DCF Considers Removing Schiavo from Hospice by Force

Palm Beach Post ^ | 3.23.05 | Dara Kam

[gopwinsin04]

State officials say they are considering removing Terri Schiavo from hospice, by force if necessary, despite numerous court orders upholding the removal of the artificial nutrition tube that has kept her alive for 15 years.

Lucy Hadl, secretary of the Department of Children and Families, said Wednesday morning that her staff is relying on a state law that gives the department the authority to intervene on behalf of a vulnerable adult who is 'suffering from abuse or neglect that presents a risk of death or serious physical injury.'

Hadl said that the DCF would have to file a petition in order to remove Schiavo, but that 'it doesn't mean we'd have to have judicial approval in advance of taking the action if we believed it met the threshold for doing it.'

Hadl said that seven years of court rulings backing Schiavo's husband Michael, in his contention that Terri Schiavo did not wish to be kept alive artificially would not stop the DCF from taking action.

'We're not compelled to look at prior judicial proceedings,' Hadl said.

What we are compelled to look at is the presenting circumstances and any allegiations of abuse and neglect that we have recieved. So we have to deal with those and fufill out statutory responsibility.'

[middie]

The foolishness of that response is exceeded only by its absurdity. The hue and cry over the past weekend was to have a federal court review the legal sufficiency of the state several trial and appellate courts' decisions. The U.S. district court and the 11th Circuit court have now done exactly that. So now, the lawless, madding and insane crowd is bleating loudly to incite an unamerican resort to violence. Their result would thus be for the future that we will cease being a nation of laws and return to the riotious mob rule and overthrow of constitutional order in favor of rule by flexing of muscle by street criminals and who can control the police forces and others with guns. That makes us a retrograde mob ruled society like Nigeria and Ruwanda. Maybe that would be an interesting experiment in government. Nah, maybe not.

[NautiNurse]

Sometimes they will hold on until that last child gets a chance to say goodbye...Every nurse who reads this will back me up.

Thanks for your very perceptive post. Countless times, I have seen this occur as a professional. Never was it more clear to me than when my own father held on until I flew 14 hours home with urgent news he was hospitalized. Upon my arrival the following day,he was alert, oriented, and we talked at length until he asked me to leave so that he could get some sleep--and suggesting that I needed rest too. He never regained consciousness, and died a few days later.

[swordfish71]

Good Lord!

How old was that youngster? Those idiots put him in cuff??!!??

WTF!

[Wallace T.]

You have not defended your position against my rebuttal of your points. It is ironic that your screen name includes the Greek word logos, the root of the English word, logic.

The judicial review to which you refer did not, to my understanding, conduct another analysis of the findings of the original court of jurisdiction. All the higher levels of the Florida judiciary relied on the findings of Judge Greer. The conduct and fairness of this civil servant must be questioned, as he rejected or refused to admit into evidence information that contradicted Michael Schiavo's assertion that his wife was in a permanent vegetative state. Nor did he call into question Michael Schiavo's right to be the primary caretaker of his wife, in spite of abundant evidence, not admitted into Greer's court, that should have disqualified him.

If conservatism in the American sense means anything, it is to support the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness outlined in the Declaration of Independence. The right of Teresa Marie Schiavo to life is in imminent danger due to what appears to be an unjust decision by Judge Greer, rubber stamped by the Florida judiciary, of "hanging chad" infamy. Supporting the right to life is a foundational principle of American conservatism.

If standing for the right is arrogant, make the most of it.

[Jimmyclyde]

You still have not presented anything other than the liberal talking points. When confronted with contradictory evidence, all you can counter with is name calling. Most conservatives regard the liberal liars in the media with the same credibility as the Weekly World News. However, you appear to accept the liberal party line without question. Please note that this is a CONSERVATIVE Web site. I advise that you review the comments on the front page of FR for your edification.

I've been here since 2002 I know what kind of website it is.

With that said your Paranoia is getting to you my friend.

You do wear tin foil hats don't you?

[MHGinTN]

Considering that during her therapy period prior to the monetary award, she was improving with therapy, I'd say the abrupt and forceful halting of ANY therapy and forcing that to be carried out for the last decade constitutes grounds for dismissing MS as guardian. Sadly, he may have at least succeeded in making her more vegetative and likely now, dead. There are so many reasons for a true de novo hearing ... but alas, Terri must now be disposed of quickly, to prevent possible embarassment to the Democrats and their constituencies demanding that she be 'allowed to die'.

[supercat]

Do you have proof that can be proved in a court of law regarding this?

Much of the evidence that would be necessary to prove a criminal case against Michael is, unfortunately, presently under his control. Nonetheless, the fact that Michael apointed "doctors" who examined Terri less than an hour each before pronouncing her incurably vegetative would suggest that, at best, Michael is acting with craven disregard for whether Terri genuinely is incurably vegetative.

A diagnosis of PVS means nothing more nor less than that an examiner was unable to find any stimulus that would ever produce a demonstrably congnitive response. An examiner who doesn't look very hard for such a sign of cognition isn't apt to find one.

Why do you suppose Michael has restricted therapy and examinations for Terri, unless he wants to conceal the fact that her condition is (despite his efforts) better than he claims?

[Jimmyclyde]

If conservatism in the American sense means anything, it is to support the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness outlined in the Declaration of Independence. The right of Teresa Marie Schiavo to life is in imminent danger due to what appears to be an unjust decision by Judge Greer, rubber stamped by the Florida judiciary, of "hanging chad" infamy. Supporting the right to life is a foundational principle of American conservatism.

That's some life you're tying to save.

I'm sure if Terri had a clue as to what was going on she would be very thankful...

[budwiesest]

THey are giving her MORPHINE so that she doesn't feel the pain,

This I did not know. This 'they' who are giving her anything, might they also wonder what giving water or food might do as well?

If the deckhands on this ship of state can become so confused as to the condition and maintenance of their boarding passengers as to ignore the life of one, then are we not all at risk? With all that is at their disposal, and given our trust in their ability to steer away from 'bergs', might this one incident cause us to question our safety in their hands?

The sacrifice of Terrie is nothing short of an admission by the crew that our voyage will go unhindered by obstacles occasionally encountered by others, since we adhere to the latest in navigation methods. Well, we shall see.

I'm not big on sacrifices anyway.

[supercat]

I'm sure if Terri had a clue as to what was going on she would be very thankful...

I'm sure she would be thankful for the people trying to free her from HER HUSBAND. To the extent that Terri's life has been miserable, it has been a result not of her disabilty, but the man she was unfortunate enough to marry. It is abundantly clear that Michael has been trying to make Terri's life miserable. It would be craven indeed to suggest that such misery should be a basis for killing Terri when it is Michael himself that causes it.

[UCANSEE2]

I am glad to see you have a sense of humor. I am sure you are actually no such thing. But it is possible to be minimally aware, minimally informed. It took a while for me to get enough information to understand the complexities of this case, the lengths gone to by some to get this PRECEDENT SETTING case followed to it's conclusion.

We are constantly being assaulted with mis-information, and just trying to sort it out is one challenge, let alone trying to defend against it.

How much time have you spent investigating the overall information on the Terri Schiavo case?

[Wallace T.]

There is also the situation where the rule of law is a mask for totalitarianism and genocide. Please read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich or The Gulag Archipelago for additional information at your leisure.

Calling the assertion of executive or legislative authority over the wrongful, un-Constitutional usurpation of the judicial branch mob rule is foolish and absurd on your part. The responsibility to do the right thing belongs to Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature, not a street mob. Their action would not turn this nation into another Nigeria, but return us back to the original concept of tripartite government that the Founding Fathers advocated.

[Jimmyclyde]

How much time have you spent investigating the overall information on the Terri Schiavo case?

As much as I can there is a ton of information. I do know that if Terri had put in writing her wishes we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[Wallace T.]

Again with the name calling. How about a fact-based rebuttal for a change, instead of MSM talking points?

[UCANSEE2]

WHY WAS A FEEDING TUBE HOOKED UP TO HER for the past 15 YEARS??

For the convenience of the nurses, and because of insurance requirements, a lawsuit if Terri should ever choke on food or water. Same reason you are supposed to wear a seatbelt.

[Jimmyclyde]

Again with the name calling. How about a fact-based rebuttal for a change, instead of MSM talking points?

I asked you a question, I didn't name call.

Here I'll ask it again...

Do you wear tin foil on your head yes or no?

Come on Wallace be a sport..

[Wallace T.]

If she had a living will indicating that it was OK to terminate her life by dehydration ans starvation, I would agree with you, Michael Schiavo, and Judge Greer. But no such document exists, Michael Schiavo's testimony is compromised, and Judge Greer appears to have rejected evidence that contradicted that she is effectively brain dead. Please note that a neurologist hired by the Florida social service agency has stated that she has been misdiagnosed.

Absent clear evidence of Terri Schiavo's intent, it is best to err on the side of life. Until there is unanimous agreement among all medical practitioners that she is brain dead, a unanimity that does not exist, she should not be put to death by dehydration and starvation.

[Wallace T.]

Very clever repartee. </sarcasm> Have you stopped beating your wife?

[UCANSEE2]

As much as I can there is a ton of information.

True. Most of it is mis-information. It takes quite a while to sift through, find corroborating information. What you find true one day, you find out false the next, due to someone posting contrary proof.

NOTICE: You didn't answer my question. Maybe I asked incorrectly.

HOW LONG have you been following this case?

I do know that if Terri had put in writing her wishes we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Actually, you don't know that at all. That is just something you picked up from other conversations on this thread and others, and it is just part of the mis-information as well.

Consider this: Terri put in her will if she was in a coma, and hooked up to life support equipment, she would choose to be disconnected and allowed to die in peace.

Would you approve of her being starved and dehydrated to death over a 2 week period, suffering intense agony and pain (which, she will suffer, except for the MORPHINE they are giving her to HIDE the symptoms)?

Can't have Terri going into convulsions from her body consuming her internal organs as it tries to survive. That is what happens during starvation, did you know that?

So, would you agree to pull her gastronomy tube (the proper name for the feeding tube) in the condition she is in now? (BTW, she was in much better condition, after her accident, while she was still receiving proper care. Her 'care' was stopped right after Michael decided he didn't want her anymore, ten years ago.)

Since I don't expect you to just 'accept' my word, here:

[Jimmyclyde]

Wallace I've got to hit the sack.

I want to thank you for your comments, you bring up some interesting points that I will think about.

I was just messing with you about the tin foil thing.

Have a good night and I will talk to you later.