wife's rights as a human being--a principle we never thought we'd see liberals question.
According to news reports, Mr. Schiavo lives with a woman named Jodi Centonze, and they have two children together. Surely any court would consider this prima facie evidence of adultery. And this is no mere fling; a sympathetic 2003 profile in the Orlando Sentinel described Centonze as Mr. Schiavo's "fiancée." Mr. Schiavo, in other words, has virtually remarried. Short of outright bigamy, his relationship with Centonze is as thoroughgoing a violation of his marriage vows as it is possible to imagine. ...
If [Michael Schiavo] wishes to assert his marital authority to do his wife in, the least society can expect in return is that he refrain from making a mockery of his marital obligations. The grimmest irony in this tragic case is that those who want Terri Schiavo dead are resting their argument on the fiction that her marriage is still alive.
/ snip
... Patricia Heaton .. had much to say in support of Terri Schiavo's life, last week. The co-star of TV's Everybody Loves Raymond said on Friday, "By his actions Michael Schiavo has demonstrated that he should not be the one making the ultimate life-or-death decisions for a woman who, only in legal terms, remains his wife. His belief that this was Terri's wish counters the views of Terri's family, who, no doubt, know Terri well.
"Removal of a feeding tube will result in a slow starvation that is cruel and painful. Terri has parents whose unselfish desire is to simply love her, care for her and let her live. She is not in a comatose state and she is not suffering from terminal disease. Terri may no longer be perfect or complete, but she has a fundamental right to life. Her feeding tube must be re-inserted." Heaton joins actor and director Mel Gibson in voicing support for the life of Terri Schiavo."
Great article Gretchen! I hope you didn't buy into all Shep's ignorances today. ;-) pdp