Terri Schiavo

31 Mar 05 -

(527 pm) Thank you, Mr. President:

I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others. The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life.

(1156 am) Danny over at JackLewis.net says "Today, I am ashamed I'm an American." Too right, brother. I am deeply ashamed that this horrific thing should happen in "the land of the free, and the home of the brave." Allowing Terri's death was a cowardly and dastardly act.

FrankJ, at IMAO, posts a simple statement: Matthew 25:42 "...for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink..." In context, the quote reads:

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'   

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25: 41-46, NKJV)

(1005 am) FoxNews is reporting that Terri has died.

30 Mar 05 - Ah, obviously not so final --- I pray that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals acts quickly and saves Terri's life.

(2:41pm) John Hawkins over at Right Wing News has a good round-up of the main questions of Terri's case. He is very careful to be balanced, and yet he still comes to the conclusion that

Combine those conflicting diagnoses with the fact that Terri Schiavo has never had a MRI or a PET and the fact that the error rate in diagnosing PVS has been reported to be as high as "43 percent," and it's clear that there is still more than a little room for doubt about her true condition.

(1045am) Joe Ford wrote a column for the Harvard Crimson about his encounters, as a disabled person, with discrimination. Speaking from personal experience, he writes:

The result of this disrespect is the devaluation of lives of people like Terri Schiavo. In the Schiavo case and others like it, non-disabled decision makers assert that the disabled person should die because he or she—ordinarily a person who had little or no experience with disability before acquiring one—“would not want to live like this.” In the Schiavo case, the family is forced to argue that Terri should be kept alive because she might “get better”—that is, might be able to regain or to communicate her cognitive processes. The mere assertion that disability (particularly cognitive disability, sometimes called “mental retardation”) is present seems to provide ample proof that death is desirable.

Essentially, then, we have arrived at the point where we starve people to death because he or she cannot communicate their experiences to us. What is this but sheer egotism? Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, this is obviously an attempt to play God.

27 Mar 05 -- ****A final note****

The Anchoress is a very, very wise woman. And I realize that all hope is not gone, but I must admit, it is terribly thin on the ground. My heart and prayers are with Terri and her family, and I pray that they are able to rest in God's peace as they live through this tragedy.

I will close this with the wise and compassionate words of the Anchoress:

Before S [her brother, who passed away in January], I would have said, "just let me go - no life support of any kind - "

Now, I am not so certain. Now, I think...why deprive my family of the opportunity to love? Why deprive myself of the chance to be loved and to love them back? I am too grateful for those extra weeks with S, that no one, not the doctors, not the nurses, not the chaplains believed we would have. Those weeks were so precious, and I learned so much - so very much - about love, and about how as long as love exists, as long as someone is being loved and trying to love back, no matter how feebly...you are in the midst of a Holy Mystery.

If God is love, and that love is alive - in life, no matter how compromised...then it seems to reason that if life is destroyed, or ended too soon, then it is a kind of eclipse of love, an eclipse of God. I look at Terri Schiavo and I see S. I see Christ. I see the brain-injured people I used to work with, and I see Christ. I see something "there." If I am wrong, I am wrong. But I might be right.

[...]

I cannot help it. From the bottom of my heart, with every ounce of sincerity I possess, I must proclaim it: Doctors are not always right. Judges are not always right. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of...When I sign my living will I will write in my own hand: if you are to err, err on the side of my life.

Amen.

25 Mar 05

(8:24 am) Polipundit's Lorie Byrd poses some excellent questions:

If Michael felt so strongly about Terri’s wishes to die rather than live in the state she is in, then why did he wait seven years to make those wishes known? Either he was betraying Terri’s wishes then, or he is doing so now.

Why was money awarded to Michael for Terri’s rehabilitation and therapy if she was diagnosed as being in a PVS? Did something happen to her between that time and now that caused her to become not worthy of therapy?

Lorie has a good long post with many more challenges to the "let Terri die" mindset.

24 Mar 05 -

And while I've been completely redesigning my kitchen, Sir George and Emperor Misha I weigh in on Terri's plight. Sir George says:

When all is said and done we have stood on principle; stood for life, stood for justice, redemption, second chances - chances for recovery and chances for miracles - those miracles which happen all too often and all too rarely with brain injuries. We may win or lose this case, but we stand to be judged by the side we chose; how we played this game and how we stood up to the grimmest of reapers, his prey only partially taken that long ago day. By such a measure we did not fight in vain, nor was Terri's fight in vain, whatever the final judgment; spurring or stalling a final outcome to which we all are finally and wisely subject. When you strip away the hysteria, histrionics, and hyperbole, we stood for the protection of life within the protections of the Constitution; we have said that a wife is not a man's to dispose of however he sees fit; we have said that parents' and sisters' love must be considered before we become complicit in letting their beloved slip into that great beyond. We have said nothing which we are not ashamed to say to man or G-d, and everyone can both see and judge us on that stance. {emphasis mine}

And Emperor Misha adds:

The more His Majesty follows this case and the more he witnesses members of the executive and legislative branch diddle around while Rome is burning (are we the only one to have thought that secretly the aforementioned are hoping that she'll croak before they'll actually have to stand up and be counted?), the more he reaches the following conclusion:

If Terri Schiavo was His Rottieness' daughter, he'd be breaking into that disgusting death factory in order to save his daughter's life personally. If they wanted to stop him, they'd have to kill him, but he sure as Hades wouldn't be going to the hereafter alone.

Amen and amen! For those of you who have commented below in favor of Terri's death, here is where I stand. I can do no other.

21 Mar 05 -

(8:17 am) Jackson's Junction has video up with Tom Delay's remarks about Terri's Bill in Congress. Be sure to watch the "update," in which DeLay blasts Michael Schiavo and Judge Greer!

(6:58 am) Thank God, thank God! Michelle Malkin brings news to me this morning that President Bush has signed Terri's Bill.

20 Mar 05 -

(10:28 am) James Pattericois all over the topic today, with posts about starving to death, misrepresentation in the LA Times, the mind of Michael Shiavo, and yet another distortion from the LA Times.

Also, Crystal has another great post up on the psychology of abuse, specifically applied to Michael. Excellent information and insight.

19 Mar 05 -

(7:15 am)Slublog refers us to an important article which discusses several aspects of Terri's case. It clearly and definitively refutes many of the arguments favoring Terri's murder, and gathers quite a lot of existing evidence against Michael.

The immediate cause of Terri’s brain damage was cardiac arrest, which caused her brain to be deprived of oxygen for more than five minutes. In January 1993, Michael Schiavo won a malpractice award of $1.6 million from the hospital that treated Terri. He was also personally awarded $600,000 for loss of consortium. In his testimony, Michael spoke of his love for his wife and his intentions to honor his wedding vows for the rest of his life and to use the award money for Terri’s care and rehabilitation. Indeed, Michael repeatedly assured Bob and Mary Schindler that he would seek rehabilitation therapy for Terri once he had obtained a settlement.

A month after Michael received the money, the Schindlers approached their son-in-law to remind him of his promise. This led to a heated argument, with Bob and Michael yelling in the hall outside Terri’s room. Michael stormed off and vowed that he was going to see his lawyer and that Bob and Mary would “never see [their] daughter again.”

A month after this incident, the Schindlers were informed that Michael had cut off their access to Terri’s medical information. As her husband, Michael was granted guardianship over Terri and had the legal authority to issue the order, which remains in place to this day. Terri’s doctors and nurses were not to discuss her medical condition with the Schindlers. Bob and Mary later learned that shortly after, Michael gave a “Do Not Resuscitate” order for Terri, even though she was in no danger of death.

Read the whole article: although it's long, it is well worth the time. (HT to Ace)

******BREAKING NEWS********(18Mar05)

(8:56 pm) I just noticed this. Oh, Lord, please forgive us! My prayers are with Terri, and I ask You to intervene to Your glory, and preserve Terri's life.

(6:27 pm) the Anchoress, as always, has words of encouragement (here and especially here). Read what she has to say:

I happen to believe that Terri will live...that this battle will be won. I just believe it. We're asking our Father for a loaf of bread. He will not give us a stone. And I believe it because to believe otherwise is profoundly negative, and Christ is not found in negatives.

A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. Get a mental image in your head of Mother Theresa, standing beside Terri's bed, daring anyone to harm her. That tough old broad would never in a million years go running off and crying in the face of a tough battle. Nor should you. HOLD FAST. God has earned your trust.

As Jesus says in John 14:27 (NKJV), "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

(5:52pm) Sorry to be offline all day (errands - yuk), but I've been listening to the progress of Terri's fight, and I am so disappointed with what's been happening. Terri has now been without her feeding tube for about three hours, and I pray that God will open wide a door to save her. Please keep praying, yes - but PLEASE DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND TRYING TO REVERSE THIS SITUATION!

LaShawn Barber is reporting that Drudge posts -

**Exclusive Fri Mar 18 2005 00:50:07 ET** The Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee, Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) has requested Terri Schiavo to testify before his congressional committee, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. In so doing it triggers legal or statutory protections for the witness, among those protections is that nothing can be done to cause harm or death to this individual.

17 Mar 05 - (Obviously, this will be a very busy day with updates)

(11:18 pm) Power Line weighs in with a post about Yale Professor David Gelernter's article from October, 2003, in WSJ Opinion Journal. This article was posted after Gov. Jeb Bush wrestled a stay of execution for Terri. For me, the money quote is the third paragraph:

And who dares say you have no right to commune with your gravely ill child? To comfort your child? To pray for your child? Who dares say you have no right to hope that she will recover no matter what the doctors say? Who dares say you have no right to comfort, commune with and pray for her even if you have given up hope? Yes, the woman is mortally ill. Who dares say that her life is therefore worthless, to be cut off at her husband's whim?

Amen. Amen.

(8:47 pm) Here is an odd, but interesting item from DFO at Huckleberries Online  posts (HT to Slantpoint):

Remember Bo Gritz (shown in 1992 file photo talking to reporters during Ruby Ridge standoff), the former Green Beret who helped talk Randy Weaver down from the mountain back when? Well, he's ba-a-a-ack. This time, he's trying to make a citizens arrest of Terry Schiavo's husband and the judge who might order her feeding tubes pulled.

(he also has a link to a story about Terri's finances - or lack thereof.)

(1:26 pm) Beth at MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has information from Carla Sauer Iyer, one of Terri's nurses in 1995-96. Lots of background details about Terri's responsiveness and Michael's callousness in refusing to permit rehabilitative therapy. Beth also includes Ms. Iyer's sworn affadavit from 2003.

John at Wuzzadem has a point by point refutation of some of the most common myths about Terri. He is an excellent writer (I'm mainy familiar with his humor posts), and uses his eloquence effectively. (HT to What Attitude Problem?)(11:11 am)

The Anchoress has an informative post about the fact that Michael refused to authorize either an MRI or a PET scan for Terri. She references this NRO article (which is fascinating: you must read the whole thing) by the Rev. Robert Johansen, which states:

Terri’s diagnosis was arrived at without the benefit of testing that most neurologists would consider standard for diagnosing PVS. One such test is MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). MRI is widely used today, even for ailments as simple as knee injuries — but Terri has never had one. Michael has repeatedly refused to consent to one. The neurologists I have spoken to have reacted with shock upon learning this fact. One such neurologist is Dr. Peter Morin. He is a researcher specializing in degenerative brain diseases, and has both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Boston University.

In the course of my conversation with Dr. Morin, he made reference to the standard use of MRI and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans to diagnose the extent of brain injuries. He seemed to assume that these had been done for Terri. I stopped him and told him that these tests have never been done for her; that Michael had refused them.

There was a moment of dead silence.

“That’s criminal,” he said, and then asked, in a tone of utter incredulity: “How can he continue as guardian? People are deliberating over this woman’s life and death and there’s been no MRI or PET?” He drew a reasonable conclusion: “These people [Michael Schiavo, George Felos, and Judge Greer] don’t want the information.” {emphasis mine}

Captain Ed also has this to add about the NRO article, and ends with

As I wrote earlier, when in doubt, we should err on the side of life rather than death. As Father Johansen points out, grave doubts exist about Terri's true condition. It seems almost perverse to insist on pulling out her feeding tube until the proper testing can be done, and if Schiavo won't allow it, the court should demand it. A few more weeks to determine the real diagnosis of Terri Schiavo won't hurt anyone, and might just save a life.

Hooray! Hooray! Take a look at this! "Christian Coalition of America commends the United States House of Representatives for unanimously passing "Terri's Law II" late Wednesday night which will effectively save the life of Terri Schiavo in Florida where she was scheduled to be starved to death on Friday." (posted 1024am)

See also this news item, which has a great quote:

Sensenbrenner called the bill a way to reinforce the legal protection for the most vulnerable, and he noted that it applies not just to Terri, but to anyone who might find themselves in Terri's situation.

"What Terri Schiavo and all disabled people deserve, in contested cases, is for justice to tilt toward life," {emphasis mine} Sensenbrenner said; and when a person's intention regarding life-support are unclear, it's all the more important to have a federal court provide a "double check for life," he added.

(Very, very, very early, I know: 0100 for me)

Stop the ACLU has a post supporting the ACLJ's (American Center for Law and Justice) petition to save Terri's life. (Thanks, Jay, for letting me know!)

Exultate Justi (fanTAStic name!) also has a very detailed post about what really happens when nourishment is withheld from a patient. He writes about

...a young woman named Kate Adamson, who, after suffering a devastating stroke, was diagnosed as being trapped in a Persistent Vegatative State (PVS) - just as Schiavo is said to be. Adamson suffered a bowel obstruction that necessitated surgery, and doctors stopped her nourishment in preparation for that surgery, believing her unable to feel any discomfort because of the PVS diagnosis. Miraculously, she recoevered, and this is Adamson's account (from The O'Reilly Factor):

O'REILLY: When they took the feeding tube out, what went through your mind?
ADAMSON: When the feeding tube was turned off for eight days, I thought I was going insane. I was screaming out in my mind, "Don't you know I need to eat?" And even up until that point, I had been having a bagful of Ensure as my nourishment that was going through the feeding tube. At that point, it sounded pretty good. I just wanted something. The fact that I had nothing, the hunger pains overrode every thought I had.

Shouldn't we give Terri the chance, especially when she has people who love her and desperately want to care for her?

16 Mar 05 -

Crystal Clear has an excellent, thought-provoking post about the psychology of abuse, and how it relates to Michael Schiavo's behavior. As one commentator put it, really good "forensic psychology." (also crossposted on the Wide Awakes, which is a superb group blog!)

Cao has a reminder up that the House votes on HB701 ("Terri's Bill") tomorrow.

Wizbang posts about Terri, and the comment section is particularly interesting. For instance, look at the entries by Gina (here, too) and Sue Bob. I like Wizbang: the writers are willing to be even handed and allow lively discussion on pretty much all of their posts. Whatever their opinion might be, they enjoy intelligent debate.

15 Mar 05 -

Dawn Eden has an interesting post about Michael Schiavo's mindset on the subject of euthanasia. Sick, sick, sick.

12 Mar 05 -

OK, sorry for the lack of updates on this - retirement, travelling, getting new house ready, yadda, yadda.

Fortunately, Cao is totally on top of things: she links out to the Incapacitated Persons Protection Act, which had bloody well better pass, from what I've read. However, will Terri still be alive to benefit from it? Cao also has a link to an article about 17 disability-rights organizations which have weighed in in support of Terri.

06 Mar 05 -

Don't let up on blogging about Terri in favor of protesting about the McCain-Feingold blog-gag. The Anchoress makes an excellent point:

...the blogs are getting caught up in worrying about McCain, and it may be at the cost of human life. We have time to fight that battle...Terri Schiavo does not have time to wait for us.

03 Mar 05 -

Now posted at Cao's blog, an excellent round up of petitions to save Terri.

As always, Blogs for Terri is on top of the current developments.

17 Feb 05 -

The Bandwagon has an index of all the blogs posting about Terri.

She Who Will Be Obeyed makes a simple point -

I am amazed that the same people who don't want the government 'in the bedroom' are willing to allow the government (judges) decide who lives or dies.

(HT to Common Sense Runs Wild)

In The Bullpen makes his views known (HT to Beth at MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy)

16 Feb 05 -

Dean Esmay has an interesting thread on Terri. His position is:

To be clear, I am not in the least bit comfortable with some of the ways the man has been demonized; however, if Terri Schiavo has family willing to care for her for the rest of her life, with no burden on Mr. Schiavo except that he go away and live his life as he pleases, I see no reason why the courts should order the feeding tube removed--nor do I see how anyone can categorize that as the state inappropriately interfering.

This seems more than sensible to me. However, several of his commenters state that they would not want to be in Terri's situation, so they would prefer to have the feeding tube removed. I don't think that's a persuasive argument to starve a woman to death at all.

Hyscience has links for several videos. I watched a couple, and while they don't show quite the level of interaction I expected, they clearly show that Terri is certainly not brain dead, and that she is responsive to her family.

The Anchoress weighs in, as well. And, after the recent trials she bore so gracefully, she is certainly a voice with some authority on the matter.

It seems to me this woman would understand that she was in fact, starving and thirsting to her death. And to me that seems unspeakably cruel.

14 Feb 05 -

• basil's initial post (13Feb05)
• Cranky hops onboard.
• Common Sense Runs Wild has this, this, and especially this. Janette also posts a calendar of events, and today's post, which is incredible!

If you don't know who she is, the basic story is that her husband claims she's in a perminant vegitative state (PVS) and wants Terri's feeding tube removed so that she can starve to death. Terri's parents, Mary and Robers Schindler, vigorously deny that Terri is unresponsive, and are fighting tooth and nail to keep their daughter alive.

Governor Jeb Bush has already tried to save Terri, however "Terri's Law" was struck down as unconstitutional.

I do not understand why the courts are so hostile. Admittedly, there is money involved, apparently due to settlements from malpractice suits. Terri's husband - former husband, I suppose I ought to say - does stand to benefit if she's killed. Terri's parents, however, want nothing more than to protect their daughter's life.

For more information, please visit the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundadtion and do what you can to help!

Human life is precious! Why would there even be a question in this case?

(Thanks for the reminder, Cao!)

(Updates will simply be added below)

Hyscience has quite a bit of information in it's own category. There's a link to documents from the public record, which show dubious - to be kind - motives behind all this.

Blogs participating to help save Terri: