Schiavo Autopsy Finds No Sign of Trauma

Washingtonpost.com ^ | June 13, 2005 | MITCH STACY

[blogblogginaway]

LARGO, Fla. -- An autopsy on Terri Schiavo backed her husband's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. It also found no evidence that she was strangled or otherwise abused.

But what caused her collapse 15 years remained a mystery. The autopsy and post-mortem investigation found no proof that she had an eating disorder, as was suspected at the time, Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin said.

Autopsy results on the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman were made public Wednesday, more than two months after Schiavo's death March 31 ended an internationally watched right-to-die battle between her husband and parents that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House and divided the country.

Thogmartin also said she did not appear to have suffered a heart attack and there was no evidence that she was given harmful drugs or other substances prior to her death.

She died from dehydration, Thogmartin said.

He said she would not have been able to eat or drink if she had been given food by mouth as her parents' requested.

"Removal of her feeding tube would have resulted in her death whether she was fed or hydrated by mouth or not," Thogmartin told reporters.

He also said she was blind, because the "vision centers of her brain were dead."

[RGSpincich]

Does this seem consistent with the video of Terri following objects with her eyes? I'm not doctor but I gotta wonder.

No but it is consistant with waving an object to correspond with known movements of a blind woman. Think Stevie Wonder and how he would move his head from side to side and how simple it would have been to produce a 6 second video of him "following" the path of a balloon.

[k2blader]

I see the pro-death types are having a field day with this, as expected.

[bvw]

And they did. By Greer's own order, he is the prime actor in the murder.

[Finger Monkey]

Eergh.

Here they come again . . .

[agrace]

What I don't get is how an ME can tell from the autopsy that she couldn't swallow. Seems a bit reaching to me.

[BloomNTn]

These results don't change anything. She was clearly severely handicapped, but the autopsy results still don't justify killing her. She wasn't dying. There are many people on feeding tubes in this country. Should we now pull them all and let them all die because they can't eat normally?

[Dawgreg]

Big Time!

[mlc9852]

And you don't think, under the circumstances, Judge Greer should have removed Michael as Terri's guardian? If the "law" were followed, Judge Greer would have removed him after it become evident he was not looking out for Terri's best interests because he had a woman he lived with as married with kids. I believe most other judges would have removed him at that point. That has always been my biggest problem with this whole travesty.

But, I ask again, are you advocating euthanasia?

[ljswisc]

Quote: any signs of violence would have healed in the decade and a half that transpired since her initial coma. My Dad had a heart attack 20 years ago and never new it. The doctor that did his test said he had one based upon the dead tissue and said it was at least 20 years ago.

Yes but they are saying there was no sign of a heart attack at all! So what did cut off the oxygen to her brain? They've always said her heart stopped.. but isn't THAT a heart attack?

Seems like they are telling us what didn't happen but giving no information on what did.

[Gerish]

I respectfully disagree that all laws were followed in this case. However, I agree that there was an innocent person in this case, Terri Schiavo. Yes, she did do the unthinkable, she became disabled and a burden to an adulterous lying husband. Her punishment was starvation given to her by Judge Greer.

We should all sit back and consider the dangerous outcome of this terrible tragedy. This situation set the tone for someone besides yourself to decide the time and manner of your death - all too often presenting the human and psychological aspects in a manner contrary to the teachings of God.

[Hildy]

The time and manner of Terri's death was the day she had the heart attack.

[My2Cents]

Say what? I respond to a guy who thinks it's OK to prematurely send a disabled person to "a better place," and you call MY comment "an insult"?!

[Hildy]

Yup.

[My2Cents]

Some would think her death was easier than her life.

"Some," meaning YOU. And who the hell are you to decide such a thing?

[Finger Monkey]

Me thinks thou has thy tongue firmly planted in thy cheek . . .

[My2Cents]

You're evil.

[Hildy]

You're ugly.

[monday]

"any signs of violence would have healed in the decade and a half that transpired since her initial coma."

Actually they would still be visible to an experienced pathologist.

[Finger Monkey]

pro-death types

Grow up.