Should Terri Schiavo be allowed to die. / 10/22/04 UPDATE

AP) - The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a law that was rushed through the Legislature last fall to keep a severely brain-damaged woman hooked up to a feeding tube against her husband's wishes. The unanimous court said the law that kept Terri Schiavo alive violated the separation of powers between the judicial branch and the legislative and executive branches

news.yahoo.com...

Lower courts had ruled that Michael Schiavo could have the tube removed, but the Legislature passed the law to overrule the courts. Gov. Jeb Bush then used the law to order the tube reinserted. The court's decision came just a weeks after oral arguments.

Terri Schiavo, who lives in a Clearwater nursing home, can breathe on her own but relies on a feeding and hydration tube to live. Courts have concluded she is in a "persistent vegetative state," but maneuvering over her fate has produced a closely watched right-to-die fight.


The 40-year-old woman left no written instructions before suffering brain damage when her heart stopped beating 14 years ago. But in Florida a person's wishes must be honored even if they are expressed orally.


Schiavo's parents disagree with their son-in-law about her wishes, insisting their daughter wanted to live and could be helped with therapy. Courts have generally sided with Michael Schiavo, but parents Bob and Mary Schindler have won stays that have kept their daughter alive.

All these chicken scratches they call "laws," and "court decisions," are nothing without the law of love, and the law of life.

We are on a slippery slope, towards a state that offers death, courtesy of the courts, and the ordinary people incessantly struggling for life. One can argue about the other branches of government as well. Now unless you leave a paper behind saying on your own behalf "never, never, never give up," you are just cattle and cannon fodder for the state? Even then the next step would be some other overbearing action from government to give relief to your HMO, yeah they really need the money when they are owned by companies that print the money.

This is what you get from an ACLU that was taken over by rogue elements of the CIA in the sixties, imho.


[edit on 23-9-2004 by SkipShipman]

New hearing rejected in right-to-die dispute
Florida Supreme Court denies Gov. Jeb Bush's request

TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rebuffed another effort by Gov. Jeb Bush to keep a severely brain-damaged woman alive against her husband's wishes.

Without comment, the court rejected Bush's request that it reconsider last month's decision striking down a state law that the governor invoked to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted.

Schiavo has been at the center of one of the nation's longest and most bitter right-to-die cases, a dispute that has pitted her husband against her parents.

The high court ruled unanimously in September that Bush and state lawmakers overstepped their authority last October when they passed the law to reinsert Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube. Days before the law passed, Schiavo's husband had removed the tube, with a judge's approval, so that she could die.

www.cnn.com...

Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, said Thursday's ruling legally clears the way for the feeding tube to be removed again. But he said Schiavo would not take any action before a ruling due Friday on a request by his wife's parents for a new trial to determine their daughter's wishes.

An attorney for the governor said he is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could stop, at least temporarily, any attempt to remove the feeding tube

No, Terri should not be just cut off and allowed to die.

Why are people even calling this a "right"-to-die case? All Terri needs is a feeding tube--that's it.

Her husband has plenty of motives for wanting her dead. He has two children with a woman on the side--a woman he wants to marry. If he divorces Terri, he won't inherit anything. He wants her to die so he can have his cake and eat it too.

If anything it should be called a right-to-MURDER case. Shoot, if I were that other woman, I would RUN.

Originally posted by Chevy
The law to protect disabled individuals kept her doctors or family from authorizing an abortion. They said she had to have the baby. And the baby would be put up for adoption.

they put that poor little thing through the horror of child birth...
Could someone tell me who was served and protected by the laws that allowed all this to happen?




[Edited on 28-5-2004 by Chevy]

An abortion is more "horrible" than childbirth. I don't count my childbirth experience as a horror, despite 36 hours of labor followed by a C-section!

And everyone was served and protected. Women die of *legal* abortions on a regular basis, though you don't hear about it. Not to mention the breast cancer link. And the baby got decent parents instead of being horribly killed in utero.

Supreme Court refuses to hear Schiavo appeal
Other appeals pending in case of brain-damaged woman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the husband of a brain-damaged woman on Monday by refusing to intervene in a Florida appeal to keep her alive with a feeding tube.

The refusal to intervene, without comment, gives brain-damaged Theresa "Terri" Schiavo's husband, Michael, the right to remove the tube, although other legal appeals are pending.

Terri Schiavo's parents want a feeding tube to remain hooked to their daughter. In a persistent vegetative state, Terri Schiavo, 41, is able to breathe on her own, but is unable to swallow and depends on a feeding tube to remain alive.

After 10 years, her husband says she is not improving and would not have wanted to be kept alive in such a condition.www.abovetopsecret.com... d=41&tid=21336

Originally posted by elevatedone
If put in the situation and it was my wife, I just don't know what I'd do...
truely a sad sad situation.

Sorry about your Mum, elevatedone.

Although its not pleasant to think about...it highlights the importance of having a living will. If someone doesn't want heroic or extraordinary measures taken to prolong his/her life if there is no hope of recovery...its crucial to have it written down and witnessed.

Same thing as a power of attorney, in case you can't speak for yourself.

this guy is just in this for the publicity. he could get a divorce from this lady and go about his life with his fiance. if he really cared so much to carry out her wish not to be kept alive artificially he would be at her bedside every day hoping for her to un-vegetate. he wouldn't be with another woman. the courts should order a divorce and tell him never to contact the courts about this matter again. this poor lady has her eyes open and smiles and loves balloons and knows when her parents are in the room. just what constitutes vegetative? if the courts allow her to be starved to death then we should ask them to stop feeding stephen hawking and other brain damaged people. you shouldn't be able to pick and choose which brain injury constitutes the permission to kill a person.

More discussion here :

www.abovetopsecret.com...


I wish her husband would just go away... I'm undecided on if she should be allowed to live or die... at this point, I want the husband to go away and just let the parents decide what to do.

I don't think she should be allowed to die until such a time that a complete and impartial investigation into the cause of her current condition is conducted.

There has always been suspicious circumstances surrounding the events that led to her current state. Her husband has denied opportunities for specialists and physicians besides those of his choosing to examine her.

The man has since remarried and has basically moved on with his life. I don't know why he would want her to die other than to hide the evidence of his wrongdoing. If he had any kind of heart he would simply walk away and allow her family to care for her and decide her fate. It's not like she's in pain and agony anyway, that we know of. If Terry had really decided that she wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition that she is in now, then she should have filed the appropriate forms at that time.

Regardless of what your opinion on this issue is, this story serves as a reminder to us all that we should decide how we want our loved ones to handle things should such a horrible thing happen to us. Go to a lawyer. Fill out the forms. DNR sheets alone are easy to get. But at the very least, let it be known to as many trusted friends and family members as possible what your wishes are before its too late!

I have a question all of you are saying hes money hungry and just wants to run off with all the insurance cash... well whats insurance for anyways? if something happens to your loved one you want insurance on them to get money. thats the whole point of insurance. if shes a veg then shes as good as dead. Period. If theres no hope of here leading a somewhat normal life again then shes dead. Period. let him collect the insurance and move on jeez youd want nothing less in his situation.

my question is why keep her alive if she isnt liveing?
anouther thing is even if she did somehow come out of it what would the quallity of her life be?
this is an issue most people dont understand unless they are liveing with a terminal illness because they are allways weighing the quallity over quannity situation in their lives.
then you got to consider how horrible it feels to depend on others and not be able to give anything back to the world.
its a harsh road for those who do chose quannity.

OK so she starts making a recovery. Lets get real here. She is not going to make a full recovery. She is not going to make a signifigant recovery after 10 years of the veg state. There is little of here ever having capabilites of speach. If shes needed a feeding tube to survive for the past ten years then she'll probobly need it for another ten. Shes probobly never going to walk again....Oh ya....that sounds absolutly splendid to me. If your religous id think youd want to send her on her way if anything.

Its sad whats happend but it is time to move on. : \

Also i have an uncle whos abusive to my aunt. She has MS and has trouble walking much less dealing with him. Well theyve broken up but he doesnt beleive in divorce. No i dont know why i dont generaly talk to an uncle whos beaten his wife with MS. Just thought it was interesting that both wont divorce? Just a thought but maybe everyone should think about media hype before going into a blood bath feeding frenzy over this guy.

Originally posted by Civil44
I have a question all of you are saying hes money hungry and just wants to run off with all the insurance cash... well whats insurance for anyways? if something happens to your loved one you want insurance on them to get money. thats the whole point of insurance. if shes a veg then shes as good as dead. Period. If theres no hope of here leading a somewhat normal life again then shes dead. Period. let him collect the insurance and move on jeez youd want nothing less in his situation.

Civil44, that would have to be the most cold hearted, ignorant and litigious comment i have
read today.

edit:sp

[edit on 1-3-2005 by sanctum]

Prehaps. but everyone has his opinion.

For the love of god let the poor woman go. Against it for religious reasons? Consider this, if you believe in an afterlife that is eternal why would you want to be left in this state for as long as possible? Her mind has been gone for a long time. There is nothing there. Remember that she has been kept alive by machines. So the argument that the part of the brain that keeps organs functioning is still there so she is still there is just flat wrong. Let her finally cross into heaven. There are many things worse than death. This is one of them.

Let me pose a scenario... Someone puts a person in a cell and locks the door.


We then refuse food and water until they die.

There is not a court in the world that would not call that murder.


Whats the difference?

Originally posted by booger
Let me pose a scenario... Someone puts a person in a cell and locks the door.


We then refuse food and water until they die.

There is not a court in the world that would not call that murder.


Whats the difference?

Terry has done nothing wrong...... she's not in prison... well, I guess she sort of is, in a way...

I'm praying for a miracle to happen here soon....

Let me pose a question to everyone here.

1. If your Wife/ Husband were left Severely retarded due to an accident or chemical imbalance and all they needed to remain alive was a feeding tube, Would you pull it?

2. Same as above, but what if it was your Son/ Daughter?

Lastly, if you say yes you would pull the tube please explain your reasoning and NO you cannot say because they wouldn't want to live that way as an easy way out.

Yes. It's a no brainer. It's all about the quality of life for everyone concerned.