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:
Thanks, R'kat--the more bloggers we can get involved, the better. Don't forget, Richard at Hyscience has organized a group of bloggers to help in this!!! Email Hyscience to Join the blogroll!
Posted by: Cao | February 13, 2005 at 10:01 AM
Thanks for posting on this! Time and volume is so important right now because they might remove her feeding tube on Feb. 22, all because of some legal bullshit without taking everything into account. That SOB "husband" of hers should be prosecuted, not given rights to HER life!
Posted by: Beth | February 13, 2005 at 04:23 PM
Like I said - "Life is precious!"
Her parents are willing to take up her care, so even if Terri is a "vegetable," she has caring people who will handle the situation.
The determined effort of her "husband" - and is he really her husband - to kill her is deeply disturbing to me....
Posted by: Romeocat | February 13, 2005 at 06:09 PM
The link in the homepage url is to an idea that is novel and I believe worth a shot.
Let's offer to put our cards on the table.
--Paul
Posted by: Paul Deignan | February 18, 2005 at 04:12 PM
Is it "demonizing Michael" to state that, after he claimed CNN cameras would "violate Terri's privacy", he openly told Larry King and a national TV audience about Terri's gynecological exam in rather indelicate terms? Or to say that Michael has openly promised to marry the woman by whom he has admitted to fathering illegitimate children?
Maybe the reason the "attacks" on Michael seem so one-sided is that many of them come from Michael's own mouth.
Posted by: supercat | February 20, 2005 at 07:19 PM
I've got a petition up on my site for her.
http://www.stoptheaclu.blogspot.com
Posted by: Jay | March 16, 2005 at 09:14 PM
You know...whenever I see these rolls of "blogs participating"...I never see my blog, and I DID go over to Hyscience and sign up. I musta done it wrong! Oh, well.
Posted by: The Anchoress | March 17, 2005 at 11:42 AM
R'cat,
Thanks for linking, and thanks for this excellent post.
Posted by: John from WuzzaDem | March 17, 2005 at 12:14 PM
John, my friend, you are too kind!
The excellent writing belongs to others: I just set up a link round-up (and haven't been as diligent as I ought).
Nevertheless (trying to remember my manners), thanks for the compliment, and please keep up your wonderful writing!
Best,
R'cat
Posted by: Romeocat | March 17, 2005 at 12:18 PM
Undoubtedly you've all heard by now. The judge in Florida has reordered the removal of Terri's feeding tube. The tube has been removed already. It truly is a sad day.
Posted by: Robert | March 18, 2005 at 04:29 PM
Do any of you know her or her family? And if you do I mean before, the fight to save Terri. If not then who the hell are you to say that her husband is a liar and that she didn't want to live this way. Where is the outrage over the Death Penelty that is a ending of life prematurly. Before you say it. Does not matter that they killed someone. Jesus said turn the other cheek. If taking Life is wrong than it is WRONG all the time not just when it is good for you.
Posted by: don't matter | March 18, 2005 at 06:16 PM
"Don't Matter"- yes, it does.
I personally haven't called Michael a liar that I can think of. Yes, I have linked to articles which picture him as somewhat less than perfect (to be kind), and yes, I think he is suspect.
We only have his word that she would want to die in this situation, and too many of his actions (see various links, above), belie his concern for her welfare.
Absent a clear legal document of her desire for death in this situation, it is far preferable to err on the side of caution - and life. Her family is willing and eager to care for her. Michael could be granted a divorce in a heartbeat, marry his girlfriend, and walk away free and clear.
What's the problem? Wouldn't you, without anyone knowing your wishes, prefer to be given the benefit of the doubt?
I certainly hope that you have your Living Will drawn up and legally documented....
Posted by: Romeocat | March 18, 2005 at 07:09 PM
Oh, and as far as Jesus saying turn the other cheek, yes, He did. However, He did not say to turn someone else's cheek for them.
And, we are fighting for an innocent life, not letting a wrong done to us be passed over. Your biblical application is abysmal.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 18, 2005 at 07:14 PM
I don't get it? She got this way because of an eating disorder, why do you insist on trying to force feed her?
Posted by: The Bastard | March 18, 2005 at 07:39 PM
Ah. I see. And so, anyone who deals with anorexia and/or bulemia should just be left alone to starve themselves to death because they have a mental disorder?
Remind me never to let you psychoanalyse me.
Plus, there are many more events and circumstances which are factors in this situation. Bastard (! What a choice of pen name!), I've provided lots of links above. Go do some research.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 18, 2005 at 08:19 PM
Making the rounds eh Bastard? Once again for you and everyone that rides the short bus. Her condition was brought on by an allergic reaction to a food which triggered a chemical imbalance and lead to a heart attack which cause damage to her brain when it was deprived of oxygen. Get a freaking clue; this is simply a life or death issue. How about you starve to death and tell us how it feels?
Posted by: The Mad Tech | March 18, 2005 at 08:30 PM
Comments like those from TheB, especially when blast-posted at multiple sites, serve no value but to water down a discussion. (Disclaimer - I did respond to two of his(?) posts, in duplicate ... like begets like, no?)
Furthermore - iIn this case, we are talking about the life of an innocent women ... in a terrible situation ... brought about by questionable circumstances ... that we are about to watch undergo something that we woldn't let terrorists or dogs experience.
And we collectively will all bear the burden of her death (if it comes to that, which I hope and pray it does not).
/TJ
... NIF
... The Wide Awakes
Posted by: TJ | March 18, 2005 at 09:39 PM
Come and guys. This is a matter for the family. That's Michael, not the Schindlers. More importantly it's not a matter for the Federal Government.
This case has run it's course in the state court system. Let's honor Terri's wishes and let her go.
Posted by: Jim | March 19, 2005 at 07:47 PM
Honestly, I feel for her parents, but its been 15 years, and the girl something Adamson who supposefly came out of the PVS, well she seems fine, she can talk and hold a conversation, but its been 15 years for Terri Schiavo, no one would want to live like that for that long, she has no control over herself, emotions, speech, movement, etc. She isn't coming out of it, its time to let her go.
Posted by: Amber | March 19, 2005 at 09:44 PM
Jim, I would love to honor Terri's wishes; however we do not have reliable evidence asto what her wishes actually are. In this circumstance, I would prefer to err on the side of caution and follow her birth family's wishes and let her live. They, unlike Michael, have remained loyal and true to their love for her and have shown their worthiness as guardians.
And Amber, when you say "no one would want to live like that," I must disagree. There are many whose views on life who would want to live like that, as opposed to death.
I have a living will (which actually needs to be reviewed and updated) which states that I do not wish extraordinary medical intervention in the case of brain death. But in this situation, there is no extraordinary care, and enough evidence to suggest a strong possibility that Terri's situation would improve with therapy.
Finally, if you want to project your desires upon a woman who cannot speak for herself, at least do the gutsy thing and demand death by lethal injection! You certainly wouldn't get away with starving your dog to death, why should you get away with doing it to an innocent woman?
Posted by: Romeocat | March 19, 2005 at 10:10 PM
MANY MEDICAL SPECIALISTS HAVE STUDIED THE CARDIOGRAMS, BRAIN WAVE STUDIES, SLEEP PATERNS AND NURSING OBSERVATIONS OF MANY PATIENTS
DYING AFTER REMOVAL OF FEEDING TUBES. THEY
CONCLUDED THAT IT IS NOT A PARTICULARLY PAINFUL
DEATH. FURTHER, TERI".s CAREGIVERS COULD ADMINISTER MILD SEDATIVES TO HELP. HER FEEDING TUBE MUST ENTER THRU HER ABDOMINAL WALL AND THESE
HAVE FREQUENT PROBLEMS INCLUDING DISPLACEMENT AND
INFECTIONS OF THE STOMA. SHE ALMOST CERTAINLY HAS A URINARY CATHETER AND THE CONSEQUENT CHRONIC BLADDER/KIDNEY INFECTIONS. TERI WOULD BE A RARE PATIENT IF SHE DOES NOT HAVE ONE OR SEVERAL BEDSORES.
IN ANOTHER VEIN, MOST COMMUNITIES HAVE SCORES OF SIMILAR BARELY RESPONSIVE PATIENTS ON TUBE FEEDING ONLY. WILL THE FEDERAL COURTS DECIDE THEIR FATE?
IS THIS A SCENE THAT REQUIRES GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT? I THINK NOT.
MAKE A WILL, CREATE A DOCUMENT THAT
CLEARLY DESCRIBES THE LEVEL CARE YOU WOULD WANT.
THANK YOU DR. T
Posted by: A FLORIDA PHYSICIAN | March 20, 2005 at 12:20 AM
Play this to those who think Terri is a "vegetable"!
Drudge Report has released an audio tape of Terri responding to her father on Friday afternoon.
The link at the Drudge Report is flooded but you can also hear it here:
Hear Terri.
She does not sound like someone who will not feel being starved to death. She sounds, in fact, like a brain-damaged child of my acquaintance who is being raised at home by his mother.
This tape is witness to a human life being lived although debilitated, for those who have ears to hear.
Rae
Posted by: Rae Stabosz | March 21, 2005 at 12:37 AM
Terri Schiavo is not in the condition mr. Schiavo would have you to belive. how do I know this well that's because i research it and found she had been examand for 10 hours by a doctor. a doctor who was nomonated for the noble peace prize. this doctor said she can chew and swollow on her on own but that mr.Schiavo got a court order to only let her use a feeding tube, further more he also stated that if she was allowed to go to rehab she wolud within 12 be able to talk and comprehend on a 12th grade level, so why would Mr.Schiavo do this you ask, ythe answer is simple for 2.5 million dollars that why, cause that's how much she is worth dead, that is how much that will go into his pocket if she dies and that wahy we must do everything possible to stop this court orderd Murder
Posted by: David Tucker | March 22, 2005 at 12:32 PM
I've been pretty tore up about this...and now to top it all of...the group I hate the most...the ACLU applauds the Court's decision to murder this poor woman. Keep praying!
Posted by: Jay | March 22, 2005 at 07:55 PM
Terri Shiavo. I don't understand the micro concern about one brain damaged woman being refused treatment to end her life and the total silence about the tens of thousands starving in the world [including the US ] and the thousands starving to death in the world each day. Obviously not all life is equally precious to us in this world. Will God thank us for 'saving' Terri while we sit in silence about suffering around us?
Posted by: John | March 22, 2005 at 08:38 PM
I believe in god, and I am an Agnostic. Don't peg me as a "hater" or an "atheist". This is not our fight, or our argument. This is between the family and her husband. If you people would listen to the third-party doctor from CNN, you would know that he aid there is NO plausible way of bringing her back. Don't bring faith into this. Apparently, your "god" is the one that put her where she is now.
And if you all believe in the Bible so much, that means you believe that Adam and Eve are the mother and father of all life. This means that you are having sex with your sister, and we should all have third arms sprouting from our heads. And guess what? We don't.
Posted by: Joe | March 22, 2005 at 09:02 PM
OK, Joe - "agnostic" means "I don't know if there is a god or not." If you say that you belive there is a god, you are - at the least - a theist ("I believe there is a god of one sort or another.")
And, YES!, I belive that Adam and Eve were the father and mother of all human life. However, the prohibition (from God) against close marriage did not occur until God gave the Law to Moses.
I am allowed to marry a relative (I'd better: every human is a relative of mine), but I may not marry a close relative. Because of sin, genetic defects are too easy to reinforce when marrying people too closely related.
Now, specifically adressing Terri's situation: for Joe AND John:
All humans are created in God's image. We all bear His mark, wheather we choose to acknowledge Him or not. We live in a world cursed by sin. EVERY person in this world is flawed and commits crimes against God. (Yes, even me - I am FAR from perfect.)
With that basic biblical fact, I will say to John - Yes, there are starving people in the world. There are also people in other terrible situations (abuse, neglect, opression, injustice, etc.). But, I am not omnipotent, not am I omnipresent. I can only do what is put before me, and use the resources God has given me to do what I can.
We are not all called to heal ALL hurts. I know there are men and women who are called to minister to the starving, etc. THIS is the suffering God has put before me. Three months ago, is was the tsunami victims. Next year, it may be another crisis. God calls whom He wills to serve where He wills.
Terri is my call RIGHT NOW. Serving her (in my very small way) is my call RIGHT NOW.
If you wish to continue, in a civil and reasonable manner, I am e-mailing you both with this post. Please feel free to respond to my e-mail addy (IFIFIF you choose to be courteous) and I'll be happy to continue the discussion.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 22, 2005 at 10:52 PM
I feel that this is an issue that should be decided by Terri's husband. I don't think that the government should be involved. This woman has been on a feeding tube and hasn't progressed in 15 years and I'm sorry but there is no hope. To keep this woman on tubes to keep her "alive" is just plain wrong. I don't feel that this is what anyone would want! I feel that her parents need to realize that they lost their daughter years ago and that they are only trying to prolong the inevitable! This woman who is now 41 is only suffering! She may not be able to feel the pain, but by putting her through this is harmful for her soul! To try and say that taking out her tube is against her religion is insane! God wants her to be with him ... How much longer is this poor woman going to have to go through this? She has been on tubes for 15 years .. how much longer does she have to be on them? As long as she is on tubes she will never rest in peace! She died years ago and by keeping her "alive" by these tubes is just wrong! She is brain dead .. even her doctors have said that her brain mass is liquified! Terri will never survive off these tubes and she must be let go! I'm sorry to those of you who dont feel this way!
Posted by: Midge | March 23, 2005 at 08:55 AM
I just wanted to add that this is my opinion and I hope that this family can accept what has happened to Terri! I wish them all peace .. especially Terri! Please do not get upset by my opinions ... Sorry if I offend anyone ... I am just stating my opinion!!!
I just wanted to clarify!
Thanks!!
Posted by: Midge | March 23, 2005 at 03:39 PM
First, may I say that straving someone is inhumane. BUT! Forget about her parents, forget about religion and what's considered "right." If YOU were Terri, would you just want to lay there, day after day, not being able to live your life? Who would want that? What kind of person would want that?
I can understand why her parents, and half of America want to keep her alive. Ya, it's not right to just kill somebody off, for no real good reason. I mean it basically murder, but SO WHAT!?!? What kind of a sick world have we become when we want to hold onto people just so WE feel right?!?!? Everyone's like "oh it's so wrong" and "it isn't right." What the hell is that? So it's right to make people suffer?!?!!?
People say she's not in pain and happy. Ya....sitting there for ten years with a tube down your throat is what everyone wants.
Back to the straving thing. I'll admit, that's dumb. I mean COME ON! Criminals get a needle that's basically painless, and she gets the strave? That's not right. But the doctors say she won't feel a thing. So maybe we should just trust them.
Honestly, I just don't see that point in keeping alive. I know that I'd rather be dead, than rotting away in some bed.
And my friend, prayers won't help her now.
Posted by: Christine | March 23, 2005 at 08:35 PM
Christine .. I agree with you .. Starving her isnt humaine ... and neither is letting her sit there for 15 year now with a tube down her throat and no progress??? Terri is brain dead .. she will never wake up and will never lead a normal life ... she would be stuck on these tubes for eternity until they learn to let go!
Posted by: Midge | March 24, 2005 at 11:13 AM
I my self believe in something out there that created us. I don't know if there is a God. To me if there is one then why was there a 9-11. My mother has had longterm memory problems for the last 7 years and I had to put her into a nursing home because I could not be there 24hrs a day to watch over her. She was a very religious person and went to church every Sunday and did all kinds of good things and look what happened to her. I had to make the decision to have my father taken off life support when he had cancer and went from 200lbs to 95lbs when he passed away. Terry should have not been subjected to being around this long. Once you marry the husband/wife should be the only person that can make the decision to keep someone alive if the doctors prove that doing so won't bring her/him back to a normal life. I would not want this to happen to me. Let me go to the afterlife and enjoy. I am sure that Terry's parents know that she won't come back but someone said that the husband was in it for money, I would say also that the parents are in it for money also. Let Terry have her peace and freedom from this world.
Posted by: pcbosis | March 24, 2005 at 03:22 PM
pcbosis ~ I agree with you ... But I don't believe that anyone is in it for the money .. I think that Terri's parents are just afraid to let their daughter go .. Being a parent myself I understand that .. but what I don't understand is if they love their daughter as much as I feel they do .. they should just let her go ... Keeping her "alive" on the tubes is only going to prolong the process of this poor woman's death. I feel that when my fiancee and I get married that life/death decisions will be up to the other one ... I would never want something like what is happening to Terri to happen to me. If there is no hope .. pull the plug!!
Again, I'm sory if I offend anyone!
Posted by: Midge | March 24, 2005 at 03:39 PM
I am a special education teacher--Almost my entire class is composed of children with brain damage caused by lack of oxygen during birth or an accident or drowning. Most of these kids have g-tubes. They, along with Terri are not in a vegatative state, they are brain damaged--good grief, we stopped calling people vegatables decades ago. What is wrong with this whole picture is that pulling out a g-tube and not putting in an IV is STARVING someone to death, a long, slow, painful death! Her brainstem is not damaged enough not to feel and register this kind of pain. Our government gives the most horrible murderers a kinder death with lethal injection. Isn't Terri entitled to some gentler form of death than starvation? I am not a fanatic or conservative, but I am informed! Get the fact that if Terri were under age 22 the US government would be paying me to be her classroom teacher--not aiding her husband to starve her to death. It is sick and wrong.
Posted by: Sabrina | March 24, 2005 at 04:39 PM
Y'know, I see a lot of "let Terri be at peace," and all that. I see "I wouldn't want to live that way." But you all forget that where there is life, there is hope. Christopher Reeve, although he needed far more medical assistance than Terri, never gave up hope.
Terri's brain is not "liquified." If it were, only our most advanced medical technology would be able to keep her body alive, and only for a limited time. The only things she needs are food, water, and care from people who love her.
Yes, it's a family affair. But one side of the "family" is starving her, and the other wants to cherish and nurture her for the rest of her days.
But now, it looks as if you all will have your way, and Terri will die. I earnestly hope and pray that you will never be in the situation Terri's parents are. One day you may be fighting for the life of someone you love, or it may be you yourself in Terri's position. And then you
will bitterly regret the stance you have taken.
They said Roe v. Wade would make abortion safe, legal and rare, and now we have partial birth abortion. You say Terri needs to be "freed" - well one day, many people may be "freed" against their will. On your heads be it.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 24, 2005 at 04:42 PM
What we are seeing unfold in Florida in Terri's case is only the symptom of a much larger sepsis of the legal system itself.
The judicial branch of government is corrupt and despotic; "absolute power corrupts absolutely", lawyers become judges and lawyers are trained to work within the framework of the law as determined in the appellate courts.
The appellate courts are filled with liberal activists that despise Christian values and live according to some new form of secular voo doo.
Justice, the doing of right, has been turned on its ear in this country and our elected representatives do not have the balls to stand up to the black robes.
Posted by: Charles Vance | March 24, 2005 at 10:49 PM
That is just in piss-poor taste. Buh-bye. - Romeocat
Posted by: Prisoner024601 | March 24, 2005 at 11:30 PM
I have been following Terri's case for quite a while now. Let me just state first that I am not a Conspiracy theorist. I belive that if there were adaquite reason to charge Terri's husband, Michael, then it whould have happened long ago.
The question at preasent is should Terri be saved, or allowed to die. According to the specialists, and Doctors, Noted in the field in question.. Terri's brain. From what I've herd was that two thirds are mostly useless brain matter.
As I understand it, all that remains funtional is her brain stem. Suposedly Terri has less awareness of herself that of a housecat. She dosen't contemplate life, or death. She dosent feel pain, if you removed a limb, she wouldnt know it, or even care for that matter. I have seen all the protesters in favor of restoring Terris feeding tube. As a republican myself, I am dissapointed in my so called political party associates. They are only following their political agenda. It is sad that so many people don't take the time for a living will. Never the less Most don't. But because they don't does NOT automaticly mean that thet would want to live in Terri's own personall Hell. Terri's Husband is her sole Guardian.... I don't doubt that he used to love her. I imagaine that at some point he has looked hard at the reality of Terri's prognosis. Terri's parents love their daughter very much. Of that I'm sure. They want their daughter to stay alive. But are they be selfish? Whom do they want Terri to stay alive for? Before Terri fell into her condition, would Terri have said, or thought that forseeing her condition, yes I want to live the rest of my life in a hospital bed, Have no controll of her bodily functions. Not be able to enjoy food, converse intelligently, love, or return love. Would anybody want these things.
To be denied her own human dignity! Protestors say why has Husband Michael Moved on? taken up a girlfriend? Had children with this girlfriend?
Ohh, well surely he must be guilty. Or maybe he has just realised, that after his greifing, that it was time to just move on. It is what people do to survive. Michael says that his wife talked to him, and expressed that she would never want to live like this. I belive him. I have expressed the same such feelings for years myself. I only got a living will last year. I am sure that Michael still loves, and is trying to do all he can do to help his wife move on also. Wouldn't it be easier to just turn his wife over to her parents. True love requires tough choices. Just ask yourself....Would you want to be in Terri's place for fifteen years? and see no end to it. Would you? Thousands of people every day face this situation. Make a living will. Do it today.
March,24, 2005
Posted by: Thunderrgod | March 24, 2005 at 11:35 PM
By the way, I would like to thank all my commenters on this thread. B and large, all of you have remained civil and on topic, and I appreciate it. Thank you!
Posted by: Romeocat | March 25, 2005 at 07:58 AM
WHAT HER HUSBAND IS SAYING IS THAT SHE WANTED TO DIE. ISN'T THAT'S WHAT KOVORKIAN SAID ABOUT HIS PATIENTS. THIS IS ASSISTED SUICIDE AND THAT IS AGAINST THE LAW IN THIS COUNTRY. THE HUSBAND NEEDS TO KNOW THAT WHEN SHE DIE, HE WILL GO TO PRISON FOR ASSISTING HER. WHY HAVEN'T THESE GREAT ATTORNEYS THOUGHT OF THAT?
VICTORIA
Posted by: vikki | March 25, 2005 at 09:39 AM
I am a Christian and a Democrat---yes, there are some! AND I think what Dr. Kevorkian offered was FAR FAR more humane than what they are doing to Terri--starving her to death. Can't anyone see this? I am a special ed. teacher and work with many brain damaged children--even those working with just a brain stem--and I ASSURE you--they do feel pain and I have yet to meet even one that did not respond to their mother's voice--that tells you that something is in there. I am not even saying they should not allow her to die, or even help her to die, but I am saying that starvation is not even done to our foulest of criminals. It is painful and wrong. Of course the husband moved on. He should have a life. But a mother can not move on. It just goes against her nature. She should not be forced to watch her child starved to death when everything in a mother just lives to feed and care for her children.
Posted by: Sabrina | March 25, 2005 at 12:10 PM
Sabrina, what does your political party have to do with you being a Christian? I don't believe I've given the impression that I think Christians should, by necessity, be Republicans... I'm just very wary of many political powerhouses professing "faith" with not friut to back it up.
Anyway, onward:
Yes, I think that if they put out an effective death sentence on a person, they should get it over with quickly. This whole "starve her to death - she won't feel anything" seems to be the nadir of uncaring logic.
And, as an aside, Michael could have divorced Terri long ago and let her family take over, and walked away free and clear. The fact that he hasn't tempers my distaste for his actions towards Terri somewhat. But then again, if he was going to stay married to her, he should at least have had the honor to keep his pants zipped and not commit effective bigamy. He's a very confusing person, and I certainly wouldn't really care to have a character like him associated with my daughter.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 25, 2005 at 12:53 PM
Laws are laws, mark tooke his time (3 years) before he gave up. What is wrong with fullfilling his wifes request not to be kept alive with artificial means. I have seen the pictures of her last cat, no brain is visable. Mom and dad just cant let go. Terri died 15 YEARS ago, let her go. check out abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html for the real story. her parents are being delusionall. I saw som people in this state when my grandmother died. It is horrible to keep a dead person alive, just because you can!!!! let her go, she derves it.
Posted by: sab | March 25, 2005 at 04:48 PM
terri should be allowed to live. if a dog was chained andbadly injured , starved the animal rights ,paws ect would be all over you . when did animals have more rights than humans? if they allow TERRI to die look out its a matter of time before they pick an ageand refuse to give you the medicial help you need to live ,
Posted by: t beeeler | March 25, 2005 at 08:50 PM
I'm glad Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed. I'm also glad that she will finally die.
Posted by: Al Soldano | March 25, 2005 at 10:02 PM
Al, I pity you.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 26, 2005 at 07:58 AM
So sorry you can't keepit civil and clean. Buh-bye! -- Romeocat
Posted by: Al Soldano | March 26, 2005 at 02:25 PM
First I want to say to Vikki ... This is not assisted suicide! This is saving this woman's soul! She is stuck between Heaven and Earth and this poor woman has been like this for 15 years. I have not doubt in my mind that yes years ago she did have some progress .. but she hasn't in over 8 years! Her husband (her sole gaurdian) decided that it was in Terri's best interest to be let go .. not murdered and not to help her commit suicide. Terri didn't tell her husband to kill her, she told him that she didn't want to 'live' with the tubes keeping her 'alive' .. and I feel that it is what he has been fighting to do for the past 8 years.
I am a mother and I know that the hardest thing that these parents are having to do is to let their daughter go. I understand that, but what I don't understand is why would you be deciding somthing like this for yourself? They are indeed being selfish and are looking out for their best interest.
Lets say that the tube was reinserted ... How much longer are they going to have Terri on the tubes? Another 15 years?? And what if her parents are to die in 5 years? Are they still going to keep Terri on the tubes? No, they would only keep her on while her parents (who have political pull) keep insisting that they do.
I agree that starvation isn't a humaine way to die, but Terri cannot feel or comprehend it. This is a natural way to die. Why inject her body with something to kill her faster? She isn't in any pain and she is dying naturally.
I wish that everyone would just let this woman go in peace. May God greet her at the gates and taker her by her hand and tell her that she is home!
Again, don't batter down my door for my opinion! I don't do it to you .. don't do it to me!
Posted by: Midge | March 26, 2005 at 06:05 PM
Dear Thndrgd, You are a true work of, uh art. Obviosly you no nothing about medicine, the law or the human body. By having the screen name I assumed you imagined that you were omnicient. But you certainly aren't supernatural. I don't guess you saw on t.v. about 7000 times the pix of Terri smiling and squeezing her families and friends hands not to mention the fact that she reacts to human touch and verbal communication. Tell you what,you get a brain inj&get back w/me.lighteningwoman
Posted by: Greta | March 26, 2005 at 11:42 PM
Well, Terry is legally brain dead. A flat EEG (measured brain activity) and 30% of her brain has liquified. She is gone, but her heart keeps beating. Lets pray that the lord takes her body home. Her brain and soul are already there.
-Medical expert
Posted by: medical expert | March 27, 2005 at 09:07 AM
Obviously, Joe Blow needs to learn manners. What is it about this subject that brings out the rude and crude whackos?
Buh-bye.
-- Romeocat
Posted by: Joe M. Blow | March 28, 2005 at 03:15 PM
I agree with that comment Romeocat! Everyone has something to say and some just don't know how to keep their rude comments to themselves! I don't understand it ... but it happens with everything!
Posted by: Midge | March 28, 2005 at 07:46 PM
This is nothing more than Judicial homicide. And Judge Greer's judgement hasn't been so good in the past...especially when it comes to abused women.....he refused to give a woman protection from her husband because he[Judge Greer] didn't think the man was dangerous. He was very very wrong.The husband stabbed her to death a few days later.
This entire case is based on the hearsay of a man that by all acounts has some real control freak issues...at least.He fits the profile of a controlling abuser to a "T".
Why can't the officials see this?
Posted by: christmasghost | March 28, 2005 at 08:47 PM
PLEASE SAVE terri schiavo and sign this petition spread the word!
Posted by: a | March 28, 2005 at 09:50 PM
My blog, my right to free speech. Not yours. Get your own blog for this drivel.
--- Romeocat
Posted by: Joe M. Blow II | March 29, 2005 at 01:29 AM
This may not sound very compassionate, but I don't think anyone has the right to end their own life. The Declaration of Independence states that our right to life is granted by a Creator. That creator is the only one who has the right to take that gift away. Thomas Jefferson said,"the chief purpose of government is to protect life. If you abandon this, you abandon all."
Posted by: Jay | March 29, 2005 at 09:57 AM
I have been thru the same exact situation with my sibling, watching my mother grieve (which she just lost her husband 4 months prior, our dad). My sister's EX husband called the shots and that was to stop all medical help. My sister had no food, water, medicine, insulin or dialysis for 12 days. My mother's quote was " I brought my daughter into this world, I will be there when she leaves this world." My mother was at her bedside for 18 days 24 hours a day. Where is Terri's parents? They say they can't handle it, it's time to get a grip they had 15 years to handle this and they brought this agonizing pain on to themselves and Terri. It's hard to let one go but life goes on better for them and time heals the sorrow. May terri now have a voice in heaven.
Posted by: Karen P | March 29, 2005 at 11:46 AM
This is nothing more than legalized torture. To slowly starve that woman is cruel and unusual punishment. We treat convicted murderers better than that! Speaking of which, I keep hearing about her husband receiving death threats. Do they not realize that if they are thinking about killing him, they need to do it before she dies? If custody reverts to her parents, this would all be over. What he is doing amounts to murder, and considering he went on with his life and has a family with another women, he shouldn't have to right to make decisions about her life. Didn't I hear something about a life insurance policy he will collect? Sounds like motive to me.
Posted by: D. Newton | March 29, 2005 at 03:41 PM
All of you so obsessed with one American's hospice transition should have a good look at the suffering caused by the War in Iraq, courtesy of George W. Bush.
There are over 1500 dead soldiers, 30,000 injured on the U.S. side, 100,000 dead and who knows how many injured on the Iraqi side.
Posted by: Collin Baber | March 30, 2005 at 12:05 AM
Oh, please, Collin. Don't forget that now we're seeing signs of democracy deveolping in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, as well as other places. Our soldiers believe in what they're doing.
Go take your poor, worn out, can't-get-out-of-the-rut whining elsewhere.
Posted by: Romeocat | March 30, 2005 at 08:16 AM
Oh brother--let's keep the war out of it--you will see glimmers of democracy--that is until they bring the troops home and some lunatic group takes over again!
I can't watch anymore minute by minute reports on Terri. It is soooooooooo sad---It seems like a lot of people on here don't understand what a g-tube even is. It is just a tube inserted pretty permanently right into the stomach to by-pass the lungs and prevent aspiration and pneumonia.
She is not brain dead--she is brain damaged--if she were brain dead it would take a lot more to keep her alive--a ventilator, heart lung machine, etc. The g-tube was only giving her water and formula. Starving her to death is leading her down a long slow painful road....stomach pain and cramps....kidney failure.....liver failure.....really a sick thing to do to anyone.
Posted by: sabrina | March 30, 2005 at 06:50 PM
Terri's passing is sad, but also sad for her mom and dad, and her husband.
I feel there were to many people invovled in this personal family issue. We were not there nor did we live in their lives.
We must look at the positive in all this along with the sadness.
Whad did we learn. Eating disorders do mess you up and do cause harm. Terri taught many young girls and boys that taking care of yourself instead of not eating or binging is better then ending up like she did.
Many went out and got living wills. What I would like to know is what the % is that most do not wish to be hooked up to any machines if that happened to them.
Family issues should be kept in the family and not have it spill into everyone elses buisness when we all don't have all the FACTS.
My prayers go out to her husband and his family and to her parents and her family. There is no easy answer, but we have learned many things.
My step daughter is now eating correctly. She learned. I pray that many other girls and boys learn as well from this.
I do have issues on how she died, but if it were me and my family not having the paper work, but knowing there is no way in heck that I want to be put on machines to keep me alive...They better just give me a shot to put me to sleep like a old dog.
I now am working on a living will. Cuz I guess the GOV. has to have their money for a piece of paper for proof instead of family members who love me and know what I really want in a word.
God Bless you all. And remember we are not the ones that were in their family and most couples do talk about such things.
Posted by: Amy | March 31, 2005 at 05:49 PM
I am sad about Terri passing away but it was for the best. I was looking at some videos of her on www.terrisfight.org and i felt bad for her. Why have her in the hospital? Just let her do what her and Michael wanted to do. It may be sad for her parents but they need to understand that she would have been better in heaven. Well Terri if you are listening, I am praying for ya to have a better life! Love Bree, 14
Posted by: Bree | March 31, 2005 at 06:17 PM
WE ALL LOVE YOU TERRI!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR PARENTS AND PPL WHO CARE ABOUT YA ON THIS EARTH!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Bree | March 31, 2005 at 06:21 PM
I mean no disresepct to this woman, but I think it is very important to remember a few things:
Above all, to make the argument that it is inhumane, wrong or callous to "starve" her to death, and that God himself asks that we deny no one the basic right to eat, is a little misguided. I have a strong suspicion that none of you are aware why Terri Schiavo ended up the way she did. Yes, it was the product of a simple heart failure, but why? Why does a healthy young woman's heart suddnely fail? Because Terri Schiavo was suffering from an eating disorder, and had STARVED herself to the point of heart failure.
NATURALLY, the way GOD INTENDED this woman would have died, starved to death fifteen years ago by her choice, by her own hand. Without the interference of modern technology, without the interference of MAN, she would already be where her God wishes her to be. I think it is a disgrace that the American people lack the compassion, grace and intelligence to allow Terri to die with dignity - the way GOD intended.
Posted by: EM | April 01, 2005 at 01:29 AM
This is an article taken from
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/ne
ws_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_3639869,00.html
Campos: Starving for diet of reason
March 22, 2005
pictureAs I write these words, Terri Schiavo is being starved to death because she was once a chubby little girl.
Almost everyone has heard about how, 15 years ago, Schiavo's heart stopped for several minutes, causing massive brain damage that left her severely disabled.
What very few people are aware of, because it has gone largely unreported, is that Terri's heart stopped as a consequence of an eating disorder.
Terri was a chubby child, in a culture that tells children, and especially girls, that not being thin is both a disease and moral failing. And our children get the message: fully half of all 9- to 11-year-old girls either are or have been on a diet.
Terri was one of these children. She spent much of her childhood and adolescence dieting, in a desperate effort to deal with having the "wrong" kind of body. Like most dieters, her weight fluctuated a great deal, but she was unable to remain thin.
Eventually, according to evidence introduced at the trial following her collapse, she started forcing herself to vomit after meals. This, combined with a regimen of 15 glasses of iced tea per day, made her thin and "beautiful." (More than 200 articles have commented on Terri's beauty. Almost none of these mention her eating disorder).
On the night she collapsed, Terri had just eaten dinner. She went into the bathroom and forced herself to vomit. Apparently, the chemical imbalance brought on by her bulimia stopped her heart.
About 10 million Americans, 90 percent of them girls and women, suffer from eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa, the best-known disorder, has the highest fatality rate of any mental illness. Somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent of anorexics die from their illness.
The fatality rate from other eating disorders is hard to determine, in part because they so often go undiagnosed (indeed the civil judgment that has paid for Terri's medical care was based on the failure of her doctors to diagnose her bulimia, despite what should have been obvious symptoms).
Such diagnostic failures are caused by the same factors that have led the media to largely ignore this tragic irony at the center of Terri's story. After all, Terri was merely being a "good girl." She was fat, and she made herself thin - a transformation for which she surely received endless praise.
The day before Terri's feeding tube was disconnected, an article appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine claiming that if there were only some way to persuade all fat Americans to become thin, life expectancy would be improved by four to nine months (that's right - months).
Among the article's many absurdities, one in particular, given the circumstances of the Schiavo tragedy, deserves comment: The authors don't bother to specify how this life-enhancing weight loss is supposed to take place.
There's little doubt that increasing the prevalence of anorexia and bulimia would help reduce the number of fat people in America, both by making them thinner and by killing a significant percentage of them.
Of course, those who advocate continuing to shame little girls about their bodies, as Terri Schiavo was shamed, are outraged when it's suggested that what their obsession with thinness will actually produce is yet more eating disordered behavior.
Such people, naturally, think they're "helping" our "overweight" children. And how do these experts know a child is "overweight?" Answer: if she's in the top 15 percent of body mass for children her age. The insanity of such a definition - one that ensures exactly 15 percent of our children will always be labeled "overweight" - is part of the same madness that is killing Terri Schiavo.
Paul Campos is a professor of law at the University of Colorado. He can be reached at paul.campos@colorado.edu.
Posted by: EM | April 01, 2005 at 01:38 AM
Um, hello--God did not intend for Terri to starve to death---this month or years ago. She had an illness--she needed help, not assistance starving herself. The pope has a feeding tube and a breathing tube. Don't hear anyone screaming to pull those out. The world is a messed up place. I hope Terri is free after the hell she's been in for the last 2 weeks.
Posted by: Sabrina | April 01, 2005 at 05:01 PM
I really, really and truly wish that people who pretend to know facts would actually read facts presented to them, rather than skim headlines for issues or suggestions that pop interests.
People, and I mean those of you who circulate these blogrolls spewing your uneducated opinions on the Terri subject (or any other subject while I am at it!): Stop. Read-up. Reaesrch your subject. Know at least a smidgen about what you are preparing to debate.
a. Brain dead: Cease to function. Several of Terri's motor functions COULD be blamed on muscle reflex, i.e. Blinking (uncontrollable reflex to moisten the eye), Smiling (could be attributed to gas, or atrophe), incoherant moans and grunts (could be undontrolled). All of these are good arguments ... but to smile at the sight of one's mother, a flower or the sunshine, is not an unpromted, uncontrolled movement. With this and only this thought in mind, how can it even be ARGUED that the woman was brain dead?
No, she wasn't brain dead. IT WASN'T DEAD until Greer and Schiavo killed HER.
b. Read and discover when Terri last had a neurological exam to determine that "permanent vegitative state" she was so called hypothisized into.
... and then find out WHY she hadn't been allowed those exams.
My list could go on and on, but I refuse to further punish myself.
Again, read-up, and then come back and withdraw your posts.
Posted by: Jo | April 02, 2005 at 04:59 AM
Oh, yeah.. one more thing. The cause of her initial heart failure is debatable, but it has been widely circulated by news and family that the cause was a reaction to something she ATE.
Posted by: Jo | April 02, 2005 at 05:23 AM
Some of us who supposedly "circulate these blogrolls spewing...uneducated opinions on the Terri subject" actually give plasubile, feasible, verifyable sources to back up our claims. Of course, the EDUCATED OPINION of a university professor is clearly not enough for those of you with minds educated by right-wing religious propaganda.
I think it is very interesting that some of you can jusp to conspiracy theories ("Read and discover when Terri last had a neurological exam to determine that "permanent vegitative state" she was so called hypothisized into... and then find out WHY she hadn't been allowed those exams"), yet you won't even consider the possibility that there are many alterior motives under which the government works, cannot accept that perhaps the decisions of the people you elected are prompted by something other than your best interestes at their heart.
I would also like to point out that you cannot speak for what God actually wants. Nor can anyone else here. However, those of us who do not believe in the existance of God can use your own presumptuous retoric gainst you. To say he wanted Terri to live is making just as much of an assumption as saying he wanted her to die. How do you know what God wants?
For every quote from the bible, someone can give another conflicting one. But you don't need to live your life by this book, when you can follow one rule: Be compassionate! If everyone showed compassion for their fellow beings, nothing like this would happen. Girls like Terri would not feel like they had to starve themselves to feel good (please, I ask YOU to read the facts, don't just watch FOX), wars like the one argued over here would never be fought, arguments about abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and refugees would never become mainstream horror shows.
Imagine what it's like for other people, and you will be a better person.This is all anyone involved - Terri's husband, parents, maybe Terri herself, who knows - wanted.
Posted by: EM | April 02, 2005 at 07:38 AM
1. My statement all but screams "Alterior Motive" - down to the last paragraph.
2. I don't believe in god ... ANY god.
3. I don't believe I argued any of your EDUCATED GUESSES - other than what caused her problem to begin with - which is still highly questionable.
Get off my back buddy, your PhD doesn't scare me.
Well, what the hell.. while we are on the subject, maybe you should consider this: If your god wanted Terri to die 15 years ago, she would have, with or without resusitation. With your medical experience, you should not need to be reminded that people die all the time WITH the assistance of modern medicine/machinery.
I'll leave you with this thought, stolen and revised to fit this particular discussion from Trey @ Jackson's Junction, because I believe it embodies one of the most important issues we need to glean from this whole debacle: If we are all created in the image of god, let him choose when it is time for you to come home, not your husband/wife.
Posted by: Jo | April 02, 2005 at 10:33 AM
OK, OK, enough already.
The job now at hand is to comfort the Shindlers and then to make sure this horrific situation never happens again.
I'm closing the comments here, but if you want to continue, go to this thread and BE POLITE!
Posted by: Romeocat | April 02, 2005 at 10:40 AM