Terri Schiavo | Imamother

Tefila

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 2:21 pm

Quote:

When a case like Terri’s has been considered by the state courts, why should we add an extra layer of federal court review?

To avoid the danger that an innocent person might be put to death, those whom state courts have convicted of mass murder or other capital crimes have long had the recognized right to federal court habeas corpus review. If we accord that right to someone like John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy, shouldn’t we give at least equal protection to someone with a disability, charged with no crime, who is at risk of being starved and dehydrated to death?

Thank-You fy for link above

And yes I signed the petition!!

Sunshine

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 2:45 pm

It is not so clear about what caused her to be in the state that she is in. According to some it is bec she was balimic and due to a lack of potassium she had a heart attack and this caused dammage to her brain. This is what her "husband" wants ppl to believe. Another thing that I heard (which isn't getting out as much as the other) that the brain damage was cause by her "husband" who tried to strangle her and the lack of oxygen to her brain during that time. Her parents are not in this for the $ they are willing to pay for all her med bills if he will divorce her and those can add up to a lot! How will there been any of the $ left for them to get rich? I know we r talking about tons of $ but she was in this condition for 15 years and is only 41 she can live for a long time and the care and therapy is so expensive I think that the $ will get used up pretty fast. You think they will do the same to her once they get legal guardianship over her? This I don't belive because it is already in the public and I think that the gov will take away guardianship from them.
Miki her husband and the judges all want you to think that the parents want the $ but think of all these things you read about him he saounds really bad. I think as parents they don't want their daughter starved to death in a crule murderous way. Sarad is this with or without the parents permission? It is horrible.

Rivka

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 5:10 pm

This case is disgusting, it;s one thing fighting to turn a life support machine off which is painless and takes a second, even though totally against halacha and I would still see it as murder, it isn't so cruel and you can understand why families would agree to this sort of termination.
To deny someone food in order they should die is inhumane.
How is it that it is in court in the first place? It shouldn't have even been brought up in the first place to take her tubes for food away.
Just because she can't speak for herself does not mean she has no feelings and feels no pain. Starving someone so they die is just the lowest. The fact it is seen as legal and ethical is just horrific. I don't see how the husband can allow for this to happen and why no one suspects anything. If he truly loved her as his wife, would he want to see her suffering like this, starving her till she dies?? I don't think so. The money makes sense as to his motive. The parents motive not so much, I don't think they would care having gaurdianship as long as she is fed. So all the time this is going on in the courts, this woman is being starved. So by the time any court comes to a decision it will be too late.
I don't see how the hospital will gain apart from the fact that they save money. The courts, I don't see how they gain from her death.

AweSumThenSum

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 5:19 pm

I think of my friend, chany daskal (she is the only survivor of a helicopter crash in august, 2001). she is brain damaged, in pain most of the time, and if u think terry's quality of life is dismally non existent, then chany's is way off the charts. and yet, her parents (her husband died in the accident) have been heroically taking care of her, and it has taken an extreme toll on them and on the rest of the family too. however, it doesnt even enter their minds to just let her die. I'm sure there were times when it seemed as if she was dying, but her parents never allowed the doctors to "pull the plug" because as long as there is life, there is hope.
l'havdil elef havdolos, look at the pope!! he's suffering immensely, he's at the end stage of parkinson's, and yet he is doing everything possible to stay alive, even undergoing a tracheotomy to help him breath!!

Sunshine

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 6:21 pm

You know I have no proof for this and I am looking for sources but I heard that the judge is legally blind. Also, I am sure (as horrible as this sounds)that the judge and others are being BRIBED inoreder to help kill Terri. The hopsice place where she was has strange stories. Such as things payed for my medicade in illegal ways. The owner of the place is friends with Terri's "husband." She was in another placed and kidnaped and sent to this hospice so her "husband" could have full control of what is being done to her. I find it hard to belive that after taking this case to court after court and even when the prez wants to help that it is helpless unless there is bribery going on! How can his word that this is what Terri said she wanted have so much affect that n/o can do a/t about it. In no other case would the fact(without physical proof) that someone said something hold up as evidence in court in reguard to kiling someone.

Tefila

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 8:40 pm

msnbc

Quote:

In his dissent, Judge Charles Wilson said Schiavo’s “imminent” death would end the case before it could be fully considered. “In fact, I fail to see any harm in reinserting the feeding tube,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Tampa also rejected the parents’ emergency request.

President Bush, who along with congressional Republicans has taken a stand in support of Schiavo's parents, reiterated Wednesday that "in a case such as this, the legislative branch, the executive branch, ought to err on the side of life, which we have. Now we'll watch the courts make their decisions."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan later said, “There really are not other legal options available to us.”

Supreme Court appeal is last one
Rex Sparklin, an attorney with the law firm representing the parents, said Wednesday that the couple could eventually appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the last level of judicial action.

The high court has declined to hear the case previously in appeals from state court rulings; what makes it different this time is that the appeal would come from a federal ruling.

Howard Simon of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said the ruling pointed out the limited role of government in these matters and the need for a living will “to keep politicians out of your personal life.”

“While I anticipate that the Supreme Court will have to decide whether to get into it, I do think we are coming to the end of this sad case,” he said.

Justice Kennedy would get case first
An emergency filing to the high court would go first to Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Reagan appointee who has taken a moderate position on social issues.

Kennedy would have the option to act on the petition alone, although on previous emergency requests involving Schiavo he has referred the matter to the full nine-member court.

The Supreme Court’s history on right-to-die cases is pretty thin. It ruled in 1990 that a terminally ill person has a right to refuse life-sustaining treatment. In its next term, it plans to consider whether the federal government can prosecute doctors who help ill patients die.

Between those cases, the court has not said much, choosing to allow states to decide the issue.

The Schindlers have been locked for years in a battle with Schiavo’s husband over whether her feeding tube should be disconnected. State courts have sided with Michael Schiavo, who insists his wife told him she would never want to be kept alive artificially.

‘A horrific intrusion’
Even before the parents’ appeal was filed with the 11th Circuit, Michael Schiavo urged the court not to grant an emergency request to restore nutrition.

“That would be a horrific intrusion upon Mrs. Schiavo’s personal liberty,” said the filing by his attorney, George Felos. He filed a response to the Schindlers’ appeal and said he would go to the Supreme Court if the tube were ordered reconnected.

Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly from a chemical imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder. Court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.

Her parents argue that she could get better and that she would never have wanted to be cut off from food and water

Sunshine

Wed, Mar 23 2005, 9:37 pm

Michael wants his wife dead at all costs and refused to let her have therapy and will do whatever it takes to make sure this happens. Also as RG said he said no autopsie and he wants her body burned. Doesn't that sound odd?! The only time she had therapy was for a short time so that he could get the $ that was being given to Terri's guardian for the malpractice. He is affraid. Terrible so. What would happen if the above wouldn't go as he wants?

My own opinion:
I think that he is scared if she had gotten therapy 15 years ago at a constant rate she would have recovered some of her mental abilities and would be able to tell what really happend that night in 1990. She would tell stories of abuse and murder attempts. If she can't tell this verbally then an autopsy may give us a clue about all this.

IM-MA not only did they take out her feeding tube they won't let anyone give her a drink or suck on ice or anything like that. She was at one point(I don't know if this is the case still) able to eat jello and other easy swallow and digestable things that would help her keep going despite her tube being removed but they aren't allowed. If she even had water it would keep her going bec she will die from thirst faster than hunger. Every second that she is off the tube even if she is alive it is doing irreparrable damage to her oragns, and this isn't even the first time that she is off it. How do they expect anyone to recover being starved multiple times and withholding therapy?!