Florida Loses Appeal in Terri Schiavo Case

[kddani]

Originally posted by Rudey
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/29/na...ackson.html?hp

Jackson Meets With Schiavo's Parents in Florida

Published: March 29, 2005


INELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) -- The parents of Terri Schiavo met and prayed Tuesday with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who called her impending death "an injustice."

Joining the conservatives who have rallied to the parents' cause, the liberal Jackson said he would call state senators who opposed legislation that would have reinserted Schiavo's feeding tube and ask them to reconsider.

Read rest at link above.

-Rudey

Wow, for a second I thought it was Michael Jackson. That's all the media needs, combine the 2 top stories of the past couple weeks into one.

Like anyone's going to listen to Jesse Jackson, ha.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by kddani
Wow, for a second I thought it was Michael Jackson. That's all the media needs, combine the 2 top stories of the past couple weeks into one.

Like anyone's going to listen to Jesse Jackson, ha.

I thought the same thing. I was like wow, that Michael sure is trying to get the sympathy from the religious folks now.

-Rudey

[DeltaSigStan]

It was almost ssad to hear the Schindler spokespeople plead for the tube to be reinserted. I recall a brother or something asking Congress: "Is this about politics or do you really care about this person".

For many involved, it's the former.....

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

I wonder how many years the legal battle to remove the Pope's feeding tube will last?

[ASUADPi]

This was in today's AZ Republic and to me it made perfect sense so I thought I would share it.

"Ignoring suffering of everyone who isn't Terri Schiavo"

by E.J. Montoni a Republic Columnist

There is a con man's technique that politicians sometimes use to manipulate the public and never has it worked better than with Terri Schiavo.

The scheme involves making a very big deal about the plight of a single person to get us to ignore the plight of hundreds, thousands or even millions of others.

Two-bit hustlers use distraction and diversion techniques to lift your wallets or empty your bank account. Political flimflammers use the tragedy of a single family to distract you from the horror they are inflicting upon your friends and neightbors.

And it works. Dozens of e-mails asking (sometimes demanding) me to take up Schiavo's cause were waiting for me Monday after having spent last week on vacation. The megaphone being used by politicians in Washington D.C., to rant about Schiavo drowns out discussion even in places as far away as Arizona.

And while I heard a lot about Schiavo, I didn't have a single email expressing outrage over Arizona budget proposal calling for cuts in child-abuse prevention programs or subsidies for the working poor.

Or for the plan not to increase the budget for the state's Child Protective Services. Even though such decisions are certain to condemn some Arizona children to death.

And while President Bush and Congress rushed to intervene in the Schiavo case, saying they were acting to preserve life, they were in no hurry to discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid, which helps the poor. And they avoided talking about the tens of millions of Americans with no health insurance and how many of them will die for the lack of it.

And that's just the beginning. The noise surrounding the Schiavo case overwhelms the misery of the many thousands who will suffer under Congress' latest bankruptcies filed, to receive the protection they previously had under the law.

Nor would families like Schiavo's be able to collect large medical malpractice settlements under a president and Congress who are working hard to limit the amount of awards for such lawsuits.

Without the money from litigation to pay for their care how many other Terri Schiavos would be condemned to die?

In Florida, where Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother, attempted to override the state courts on behalf of Schiavo's parents, I wonder how many citizens know about Bush's plan to eliminate portions of a program that helps gravely ill working people who are out of insurance money.

When Congress passed special legislation to allow the federal courts to get involved in the Schiavo case, the effort was led by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. It turns out 17 years ago DeLay agreed with family members to not allow doctors to use extraordinary means to extend the life of his father.

With Schiavo, however, DeLay said, "We should investigate every avenue before we take the life from a human being,"

President Bush cut short his vacation to return to Washington and sign the bill because he also felt that every avenue should be explored, even though Schiavo's condition has been unchanged for 15 years.

The purity of their motives might be less in question if they'd said the same thing in March 2003, when diplomats asked the United States to wait 45 more days before invading Iraq. They asked the we explore every avenue before starting a war that would take thousands of lives. The president and his partners in Congress said no.

reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com


I can't say I agree with everything he said (ie. the lawsuits, IMPO there should be a cap b/c of the outrageous amounts doctors are paying in malpractice insurance, which raises my insurance premiums). But, IMPO, a lot of what he said makes sense to me. Especially the last paragraph. I wonder how many people who have died in Iraq, might still be alive today if they had just waited like they were asked.

I personally feel that Terri probably would not want to live the way she has the last 15 years. I also feel that her parents are unwilling or unable to accept their daughters condition, but their are probably thousands of other cases just like Terri out there and they aren't in the public media.




Anyways, I thought this column might be of some interest to people.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
I wonder how many years the legal battle to remove the Pope's feeding tube will last?

Interesting. Especially when he doesn't have the ability to swallow (easily) and Terri Schiavo can.

[DELTAQTE]

Originally posted by honeychile
Interesting. Especially when he doesn't have the ability to swallow (easily) and Terri Schiavo can.

I haven't seen anyone say that. I thought that was the issue with the feeding tube. Why would she need one if she's been able to chew and swallow all this time? Is there an article on that?


Anyway, the thing that pisses me off about this case is that on Terri's parents side, you have doctors saying "She's suffering! Her tongue and mouth are cracked and bleeding!" And then other doctors saying that it isn't true and that she's "peaceful"

So which one is it? I'm tired of the lies, cause someone is lying here.

I watched MSNBC today(Coast to Coast with Ron Reagan) and I think I finally got the answer. They had 4 of the TOP doctors in Neurology on the show and they broke down Terri's case better than any show I've seen. They explained why Terri's brain stem is still functional, and that if she were to "get better" that it would have happened a year or so after the accident, not 15 years. It really was informative and it convinced me that Terri has NO WAY of coming out of this EVER. I was glad to hear from doctors who weren't invested in the case.

[kddani]

they filed yet ANOTHER appeal. The court shouldn't have even let them file. At least they haven't said yet whether they'd take the case.

[kddani]

Originally posted by honeychile
Interesting. Especially when he doesn't have the ability to swallow (easily) and Terri Schiavo can.

Of course, he also hasn't been in a coma for 15 years and his brain functions, aside from his Parkinsons or whatever he has that has hindered him the past decade or however long.

Two totally different situations.

Plus since when can she swallow? If she could, she'd at least have had a liquid diet of some sorts or baby food.

[ZTAngel]

Isn't Terri pretty much past the point-of-no-return now? Even if they reinserted the feeding tube, wouldn't she still probably die in a few days? I thought I had heard that from somewhere.

[kddani]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
Isn't Terri pretty much past the point-of-no-return now? Even if they reinserted the feeding tube, wouldn't she still probably die in a few days? I thought I had heard that from somewhere.

Yes, I believe so. Reinserting the feeding tube may prolong her death a little, but isn't that even more torturous? After 12 days without food or water i'm sure all of her organs are in failure. Though with as disillusioned as this family is they'd probably insist that she be bumped to the top of the transplant list or something....

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
Isn't Terri pretty much past the point-of-no-return now? Even if they reinserted the feeding tube, wouldn't she still probably die in a few days? I thought I had heard that from somewhere.

Yeah, but the Shindlers haven't let medical reality stop them so far -- why start now?

[kddani]

Federal judge just denied the request for rehearing

[DeltaSigStan]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Yeah, but the Shindlers haven't let medical reality stop them so far -- why start now?

I found that statement quite hilarious for some reason...........

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by DELTAQTE
I haven't seen anyone say that. I thought that was the issue with the feeding tube. Why would she need one if she's been able to chew and swallow all this time? Is there an article on that?

Trust me, I'd like to see an article on that as well. Because honeychile isn't the first person to say that she has the capability to eat and swallow... this same topic is an emotional one at another board I frequent. And someone mentioned that Terri could be fed Jello at some point.

But then that brings up the question... if she can eat SOMETHING without the feeding tube, why 15 years on it?

Yahoo has an article out now about the latest appeal being turned down. The father is saying that her organs are functioning... whatever that means. And how he found out is not mentioned either.

Link