Posted on 03/21/2005 7:50:03 AM PST by Pendragon_6
Lets see, first Michael Schiavo beats and strangles his wife Terri, leaves her lying unconscious on the floor until her family arrives to get her to the hospital.
Then Michael Schiavo sues the hospital for $20 million because he needs the money to get his poor wife therapy.
Then Michael Schiavo pockets the money, denies his wife the care he said she needed and finally, claims she really wants to die.
Michael Schiavo killed his wife Terri's cat, melted down her wedding ring and then took up with his girlfriend and lives with her today with their children. Does this sound like a loving husband who really cares about his wife's wishes?
And what do we get on the tube every hour on the hour: “persistent vegetative state” as though any of the talking heads who ghoulishly proclaim Terri's life isn't worth that of a convicted serial killer sitting on death row (for 20 years, while due process goes on).
Michael Schiavo's supporters claim he loved his wife Terri enough to take a nursing degree so that he could take care of her. I think he got that nursing degree so he could inject her with insulin and hasten her death and his complete claim to all the money he won in litigation.
Just take a gander at the sworn testimony of an attending nurse: Carla Sauer Iyer (affidavit* below) but let me save you some time and report a quote of Michael Schiavo's after visiting his still living wife: "When is that bitch gonna die?"
Hmmm. Loving husband or man so afraid of not only not getting the money (what's left of the $20 million) but the prospect of facing a jury for his attempted murder, a charge which is possible as long as Terri lives. Sounds like motive to me.
Michael Schiavo says Terri said she never wanted to be kept alive on machines. Okay. Even if that was her statement (which there is absolutely no corroborating testimony and quite the unusual statement coming from a young, newly married woman still in her twenties and full of life); Terri is not being kept alive by machines!
Terri has a feeding tube from which she gets food and water. Had she had the care and therapy she was entitled to, there is every chance today Terri would be divorced from that louse and feeding herself just fine.
About that “loving husband” crapola: what husband do you know evinces his marital fidelity and love by living with another woman, having children with that woman and dumps his wife in a hospice while waiting for her to die? What loving husband kills his sick wife's pet? What loving husband denies his wife's family visitation?
I ask these questions because the media morons are still stuck with their new term: “persistent vegetative state” and are oblivious to the actual facts of this tragic case.
Continued
Well said, PigRigger. As a parent who lost a child to premature labor at 20 weeks, I can speak to their heartbreak. As the parent of a premature boy (born at 27 weeks gestational age), I can further speak to their plight. My first son, who died for lack of lung tissue, was a hopeless case. Only an absolute miracle could have saved him. My second son, was too small and weak to eat on his own, and had a feeding tube for 4 weeks. He wore a heart and respiration monitor for 6 months.
For anyone to tell me that these measures are "artificial", and therefore inappropriate (you didn't) makes my blood boil. For anyone to suggest that I should "just let him rest from this battle and go be with God" makes me want to vomit. To anyone saying his living or dying was my choice as his guardian, I would answer that I was unqualified to determine that. There really is no choice. One must choose life.
I would have given my own life to assure that he could live and I still would do it today. I realize there is a difference in the husband/wife and parent/child relationship. However, regardless of what he does now or what the future holds for him, he will always be my own flesh and blood and I will always try to do what I think is best for him, based on my moral upbringing and Christian belief.
I will agree with you both that bringing in the legislature is not the best solution, but as I have heard it said, "it's not the best option there is, it's just the best one we've got."
HMFIC - How can you expect a parent (like yourself) simply to give up when there is documented conflict as to the true nature of Terri's state. 20 or so doctors are on the record (www.theempirejournal.com and others) as stating that she IS NOT in PVS. Wouldn't you, if this were your child, want EVERY avenue exhausted before a life or death determination was made? Especially if you didn't feel like appropriate actions had been taken to this point?
I concede your point on the law being the law, and I understand your frustration about the emotions involved. However, when life and death are the subject, emotions are a part of the package. And if the situation was yours (and I'm glad for you that it's not), would you still sit on the side of absolutism and purity of the law? I do not intend this to come across as sniping; I simply wish to open a dialog to help me separate (if possible) the emotion from the facts. I look forward to your reply.
Bugger. What a wonderful word. One that gets used so infrequently, but is so appropriate when used well.
You spoke well.
Bugger. Yep. That's perfect.
"6. She is able to move, eat on her own, etc. "
Are you suggesting that as a justification for euthanasia?
AMEN!
Sorry, I disagree. Terri *effectively* died the moment she collapsed and never recovered. Who she was, her personality, her essense was lost. All that remains is the involuntary and noncognitive reflexes and movements of the body - this is why every single court-appointed observer of Terri have all agreed she is in a PVS.
What this means to me is it is perfectly acceptable for Michael to have sexual relations with other women despite the fact Terri's body is still alive and have it not be construed as adultery.
While the letter of the law prohibits him from remarrying while Terri's body is still alive; I don't have a moral problem with an alleged adultery.
After all, his vows were to Terri, not to her body.
Hey, if Christ wants her, he can come and take her. Until then, I cannot sanction the woman's systematic murder.
I had to let my son go too. It was sooo hard. I agree with you on this issue. Sorry for your loss.
Agreed. The prudent thing to do, if he was really a good guy,which he certainly is not,would have been to turn the care of Terri over to her parents. His fear of her possibly
"coming around" someday and fingering him as an attempted murderer has driven him to do what he's doing-not to mention the fact that his mistress,from what I have heard,made him choose-her or Terri.He truly is subhuman,to be doing what he's doing,and his "outrage" is sickening.
No, they're letting "nature take its course" just as it would if they didn't ARTIFICALLY feed her by having a tube inserted into her stomach.
Feeding tubes are a modern invention - never in human history do we find them used. Thus, they are artificial.
First of all it was one million not 20. Second, I understand he was offered millions of dollars to walk away and he refused. Doesnt sound like a money grubbing husband to me.
Not having examined her yourself Eddie,and not being a qualified physician, how dare you make such blatant negative statements regarding her current condition. I'm not sure what size shoe you wear Eddie, but I'd make sure your last pair is made of asbestos!
Thats one doctor's opinion. I understand there was a panel of doctors two picked by Mr. Schivo and two picked by her parents and one picked by the court. They all agreed that she was in a vegetative state no meaningful functions at all. God bless her parents, but they are living in a dream world if they think she will recover. I do understand that hope and denial. This whole mess is heart wrenching.
I'm not saying he is innocent. Since I wasn't there during the trial, I don't have access to all the "evidence". So the fact he was convicted, didn't shock me. What I didn't like was that he was give the death penalty. I don't like giving someone the death penalty where there is ZERO physical evidence that they actually commited the crime.
I'm not asking for the perfect CSI type evidence, but show me something, ANYTHING that even ties him to the murder before giving him the death penalty. You will never convince me that the death penalty is OK in that case.
"After all, his vows were to Terri, not to her body."
Boy, if this kind of moral compartmentalization is representative of the state that conservatism is in today, then we are no better than the euthanasia-loving liberals that we hold in such disdain.
Hard to believe.
"...her personality, her essense ..." (sic). These words are almost straight out of Peter Singer's book "Practical Ethics" where he uses these exact arguments to justify the euthanizing of unwanted infants up to 1-2 years, because their personhood is unformed, and less worthy than dogs and cats who can remember the past and have some concept of future and consequences.
You're on a very slippery ethical slope, Edward, and you're almost at the bottom.
He has a new wife and children.
As for Terri Schiavo's actual condition, I believe the position of her parents and the pro-life community rather than the MSM and their allies in the Democrat Party, the liberal elite, and a large portion of the medical community, which lies whenever their agenda may be advanced. That agenda is clear: legalized euthanasia at the whims of relatives or medical professionals.
No, according to all independent medical and court-appointed observers; she displays involuntary muscle and body reactions. IOW, this happens frequently, whether her mother comes into the room or not, whether she is facing her mother or not. The same goes with her waking up and moving or making noises or sounds. All noncognitive.
Why do you think all her family has done is show tiny snippets of videotapes? Because they allegedly show congitive ability. Haven't you ever wondered why all 11 court cases were won by Michael after the court-appointed observers spent time examining Terri DESPITE initially observing the video snippets from Terri's parents?
Because reality doesn't support the parents' claim of cognitive ability. Not even their lawyer's recent fantastic claim that Terri yelled she doesn't want to die - even Terri's own family was surprised at that one (according to them all she did was make noises).
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.