To those that have expressed relief that this is now “over”, be advised that there are indeed hundreds of other such cases out there, and the rulings provided in Terri Schiavo’s death by starvation case simply open the door for more of this.
The US system of jurisprudence is based on case law, and this one sets the precedent.
So, who’s next on the new ‘Death Row’ ?
I sure wouldn’t call my feelings ‘relief’… but when the people who should be making the decisions, either don’t , or don’t agree… this is what is inevitible…
Such a sad thing, all the way around.
My heart goes out to all involved.
Probably a couple thousand people in Iraq.
That is so horrible.
I’m slowly moving to the place spiritually and politically where I can say I am pro-life in all cases. Being pro-life in the death penalty arena is easy for me, but cases like Terri Schiavo’s (and abortion, of course) really keep me conflicted.
Yep. I’ve never been able to be in the anti-abortion camp (and am therefore politically pro-choice,) despite my personal feelings about it–partly because women cannot always be expected to cope with pregnancies…there are situations, and extreme times, which no-one can judge apart from the woman involved. Sometimes people are choosing among choices, any of which they know to be tragic.
:roll: (shakes head)
Riiiiight…
Cheers,
David
Scoff if you will, but there are people out there that see this court-ordered starvation of a human being as being cruel and unusual punishment.
Funny…I thought the removal of the feeding tube was family (husband) ordered and the supported by the court. Punishment? I’m pretty sure Terry died a long time ago…
David
What’s “funny” about starvation?
If he’d refused to feed his dog, he’d have been arrested.
That he had the support of a court order doesn’t make it right. And therein lies the problem with the decision of Judge Greer.
Since when is food and water considered medical treatment?
Since when are judges infallible?
The bigger issue now becomes the legal Pandora’s box that has now been opened.
Funny…I thought the removal of the feeding tube was family (husband) ordered and the > supported > by the court. Punishment? I’m pretty sure Terry died a long time ago…
David
And “pretty sure” is good enough? Seems to me there were facts that had yet to be determined about her level of consciousness, awareness, ability to feel pain, and so on.
And why, exactly, if she were unable to feel pain, did they have a morphine drip going for the last however long? Far as I can tell, the morphine served one of two purposes: 1) She COULD feel pain (thereby negating the “total lack of consciousness/awareness” argument) and morphine was used to dull her response to starvation and dehydration, or 2) How easy would it have been to turn it up just a tad too much and end her life sooner?
I’m “pretty sure” that there was a significant lack of certainty in some of the “facts” of this case.
JLarsson
Nevah moind.
:roll: (shakes head again)
Riiiiight…
That is a true thing…
-David
Well…since I personally didn’t have any input into any of the pertinent decisions I don’t think my “pretty sure” really matters a squat does it? I think that in these cases there are facts that can never be determined with 100% certainty.
Yeah!..What Cranberry said (and then edited out)! 
The real victims of this media circus are Terry’s family. Her husband and her parents who both felt they were making the right choice and now have so many prying eyes and attitudes into what should have been personal business from the beginning. This, in theory, could have been reported by the media with anonymity for all of the family involved. (Yeah…right…) Re: living wills, I have personal experience and pain with these sort of choices and what the ramifications a lack of proper communication from a loved one can mean. I will not go into the details in this forum. Frankly, it is none of any of your business. Suffice it to say while as a parent I can empathize with the pain Terry’s parents are feeling I feel more support for the pain and hard choice her husband made.
Cheers,
David
All through the pages of discussion of this issue on C&F I’ve noticed (on both “sides”) an amazing twisting of facts - either intentional or unintentional, exaggerations, etc. It would be impossible for anyone here to have any kind of meaningful discussion of the issues when there is so much misinformation thrown around. Many items are simply stated as fact when other sources (news, newspapers, etc.) contradict those statements. It has become a completely meaningless conversation about issues that will never be agreed on here or even discussed intelligently. It’s stupid to even take part in it any more.
Susan
That’s why I post about kazoos and gumballs.
But wait…you just did! Duh-oh!
Sorry…just kidding!
Cheers,
David
Personally, I loved the gumball one 
Cheers,
David
My pleasure.
There are those who have been following the case for years and those who just discovered it.
Your position suggest to me that you don’t want to know anything about it any more, and I think this applies to most people on the planet. Its just f…ing inconvenient to consider whether an injustice was done or not.
The Waco Massacre was treated similarly by many. No riots in Berkeley the night our government barbecued 80 people. Had the people all been from a traditional victim group, or been Al-Quaeda suspects, it might have been covered differently and seen differently by some here on the Forum. I have nothing in common with David Koresh but I was appalled by the actions of the government. That issue was basically started because of asset seizure and forfeiture, a non-sexy issue that Rep. Henry Hyde took on years ago, to hardly any public reaction. Even when it was all over, few were reflective enough to remember that Koresh was to be arrested in his home so it could be taken, rather than arrested in town. That was the policy of the govt. at the time, and may still be…
The Elian Gonzalez thing was another episode where some very basic issues of legality, human rights were thrown together. Once again, I found it bizarre to see Janet Reno’s stormtroopers alight in their action.
At some point in all of these, the sanctions of the judicial system was involved so for some to now celebrate that “justice was done” stinks of their own traditional animosity to the political side that they abhor. I can see what is being said, that no one crossed the line and defied the courts. But the bigger question is the increasing power of the courts. It bothered many of you back in, oh, 2000 when Bush “stole” the election because of the courts.
The Schiavo situation is Shakespearean because it touches on so many issues regarding messy human beings. We are arguing a larger state issue about liquidating invalids, a legal issue of spousal rights, taking sides because of who is aligned on any given side, looking at a feuding family, etc. There is no doubt that every aspect has been “ginned up” by the media, but maybe IT SHOULD BE because of social moves towards euthanasia. Our society is struggling with this issue, largely because our capitalist system and health care corporations are demanding it.
I was concerned and interested in this case before any prominent politicians, left or right, cared about it. To me, this remains a chilling end to a long unresolved dispute. I sincerely hope a disinterested doctor can be found, SOMEWHERE, to perform an autopsy and perhaps some resolution may occur.
That said, it IS hard to not be “taken for a ride” by the facts chosen to be emphasized by the media. Glauber did a smart thing by posting the decision itself. But unfortunately, that judgement itself was very suspect. Anyone who is truly interested could do a little digging and come to understand how many dimensions there are to the case.
For you to defend Michael Schiavo I find incredible, given his behavior for the past 10 years or so. I can’t believe we have read the same things, unless either of us is chucking it all out because it might not be credible. If nothing else, I would expect any open-minded person to be skeptical about this character, who got his award, then started new relationships and deprived his wife of any rehab. That’s not an exaggeration, it’s a fact. The guy could have divorced at any time in all of this but he must have risked losing the money from the trust by doing so. It certainly wasn’t because he was faithful. Remember that the award was partly for rehab, partly for his “pain and suffering.”
What I see now is the silent hand of the spook corporate-govt complex trying to smooth it all over now. Get back to work, consumption and yer Prozac and forget about it. And don’t forget to toss an insult to those who remain concerned about whether an injustice took place.
I…I…just…didn’t want to get in trouble, again! 