The Terri Schiavo Debate Is Far, Far From Over
By Carol Devine-Molin (03/29/05)
Terri Schaivo’s death is imminent unless some emergency intervention can be successfully achieved. She has been deprived of food and hydration for almost thirteen days and will soon pass into eternity. However, the life and death questions prompted by this case will continue to be the focus of intense examination.
Personally, I'm both shocked and sickened regarding this entire matter. It’s difficult for me to imagine the overwhelming angst that Terri’s parents and siblings are experiencing as they watch her starve to death. That’s got to be torturous. A part of me still can't believe that this poor woman has been systematically denied justice resulting in the forfeiture of her life. Of course I’m not alone – A multitude of Americans share these same sentiments. According to a recent Gallup Poll, about 39% of Americans disagree with the “federal judge's decision that resulted in the feeding tube being left unattached”. The Gallup website also notes that, “the public expresses sympathy for both Schiavo's parents and her husband, but is more sympathetic toward the parents”. Americans, by and large, are very caring people.
But, beyond dealing with our deep sadness concerning Terri Schiavo’s plight, what's the pivotal question that we should be pondering? It's this: How did the Schiavo case culminate in such an awful state of affairs? An honest assessment reveals a harsh and disturbing truth: Husband Michael Schiavo was hell-bent on having Terri's feeding tube removed so that she could be starved to death. Michael Schiavo wanted Terri euthanized and he succeeded with the support of a Left-leaning judiciary that marched in lockstep and failed to exhibit proper respect for human life. And from my perspective, the judicial decisions that led to Terri’s current predicament were not only immoral; they were also an assault on common sense.
And here’s a salient follow-up question: Does the public truly grasp some of the complex issues that are part and parcel of this case? By Florida law, the husband is the guardian of a disabled wife who is not able to communicate and act on her own behalf. Here, the putative husband and decision maker, Michael Schiavo, is “conflicted” – He’s had a common law wife for the past ten years and two children from that union. In truth, he now has a new wife, and Terri is no longer the wife that he protects and loves above all others. Simply put, a man cannot have two wives. Isn’t it conceivable that he’s being driven to euthanize Terri to inherit all jointly held monies and assets? Is Michael Schiavo really an impartial decision maker? Or, does he have his own agenda? Clearly, Michael Schiavo’s role as guardian and surrogate for Terri should have been revoked by the Court years ago.
Michael Schiavo indicates there’s only about fifty thousand dollars left from a million dollar settlement, but whether this is true or not still remains to be determined. And, besides, fifty thousand is not that small a sum of money for a struggling family. Years after her brain injury, Michael Schiavo first alleged that Terri didn’t want “any tubes” to keep her alive. Now, he insists that she wished to be cremated. Can Michael Schiavo be believed? Terri Schiavo was a practicing Catholic and the claim that she wanted to be cremated really doesn’t have the ring of truth to it. Who knows what Terri actually said! This is all hearsay. There’s no clear and convincing evidence that any of this was uttered by Terri. In fact, her parents and siblings directly contradict Michael Schiavo’s statements about Terri. Terri’s parents, the Schindlers - her own flesh and blood - should have been designated her guardians by the Courts. That was the reasonable thing to do. And, for the sake of his common law wife and their two children, Michael Schiavo should have sought a divorce from Terri.
I’ve watch the wall to wall coverage on Terri Schiavo, and the views of the doctors varied. How can life and death decisions be made by the Courts when even the doctors can’t agree about her condition? Doctors who have examined Terri are not uniform in their diagnosis of “persistent vegetative” state. There were indications that Terri exhibited some consciousness and responsiveness to her surroundings, and that she could improve somewhat with the right rehabilitation as cited by renowned medical practitioner Dr. William Hammesfahr. Unfortunately, Terri received minimal rehabilitation because of Michael Schiavo’s directives. To continue, Terri’s not in a coma-like state. Some doctors indicated that the more appropriate diagnosis for Terri is brain injured and disabled. And she’s partially blind, which accounts for the fact that people and things must come within 18 inches of her eyes in order to elicit a response. The public should understand that our current knowledge on brain injuries is very limited – It’s a very inexact science. And, amazingly, even basic testing had not been conducted on Terri, such as an MRI. Considering that there are so many unanswered questions regarding Terri’s condition and her ostensible wishes, why were the Courts so willing to have her feeding tube pulled? What was the rush to administer a death sentence? And where was the “due process"?
Terri’s parents, the Schindlers, fought valiantly to save their brain-injured daughter from starvation so that they, and their other adult children, could care for her. Any decent man would have relinquished the care and custody of his disabled wife to her parents rather than seeking to euthanize her. But no, Michael Schiavo seemed almost obsessed with retaining his power as surrogate, intent on following through with his own plan to the bitter end. And, instead of opting to return Terri’s body to her parents for Catholic funeral rites, including a wake and interment in Florida, Michael Schiavo has decided to have her immediately cremated with the remains moved to the Schiavo family burial plot in Pennsylvania. But, as we well know, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Frankly, Michael Schiavo has been incredibly vicious toward the Schindlers, again demonstrating less-than-honorable character, or so it would seem to the average person.
During the zealous media coverage on Terri Schiavo these past few weeks, there was little in the way of good news or anything that smacked of fundamental fairness, except for two items: Florida Circuit Judge George Greer – the presiding state court judge who ordered Terri’s feeding tube removed – was encouraged to leave his congregation by the Pastor William Rice of the Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater who felt “it might be easier for all of us”. In response, Greer severed his ties with the congregation. The St.Petersburg Times’ article also quoted the pastor as saying to Greer, "But you must know that in all likelihood it is this case which will define your career and this case that you will remember in the waning days of life. I hope you can find a way to side with the angels and become an answer to the prayers of thousands." Reportedly, Judge Greer had been criticized for his handling of the Schiavo matter by a Baptist publication. The church clearly supported “keeping Schiavo alive”. Essentially, there were believers that found Judge Greer’s judicial decision on removal of the feeding tube objectionable, and rejected his presence at the church.
The second bit of encouraging news was reflected in the statements of Dr. Michael Baden, former NYC forensic pathologist, who indicated that the parents of Terri Schiavo would probably be successful in acquiring an autopsy for their daughter, pursuant to serious allegations of domestic violence (against Terri) that continue to swirl around Michael to this day. Dr.Baden’s statements were made on the Sean Hannity radio program on 3/28/05. Friends and coworkers of Terri Schiavo had expressed concern due to frequent black and blue marks on her limbs in the late 1980s. According to media reports, the Schindlers feel that Michael Schiavo might have physically abused their daughter, and they are at a loss to explain the broken bones Terri exhibited at the time she was found unconscious and oxygen deprived for a period of five minutes back in 1990, and which resulted in her brain damaged condition. Now Michael Schiavo could well be innocent of any and all allegations of domestic abuse and an autopsy could vindicate him. Unfortunately, Michael Schiavo is an extremely controlling individual (a characteristic that goes hand-in-glove with domestic violence) and he’s been vicious toward Terri’s parents, even refusing to return Terri’s body to them for a Catholic burial. These are the type of behaviors, which raise concerns.
Interestingly, Michael Schiavo never publicly addressed the possibility of having an autopsy conducted on Terri until days ago. It now appears that Florida law essentially calls for an autopsy when a body is to be cremated and there are unanswered questions. In this particular case the medical examiner would clearly deem it warranted. Certainly, autopsy results would cast light on the cause of Terri’s brain injuries, which were never definitively determined. Although doctors initially surmised that Terri suffered a heart attack that caused a lack of oxygen to the brain, she might have actually experienced a brain hemorrhage due to an assault or a fall. Since an autopsy is now inevitable, Michael Schiavo is placing the best spin on circumstances, claiming that he wants it. Otherwise, it would appear as if he had something to hide.
Lastly, despite the controversy, the President and Congress rightfully involved themselves in the Terri Schiavo case since: a) life and death was at stake, and, b) a grave injustice was seemingly underway in the Court system, which violated Terri’s civil rights. Our government has a system of checks and balances that’s predicated on three co-equal branches of the government: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. Basically, we now have a judiciary that’s out of control, demonstrates hubris and refuses to be reined-in. It’s actually the duty of the other two branches of government to take action when necessary. The public needs to take note of the problems in the judiciary, and to support the President and the Congress in efforts to stem the tide of liberal activist judges.
And, since time is of the essence, it’s wonderful to see the Reverend Jesse Jackson exhibit the moral courage to help out Terri Schiavo and the Schindlers, despite his political party’s current hands-off approach on this matter. Clearly, adherence to a pro-life stance that rejects the culture of death cuts across party lines.
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