Terri Schiavo's Family Continues Effort to Block Jack Kevorkian UF Speech

Life News ^ | 9/3/07 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Gainesville, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The family of Terri Schiavo is continuing its efforts to block a speech by Jack Kevorkian scheduled for the middle of next month. The speech would be the first for the former assisted suicide crusader following his release from prison for killing a disabled man and showing the death on national television.

Kevorkian would speak to students at the University of Florida on October 11 and receive $50,000 for the talk, as long as his parole officers approve the trip.

The family of Terri Schiavo has been leading an effort to stop the speech by gathering petitions from concerned citizens so Kevorkian doesn't get a platform in their home state.

They don't want the former pathologist telling students that people with disabilities should be killed, like their sister, rather than receiving appropriate medical treatment or rehabilitative care.

Bobby Schindler, Terri's brother, told LifeNews.com, "We have collected thousands of petitions (and they are still coming in) to deliver to the Office of the President of the University of Florida."

"We're demanding the University rescind its offer to pay $50,000 for Kevorkian to address the students," he added.

"Despite the ongoing message of death spreading through our society and those, like Jack Kevorkian, who attempt to justify killing the most vulnerable among us, we are committed to fight against this death-obsessed culture and spread Terri's legacy of life, hope and love," Schindler explained.

He said there is still time for pro-life people and others worried about Kevorkian's pro-assisted suicide message to sign a petition asking the University of Florida to cancel the speech.

The petition can be found at the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation web site.

ACTION: You can also contact the University of Florida President J. Bernard Machen at 352-392-1311 or president@ufl.edu.

[bjs1779]

Turn the computer off and go watch TV Land!

[Saundra Duffy]

Let him speak but protest the heck out of him on the streets.

[Dante3]

IIRC there was evidence that at least in one case the person wanted to change his/her mind but Dr. K did not allow it.

[Fishtalk]

Oh please. While I appreciate your desire to discuss this, it does no good to try and begin the discussion with a bad premise.

If one wants to end their life badly enough one can. Period.

Now it might take some guile for example, if one is terminal and cannot move or be ambulatory. This is not rocket science. But don’t paint “terminal” patients as unable to move about or fend for themselves. Why the hell is it almost impossible to kill yourself if your terminal? Are you assuming that a terminal person can’t walk about or get out of bed? I daresay that’s not often the case until perhaps the last hours or days.

People kill themselves in all manner of ways and again, I state firmly, if one wants it bad enough, it can be done.

also, if one is terminal and suffering, usually there’s SOMEBODY around who would I dunno, maybe get a gun, a packet of pills.....it’s not impossible and I’ll never buy that argument.

That being said, and you may disagree but I’ll not be cut off from my assertion that in order to make nice men like Doctor Kavorkian legal and not subject to the laws or murder and such, why you’d have to pass a law that euthanasia is perfectly legal. Why on earth any alleged conservative would espouse such a thing, especially knowing about what happened with the abortion mess, is beyond me.

Recall also that several of those nursing home operators who allegedly helped some of the trapped patients to an early death were ALL tried for murder.

You just don’t want that in a decent society and to feel this way is to invite the slippery slope of abortion.

But again, I certainly have no problem with a suffering human ending his or her life. Just don’t ask the government of MY country to make it legal because of your cowardice.

Oh, and this lovely Dr. K...keep defending the creep.

I can see the highways and byways now, filled with happening “Euthanasia parlors”, all occupied with union membered perverts who like to watch people die.

Open your eyeballs and maybe your mind. Think where this all could lead.

[bjs1779]

I can see the highways and byways now, filled with happening “Euthanasia parlors”, all occupied with union membered perverts who like to watch people die.

Do you mean like when Michael Schiavo ordered a pizza and him and his attorneys sat around and eat the pizza while watching Terri die of starvation?

[Dante3]

What ghouls.

[bjs1779]

What ghouls.

No one can blame me, it was in his book.

[Dante3]

And Michael has publicly lied and admitted to other outrageous acts that reveal him - by this own words - to be a sociopath.

[bjs1779]

And Michael has publicly lied and admitted to other outrageous acts that reveal him - by this own words - to be a sociopath.

I know. That is why everyone should read his book, Terri: The Truth. You just need a good barf bag.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I am against that.

I live in fla and will see what else I can find out.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Wrong move on their part...i am trying to get more info on this locally.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

What a depressing subject. Just went through this last year two times with close friends.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

correction: depression can be very very painful and can also increase the medical issues pain. this is not a simple thing to treat.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

i am winding down and will have rye bread with real butter and blackberryjam. i am feeling very alive.

Also the pupster <lola..has decided it is time for bed. She is the boss.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Your abusive post was insulting.

I have never defended Dr. K...quite the contrary. I also am not infavor of the govt or others deciding who shall live or die. As for the ‘nursing home oeprators” ...you sure don’t have your facts straight on any of that. The nursing home operators just left the patients and will be tried for murder/neglect. Maybe you are thinking about the physician who stayed with sick patients and treated them with pain meds, etc. and was TRIED FOR MURDER...But that’s where this will lead when we don’t discuss these end of life issues. No pain meds!

you just don’t have your facts straight.

[Fishtalk]

You know what? I’m perfectly serious. I did not mean for my post to be abusive. In fact, my post was not necessarily directed at you. I apologize. Seriously.

You are wrong about the nursing home. They are accused of administering medicine to end lives. This was during Hurricane Katrina, I covered it on my Blog. They were charged with murder although I think they’re not being found for murder. the government, of course, as to prove the case.

But no, I did mean to suggest you defended Dr. K. Again, I apologize.

Sheesh, abusive?

Hey, I was passionate about what I said, yes I was. But I’d argue “sbusive” is a stretch.

Tell you what. I’ve apologized. But I’ve also intelligently decided that you are not one with whom I care to discuss anything with any more.

How about that? I get my abusive self out of your face and I don’t have to go around on bended knee for childish little posters who can’t engage in a fair debate.

Fair enough? I’ll ignore your name on all posts from now on. You do the same with me. The world will be better off.

[Mr. Silverback]

People who are in pain because of terminal disease who want to end it might be depressed yes but the truth is they will die either way so why not give them a choice

First, it has already been pointed out on this thread that many of Kevorkian's victims were not terminal or in great pain, but simply disabled. In addition, I gave you a link to a transcript where Phyllis Diller described her desire to be killed by a doctor. She was not terminal and returned to loving life as soon as she received treatment for her depression and physical problems, and is still going strong at the age of 90. It's a lot easier to get people to respect--or even adopt--your position if you talk about the facts in the real world and not just the ones that are convenient for you.

Second, clinically depressed people are non compis mentis, so allowing them to make this decision is no more legal, moral and reasonable than letting a guy decide his fate while he's suffering from psychosis. Someone who says, "Who cares if someone is out of their mind, let them make a life and death decision" is not going to give out an opinion on rights and freedoms that's worth spit...so either you're as ignorant as I thought you were, or you're opinion isn't worth spit.

I hope if I am ever in a condition like that I can make my own decision to do whatever I wish and not have some bleeding heart tell me I cant.

Well I guess this will sound "bleeding heart" to you: When it's time, put a shotgun barrel in your mouth and pull the trigger. Keep your hands off the legal and medical systems that are supposed to protect the freedoms and health of myself and my descendants. You want to kill yourself, do it on your own dime instead of screwing with the rest of us.

[Mr. Silverback]

As a pro lifer, why do you feel it necessary to use the power of the state to stop assisted suicide?

Are you aware of the role depression plays in many assisted suicide decisions? Are you aware that a climically depressed patient is non compis mentis? Does respect for freedom and the rule of law include setting things up so that the mentally incompetent make momentous and irreversible decisions?

Take Phyllis Diller as an example. If assisted suicide were legal, she would have been Kevorked. Instead, she was treated for depression and is still happy and working at the age of 90. Would it have been better for her to be killed?

How did Dr. Kevorkian’s work harm you or society at large?

If people want to kill themselves they should kill themselves, and not screw around with the legal and medical systems that are supposed to preserve freedom and health for myself and my descendants.

Was it really necessary that he go to jail for helping people who wanted to die?

It was necessary for a guy who broke the law over a hundred times to do time, especially when the law involved killing his fellow human beings. You want assisted suicide, pass laws. Was it really necessary that he go to jail for helping people who wanted to die?

[Mr. Silverback]

Get ready to get flamed. I agree with you.

Well then, I'll tell you the same thing I told him:

When it's time, put a shotgun barrel in your mouth and pull the trigger. Keep your hands off the legal and medical systems that are supposed to protect the freedoms and health of myself and my descendants. You want to kill yourself, do it on your own dime instead of screwing with the rest of us.

[Mr. Silverback]

There’s nobody afraid of Kevorkian here, there are people who think paying a convicted murderer $50,000 in state funds to peddle his “I’m a wonderful guy” pap is a load of crap.