Disabled Woman Starved To Death By A Court Order

[Section 8]

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?...RTICLE_ID=34908

A judge in Clearwater, Fla., has set Oct. 15 as the date to begin the starvation death of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, the 39-year-old disabled woman whose husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo, is eager to remove the feeding tube his wife depends upon for sustenance.


Terri Schindler-Schiavo before her disability.

Probate Judge George Greer of the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court announced his decision in a fax sent Sept. 17 to attorneys on both sides in the case.

At the same time, Greer said no to two requests by Terri's parents for rehabilitation of the woman.

An Aug. 26 request by Robert and Mary Schindler of Gulf Port, Fla., asking that their daughter be allowed an eight-week trial of speech, occupational and physical therapy, was rejected, along with a motion made Sept. 10 that Terri be taught to swallow food so she could be spoon-fed once the feeding tube is removed.

As WorldNetDaily reported, Terri's parents have been fighting with their son-in-law for 10 years over the lack of care and therapy he has provided their daughter, who suffered massive brain damage when she collapsed at her home 13 years ago under mysterious circumstances at the age of 26.


Probate Judge George Greer (Photo: Bay News 9)

The contentious family dispute escalated into a major euthanasia battle in 1998 when Schiavo sought court permission to remove her feeding tube, insisting she is in a "persistent vegetative state" and that in casual conversations she had told him she would not want to be kept alive "artificially." Although she breathes on her own and maintains her own blood pressure, she requires a simple tube into her abdomen to her stomach for nourishment and hydration.

Terri's parents and siblings have claimed for years Terri recognizes them and tries to communicate, and over a dozen prominent doctors and therapists have stated with therapy she could be rehabilitated, while a handful of doctors have testified she is "vegetative" or "comatose" and will never regain consciousness. Nonetheless, despite a scarcity of expert testimony and evidence for Schiavo's position, Greer and Florida's appellate courts consistently have sided with him and his attorney, George Felos, the well-known "right-to-die" advocate.

Last month, in a unanimous ruling, the seven-member Florida Supreme Court washed its hands of the matter by turning down an appeal by the Schindlers to review the case. The court's refusal to intervene cleared the way for Schiavo to starve his wife.

"It is clear that Florida is not the state in which to get sick," said Patricia Anderson, the Schindlers' attorney. "This case demonstrates that we all need to be very, very careful in choosing a spouse. It is Mr. and Mrs. Schindler's firm belief that Terri could have been weaned off her feeding tube years ago and would be speaking today if Michael Schiavo had only cared enough about her to see to it she received the proper therapy."

Anderson says she is not giving up and is preparing her case for the federal level.

Here are some people that you can contact:


Governor Jeb Bush
Florida Capitol Building, PL-05
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
(850) 414-3990
(850) 922-4292 (fax)
email: fl_governor@eog.state.fl.us

Attorney General Charlie Crist
Office of Attorney General
State of Florida - The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1050
(850) 414-3990
(850) 487-2564
email: ag@oag.state.fl.us

Attorney General John Ashcroft
US Dept. of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20530-0001
(202) 353-1555
email: askDOJ@usdoj.gov

The Tampa Tribune
Letters to the Editor
PO Box 191
Tampa, FL 33601-4405
email: tribletters@tampatrib.com

The St. Petersburg Times
Letters to the Editor
PO Box 1121
St. Petersburg, FL 33731
email: letters@sptimes.com

Please help Terri to live! She has only until October 15, 2003, then the courts will begin to starve her.

[tnphydeaux]

Here's a few more facts regarding the plight of Terri Schiavo (that's pronounced, she I vo, or alternately, shy vo):
tenyears ago, Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo won a malpractice lawsuit in which he proffered that he need millions to give Terri care and rehabilitation; Michael was awarded $300,000 to him for loss of wifely functions, and $750,000 was awarded to be placed in a trust for Terri's rehabilitation; Michael entered a 'do not resusitate' order on Terri's chart shortly after the money arrived, and gave strict orders that Terri was to receive no rehabilitation, period; over the past decade, Michael has kept Terri bedridden and without stimulation or therapy, not allow even the shade to be raised on the window in her room and certainly not allowed to be wheeled outside; for the past seven years, Michael has been cohabiting with another woman with whom he has one child and another on the way, yet he refuses to divorce Terri and will not relinquish his guardianship; since 1997, Nichael has been seeking a court order to have Terri's feeding port removed from her stomach, and his efforts using one George Felos, euthanasia attorney, have been paid via robbing Terri's rehabilitation trust funds, granted in secret by Judge George Greer, the same judge who has business connections to George Felos through the Hospice programs in Florida (Terri is presntly and for the past three years, been housed in a hospice where she cannot receive medical attention--hospices are the place people are sequestered to die), the same judge who has beforee ordered Terri to be dehydrated and starved to death only to have another judge rule a stay to the order because of appeal on Terri's behalf, the same judge who fired a state appointed guardian who protested that Michael Schiavo was abusing via neglect to Terri's rehabilitation needs, the same judge that refused to allow a swallowing test or therapy to train Terri to swallow again (she does swallow and does not choke on her saliva and sinus mucous output), the same judge that made a show of requesting medical opinions regarding Terri's potentials for rehabilitation yet used a euthanasia physician's opinion (a friend of George Felos, the euthanasia attorney of Michael Schiavo) to determine that Terri would not benefit from rehab therapy yet seven other physicians and speech therapists have testified under penalty of perjury that Terri is an excellent candidate for rehabilitation therapy, the same ajudge who has never gone to see Terri whom he has ordered executed via slow death.

[tnphydeaux]

From a WND article regarding secret cell phone directed therapy undertaken on Terri's behalf:

Regulations generally prohibit a hospice from taking a patient who is not terminally ill and expected to live longer than six months to a year. But Felos was chairman of the board of directors of the hospice and was able to arrange for her admission. He resigned his position shortly thereafter.

A year later, in April 2001, her death by dehydration was ordered to begin, and the day her feeding was stopped her brother and sister came by with a spoon and a cup of pudding, asking a nurse to try to feed her by mouth. The nurse refused and reported the request to others. When Schiavo found out he demanded that Bobby and Suzanne be removed from the list of approved visitors, and Greer rubberstamped his request.

"We were trying to play by the rules," Bobby told WorldNetDaily. "But that didn't matter. We were kicked off the list anyway."

Terri was 60 hours without food or water before a different judge issued an emergency stay because new evidence had come to light, and her feeding was resumed.

The evidence was strong enough for a stay, but not strong enough to end Schiavo's efforts. A series of appeals followed, and in November 2001, the 2nd District Court of Appeals ordered an evidentiary hearing held in the fall of 2002.

Five months following their banishment from the Hospice, Bobby and Suzanne Schindler had their visiting rights restored, but only on condition that they not attempt any spoon-feeding. "I don't want anyone trying to feed that girl," Greer thundered.

Greer did not specifically placed audio-taping and therapy-by-telephone on the list of banned activities, but experience had taught the Schindler family that it was best to keep such efforts to themselves rather than run the risk of angering Schiavo and having their visiting rights suspended.

As WorldNetDaily reported, the Schindlers have been fighting with their son-in-law for 10 years over the lack of care and therapy Schiavo provided for their daughter, who suffered massive brain damage when she collapsed at her home 13 years ago under mysterious circumstances at the age of 26.

The contentious family dispute escalated into a major euthanasia battle in May 1998, when Schiavo petitioned the Florida courts for permission to end his wife's life by disconnecting her feeding tube, insisting she is in a "persistent vegetative state" and that in casual conversations she had told him she would not want to be kept alive "artificially." Although Terri breathes on her on and maintains her own blood pressure, she requires a simple tube into her abdomen to her stomach for nourishment and hydration.

...

[castille]

Your title is very misleading. It shows how people like you are "furthering" your socialist/anarchist cause by simply making a play on words to mislead others.


Here is another news story:

"Beijing fires nuclear missile at Washington, Bush responds with nuclear fire"

Story: China rejected US calls for a cut to their nuclear arsenal, claiming that the 10,000 strong American nuclear arsenal had to see cuts first. Bush responded by stating that the US would consider a carefully-planned reduction of nuclear stockpiles, but China had to sign the same treaty.

[Waychel]

Gotta' love Yellow Journalism.

[tnphydeaux]

Section 8, you posted the title, ' Disabled Woman Starved To Death By A Court Order' , and some humbuggers took issue with the title for being so intense, even referring to it as Yellow Journalism. The title is exactly factual and accurate, but I'd rephrase it to read, 'Disabled Woman Executed Via Starvation At Orders Of Judge George Greer, Florida'.

[Waychel]

A person is deemed "incapacitated" only if and for so long as a court of competent jurisdiction has made a finding to that effect, upon certification by two physicians (licensed to practice under the laws of the state where the person is domiciled at the time of the certification). This certification is made by each physician in a written declaration under penalty of perjury.

So, a woman not being totally and entirely incapacitated to a degree where euthenasia could be employed would absolutely not be in question. There is no doubt she is indeed in a vegetative or comatose state, regardless of whatever interpretation has lead her children to think otherwise.

The ability to invoke euthenasia in and of itself can only be done if SHE HERSELF bestowed that right unto her trustee, in some sort of last will or testament. So she appointed her husband as trustee and made sure to include a clause requesting euthenasia upon incapacitation in an irreversable vegetative or comatose state in her trust or whatever.

This isn't an example of a woman being sentenced to death.. its a woman who is without a doubt in a comatose state receiving euthenasia as she not only authorized, but requested, and her children simply objecting to it.

[tnphydeaux]

Rachel, your ignorance on the Terri Schiavo case is astonishing. But more astonishing is your glib way of spouting off, pontificating on something that you know near nothing about! You're quite a study.

[Rave7pt0]

I've discussed it with my wife and we've agreed that in such a stae we'd want the "plug pulled" as well, but simply taking the feeding tube is barbaric and it makes my stomach turn at the thought. Abolsolutely horrible. If I were the husband I'd be a fucking man, bite the bullet, and over dose her on morphine, legal ramifications be damned.

Isn't it a cruel twist to live in a society where a death of agony and suffering is allowed by the courts, but a person has no right to request a peaceful, respectful passing.

Pisses me off.

[Vercingetorix]

True, Rave7pt0. Also, consider, in addition to the fact that she told her husband to let her die in such a case, that she has been permanently incapacitated. Some people DIE without oxygen to the brain for 3 minutes...she went without for TEN minutes.

She cannot and will not recover.

[tnphydeaux]

Here's a little something for you little gods of euthanasia to read upon. If you're gonna spout off, at least know the truth of what you're pontificating upon. Getting your facts from manipulative wire stories is lazy ...

http://litigationasspiritualpractice.com/b.../book_about.htm

http://www.baynews9.com/site/NewsStory.cfm...m?storyid=26741

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily...ews/7079354.htm

http://www.friendsofterri.org/bone.html

http://www.zimp.org/complaint.pdf

http://www.hospicepatients.org/Hosp-FL-Sun...-entrypage.html

http://www.hospicepatients.org/FASHNER-Com...Harassment.html

http://www.hospicepatients.org/julie-wells...lower-suit.html
http://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region4/49502111.htm

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/26/Northpin...ts_2nd_ch.shtml

http://www.thehospice.org/phys.htm

http://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/Archive/200...L20030903b.html

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/26/Floridia...son_of_Te.shtml