FULL ZOGBY POLL re. Terri Schiavo Just Released.

ZOGBY ^ | April 6, 2005 | ZOGBY

[FairOpinion]

Released: April 06, 2005

80%: Non-Terminal Patients Should Not be Denied Food, Water; Three-to-One: Feeding Tube Should Stay in Place When Wishes Unknown; Americans Divided on Intervention by Elected Officials, Christian Defense Coalition / Zogby Poll of Likely Voters Reveals

A poll completed after the controversial death of Terri Schiavo finds that eight-in-ten (80%) likely voters say that a disabled person who is not terminally ill or in a coma, and not being kept alive by life support should not, in the absence of a written directive to the contrary, be denied food and water.  By a three-to-one (44% to 14%) margin, likely voters say that, when there is conflicting evidence on the wishes of a patient, elected officials should order that a feeding tube remain in place.  The survey, conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Christian Defense Coalition, was conducted March 30 to April 2, 2005 and has a margin of error of +/-3.2 percentage points.

The same poll also finds a majority (56%) agree that Schiavo’s husband Michael should have turned guardianship for the severely-disabled woman over to her parents based on his decision to have a long-term serious relationship with another woman.  By a two-to-one (44% to 24%) margin, with one-in-three (32%) undecided, the survey finds that an incapacitated person should be presumed to want to live in the absence of written instructions such as a “living will.” 

Do you agree or disagree…?	Agree	Disagree	Not sure
It is proper for the federal government to intervene when basic civil rights are being denied?	74	19	8
The representative branch of governments should intervene when the judicial branch appears to deny basic rights to minorities?	57	33	10
Michael Schiavo should turn guardianship of Terri over to her parents, considering he has had a girlfriend for 10 years and has two children with her?	56	35	9
The law should provide exceptions to the right of a spouse to act as the guardian for his or her incapacitated spouse?	46	39	15
It is proper for the federal government to intervene when disabled people are denied food and water by a state court judge’s order?	44	43	13
The representative branch of governments should intervene when the judicial branch appears to deny basic rights to the disabled?	42	48	10
Elected officials should intervene to protect a disabled person’s right to live if there is conflicting testimony concerning removing a feeding tube?	38	54	8
Hearsay be allowed as evidence in the case of determining if a feeding tube should be removed?	31	57	12

Likely voters in the survey are closely divided on a number of other issues, including whether it is proper for the federal government to intervene in a case similar to Schiavo’s.  When asked if it is proper for federal officials to intervene when disabled people are denied food and water by a state court judge, respondents were deadlocked, with 44% favoring such intervention, and 43% opposed.

The survey did find overwhelming consensus, however, when the question turned to government intervention in cases where basic civil rights were being denied.  Three-quarters (74%) of likely voters say that it is proper for the federal government to intervene in such a case; just one-in-five (19%) disagree.

Zogby International conducted interviews of 1019 likely voters nationwide on behalf of the Christian Defense Coalition.  All calls were made from Zogby International headquarters in Utica, N.Y., March 30 through April 2, 2005.  The margin of error is +/-3.2 percentage points. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, and gender to more accurately reflect the voting population. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.  

(4/6/2005)
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[windchime]

Bump!

[Future Useless Eater]

Incredible... These are EXACTLY the same question except for ONE word. So then are MINORITIES a special protected class? And 15% of the people would come to the RESCUE of a minority but would NOT come to rescue a disabled person in the same boat! The baby boomers are in for a HUGE shock soon.
	Agree	Disagree	Not Sure
The representative branch of governments should intervene when the judicial branch appears to deny basic rights to minorities?	57	33	10
The representative branch of governments should intervene when the judicial branch appears to deny basic rights to the disabled?	42	48	10

....and 30% say that "food and water" for disabled people is NOT a basic civil right! unbelievable!
	Agree	Disagree	Not Sure
It is proper for the federal government to intervene when basic civil rights are being denied?	74	19	8
It is proper for the federal government to intervene when disabled people are denied food and water by a state court judge’s order?	44	43	13

[Dante3]

I like that quote.

I find not only the behavior of Judge Greer, Michael Schiavo, and Felos as barbaric and sadistic, but I am also outraged at our elected official, such as the Bush brothers, who all could have helped save Terri but would not and allowed the judicial system absolute power to even torture an innocent person.

This case sounds like something done under Saddam or some Banana Republic. As Martin Katz stated, this country didn't even "to permit a mother, deluded or not, to put water onto the lips of her dying child, brain dead or not."

[neutrality]

Most of these questions are fine, but many of them don't refer to this specific case. He should've also asked some hypothetical questions regarding treatment of PVS patients.

[syriacus]

I had thought that the MSM could not sink to any lower depths. Then they misled and they lied and they distorted all to insure that a helpless invalid was tortured to death. I have no words for the kind of thought process that could convince these people that they are anything but barbaric and despicable animals.

Very well stated.

[Saundra Duffy]

Small bump for Terri - giant leap for mankind.

[MizSterious]

Thanks for posting the whole thing as you did. Yes, the way the question was asked seemed to produce different results. The MSM did their best to portray her as being on every kind of life support machine there is, plus "brain dead." Neither seems to be true. One of my neighbors honestly thought she was dead, but being artificially kept alive for all these years!

Now people are finding out that "being on life support" can mean eating food and drinking beverages.

[MizSterious]

"...except in Florida now that a judge has decided to create a legal precedent..."

I didn't post a complete quote, but this portion of what you wrote should give us all pause. Much of what passes for "rule of law" in this country is based not on legislation and statute, but on legal precedent. This entire ruling needs to be overturned, lest it is cited in future euthanasia/murder-of-the-disabled cases as "precedent."

[Lesforlife]

AGREED!

Still looks like the disabled are in a world of hurt!

[maine-iac7]

O'Reilly has shown his true colors. When he comes on the tv or radio, I can not get to the knob to switch his 'spin' off fast enough.

LOL

Me too...I only heard it last night because I was in my office here when I heard the word "Terri" - and went in to watch. I have since, composed many rebuffs to O'Reilly in my head to email both him and FOX. But to what gain? He cannot be as ignorant of the facts as he would appear.

I get the same reaction to him as I got to Rather about 6 years ago. "Run, Switch - before his voice contaminates the air in my house!"

[tutstar]

"The guardian has no discretion," said Felos. "It is not the guardian's decision to do this. It must be done because it is the order of this court."

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2005/3/17/74856.html

When all of us decided we were going to vote no, it wasn't to be disruptive. It wasn't even to be collegial , said Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, the author of the state's death with dignity law. We did so because in our heart of hearts we thought it was the right thing to do for Terri and it was certainly the right thing for people who are like Terri."

http://saintpetersburgtimes.com/2005/03/22/State/Without_a_ruling__the.shtml

[FairOpinion]

"hypothetical questions regarding treatment of PVS patients."


of ALLEGED PVS patients, including informing people that 35-43% of the time PVS is MISdiagnosed.

[FairOpinion]

Terri did NOT leave "clear directions", far from it.

I think everyone agrees, that if people left specific directions in writing their wishes should be honored.

The point here was that there was no such thing in Terri's case, it was he husband's word, claiming to remember seven years later, --- after he collected millions to keep Terri alive for the next 50 years, --- some off-hand comments that Terri may or may not have made. Terri's family and friends testifying to the opposite.

AND Terri's family wanted to take care of her and Terri was responding and smiling at them -- doesn't sound like someone eager to die, does it.

[FairOpinion]

"it was certainly the right thing for people who are like Terri."


Scary, isn't it? Let's kill all those who are in PVS, who have any mental disease, empty the asylums by starving and dehydrating all the inmates, let's starve Down syndrome kids to death, those whose memory starts to fail and are starting to get Alzheimers, or other diseases, then how about the paraplegics, how about those with cancer, and so on.

That is where this slope is going.

Only those physically fit and mentally perfect -- AS DEFINED BY SOME JUDGE -- will be allowed food and water.

And of course, if any of them get sick or get into and accident and become less than perfect, off to the hospice with them to be starved and dehydrated to death.

[Awestruck]

"to permit a mother, deluded or not, to put water onto the lips of her dying child, brain dead or not."

and that's the bottom line that the deathies will NEVER understand...

[kenth]

What disgusts me most about those who say, "she's better off dead" or "I wouldn't want to live like that" is that these people think they're being merciful, when in fact, they are merely dehumanizing another human being. It's easier to say "kill them" if one doesn't view another as equal, as human.

Nobody wants to live with disabilities, but we take what we can get. Being disabled doesn't make a person any less human than another, especially in God's eyes.

Another ridiculous argument by those who wanted Terri dead is the "death with dignity" argument. They claimed that Terri was brain dead and that she was nothing but an empty shell. How can anyone argue about a person's dignity when they don't believe there is any person there? The truth appears to be that they don't see a disabled person as useful, and thus should be put to death. That's the real basis behind all those statements, Terri wasn't useful to some people and not worthy of life to them.

[kenth]

I still don't have faith in my fellow man. Look at the more specific question farther down, regarding the basic rights of the disabled. More thought it okay for the courts to deny them rights. The first question merely asked about basic rights, not necessarily those of the disabled.

[Central Scrutiniser]

So, this week Zogby is a respected pollster because we agree with the results?

Whatever

[TheDon]

I think everyone agrees, that if people left specific directions in writing their wishes should be honored.

I don't agree. And, I'm curious as to what percentage of people do agree. I think of it as a measure of how far down the culture of death slope we've slid. Of course, after you accept abortion, this should be a piece of cake.

[MizSterious]

And how long, I wonder, before it's "the right thing" for someone who's aging, or someone who's otherwise inconvenient for their "guardian"?

Scarey stuff coming out of Florida...