by La Shawn on June 15, 2005
in Schiavo
According to Terri Schiavo’s autopsy report, she was severely brain-damaged. OK.
For me, the whole tragedy surrounding Terri and the people who wanted her dead didn’t hinge on how severely brain-damaged she was. She was alive and wasn’t on life support, and her husband’s credibility was extremely low, too low to trust his assertion that Terri wanted to die if ever severely brain-damaged. Forget about what you’d want if you were ever in the same condition. Take yourselves out of the equation.
The way they killed her was appalling, and I was angry for a long time afterward. I’m giving you a heads-up. Don’t be alarmed or disgusted by the liberal media and liberal bloggers (and some conservatives, too) declaring that Terri’s wayward husband is somehow “vindicated” by the autopsy report. The doctor-induced starvation was immoral.
Look at the thing itself, to paraphrase a fictional man-eater paraphrasing Marcus Aurelius. What is it in itself? What is its nature, this culture of death?
It is dark, dank, and putrid. And hungry.
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by La Shawn on March 31, 2005
in Schiavo
It’s all over.
Around the web: Confederate Yankee, Reformed Politics, Pajama Hadin, Outside the Beltway, Captain’s Quarters, Wizbang, Sierra Faith, GOP Bloggers, The Political Teen (video), Michael King, Alternaview, Michelle Malkin, HyScience, JackLewis.net, Mudville Gazette, ARGGHHH!, The Anchoress…
More bloggers: Three Bad Fingers, Jackson’s Junction, Blogical Conclusions, Polipundit (and here), Jeff Jarvis, Right Wing News, Don Singleton, Scott Ott, Wittenberg Gate, Bird’s Eye View, HCS and Gen’s Pad, Double Toothpicks, Kobayashi Maru, Biblical Christianity, Chaos Central, Adrian Warnock, Air Force Voices, My Sandmen, Sisu, Jerry McClellan, Baldilocks, Lifelike Pundits, MartiniPundit…
Previous obituaries: Johnnie Cochran, Ossie Davis, Johnny Carson, Shirley Chisholm, Rick James, Ronald Reagan and Superman.
Update: Hating the “Religious Right”
Update II: Kate Adamson, a woman once diagnosed as being in a Persistent Vegetative State, will be on Larry King Live tonight. Dory at Wittenberg Gate interviewed her.
Update III (4/1): James White, my favorite Christian apologist, travels across the country debating on such topics as the doctrine of the trinity, solo scriptura, predestination, papal infallibility, etc. He also won Best Overall Evangelical Blog in the 2005 Evangelical Blog Awards. Yesterday he blogged about Terri Schiavo. It’s a must-read.
Check out the Blogs4God round-up.
David Limbaugh:
Significant numbers of people were outraged in 1973, when the Supreme Court placed its “holy” imprimatur on the murder of babies in the womb and overstepped its bounds by tying up states on the issue through a constitutional right it manufactured.
But over the last several decades, despite a virtual monopoly by leftist forces in academia, the major media and Hollywood, the public’s sentiment toward protecting babies in utero has matured, and its aversion to judicial activism has grown.
People have a sense, if not any particular sophistication in constitutional analysis, that there is something radically wrong with the Orwellian propaganda that “social change” ought to emanate from the courts rather than legislative bodies.
by La Shawn on March 25, 2005
in Schiavo
Update IV (3/26 @ 12:22 p.m.) Judge Greer rejects emergency appeal.
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I’ve learned from FOX News that the Schindler’s have made an emergency appeal to Judge Greer (trial judge) tonight to order reinsertion of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube. I can’t find a link to the story, though. Greta Van Susteren is standing by for Judge Greer’s ruling, which may come tonight. Check Yahoo! full coverage for updates.
A man has been arrested for making threats against Michael Schiavo via the Internet. In that case, he shouldn’t be the only one. How many people have said or written such things about Schiavo in the past week out of emotion? Should they all be arrested?
Greta’s interviewing a nurse who claims Michael Schiavo told her (and cried) that he didn’t know what to do about Terri. “We never talked about it,” she claims he said.
Update: From CNN: “In a separate, emergency motion, on which a Florida state judge is expected to rule by noon Saturday, the Schindlers contend that their daughter has expressed the wish to live.”
They say Terri was trying to say, “I want to live.” I’m doubtful about this.
It’s 10:47 p.m., and I’m going to bed. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Update II (3/26): FOX finally updated its site. Also see LifeNews.
Update III (12:05 p.m.): Still awaiting Judge Greer’s response to their emergency motion, the Schindler’s say they won’t seek additional appeals.
Update II (3/25): The Schindler’s second appeal to Judge Whittemore fails. They appealed again to the 11th Circuit. The court will likely turn them away a second time.
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Liberals’ newfound respect for “federalism” is completely disingenuous. People who support a national policy on abortion are prohibited from ever using the word “federalism.”
I wholeheartedly agree, Ann.
During the Federal Marriage Amendment debate, liberals were suddenly supporter’s of “states’ rights.” Strangely enough, they couldn’t be bothered with it when the Supreme Court struck down a sodomy law in Texas. Or when the same court discovered a right to privacy to kill babies, despite state laws to the contrary. It seems that liberals favor states’ rights as long as death is involved. Except the deaths of convicted murderers, that is.
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by La Shawn on March 23, 2005
in Schiavo
Surreal.
See Slanting the News Against Terri Schiavo and I Come To Bury Terri Schiavo, Not Praise Her.
Interesting story in the Washington Post (reg. req.):
Michele Finn and her husband’s brother, Edward, were on opposite sides of the decision to remove Finn’s feeding tube, but they both thought that his death might bring about some change.
“When this happened to me,” Michele Finn said, “I thought and hoped that it would send a message to government to stay out of these decisions, these very heart-wrenching decisions. It is very disappointing to me that this has gotten up to Congress the way it did over the weekend.”
Hugh Finn’s brother, Edward, who disagreed with his sister-in-law’s decision to withdraw the feeding tube, said his family lives with the circumstances of his brother’s death every day.
“The Schiavo case and my brother’s case are identical,” he said. He said he thought the issues raised by his brother’s death might have resulted in new laws proposed by politicians who opposed Finn’s feeding tube being removed.
Pro-life blogger Kevin McCullough writes: “How is it that this doctor [William Hammesfahr] with these credentials is being ignored by the judges, and the media regarding the facts of the case of Terri Schiavo’s actual medical condition?”
Also see Michelle Malkin’s latest column.
by La Shawn on March 22, 2005
in Schiavo
I’ve been trying to suppress this feeling, but I can’t stand the thought of Terri Schiavo lying in that bed slowly dying, while people who love her can only watch. THIS IS NOT RIGHT!!! Her mother is watching her child die. I just saw a video clip of Terri’s mother standing over her touching the face of her starving daughter. But I take comfort in knowing there will be an accounting for this.
Commenting is closed because I don’t want or need opinions right now. Trackbacking is enabled, though. I encourage Christian bloggers to trackback to this post. (Non-Christian bloggers may trackback, too.) Give us some words of comfort, something I’m unable to provide at the moment.
And pray.
Afterthought: I wonder how much jail time you’d get for deliberately starving your dog.
After-Afterthought: But that’s “unrelated” to the deliberate starvation of a human being, I suppose.
More thoughts: I’ve been snapping at people today. Only one person really deserved it (obsessed troll); the rest didn’t. I apologize. Just tired.
Update (3/23): The Schindler’s appeal to the 11th Circuit was denied this morning. The court said they “failed to demonstrate a substantial case on the merits of any of their claims.” Here’s a PDF copy of the ruling.
Interesting story from the Washington Times:
As in most culture war issues, the battle over Terri Schiavo’s life has attracted an outpouring from an army of traditional values, pro-life, conservative and religious groups.
But there is virtual silence from many of their usual adversaries: The National Organization for Women, NARAL Pro-Choice America and other major pro-choice and feminist groups don’t mention the brain-damaged Florida woman on their Web sites. Neither does Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the National Council of Churches or the National Coalition for Domestic Violence (NCDV), even though these groups often lock horns with some of the organizations defending Mrs. Schiavo’s right to life
Update: Read about a formerly comatose woman who felt hunger pangs after her feeding tube was removed.
by La Shawn on March 22, 2005
in Schiavo
PDF copy of Judge Whittemore’s ruling.
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There are a few points I want to touch on today.
It should be understood that Congress has the authority to remove jurisdiction of cases from state courts to federal courts. Article III of the U.S. Constitution gives the legislature the power to do so. (Also see discussion of Removal From State Court to Federal Court for further details)
[Note: From the Washington Post (reg. req): "Article Three of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to send a case to federal courts, particularly if a person's constitutional rights have been violated. But it is not clear that Congress can dictate guardianship rules to states. "I don't think any power Congress has under the commerce clause or other powers gives them the authority to make federal guardianship laws," said Mary Cheh, a law professor at George Washington University."]
As in all such exercises of government power, the constitutionality of such a move in this case is a legitimate concern. But extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures.
When it comes to homosexual “marriage” or starving Terri Schiavo, liberals pontificate about respect for the “rule of law.” But it was disregard for the rule of law that enabled the Supreme Court to fashion a right to privacy to kill unborn babies out of the “penumbra” of the Constitution. However ironic it is, it’s irrelevant. Political motives of conservatives or liberals are of little importance in this case. The point is to keep Terri alive, at least until more tests can be done to determine the true extent of her condition.
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by La Shawn on March 21, 2005
in Schiavo
Stay informed at FOX News.
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I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m., and someone still scooped me on this one. Terri Schiavo will live another day. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
President Bush and Congress early today gave federal courts jurisdiction over the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman, an extraordinary legislative move designed to permit the reinsertion of a feeding tube that a state court allowed to be removed Friday.
Republican supporters called the emergency bill a “Palm Sunday Compromise” that will keep Terri Schiavo, 41, alive….
The House passed the bill on a 203-58 vote after calling lawmakers back for a Sunday session that stretched past midnight. Bay Area House members did not return for the vote.
The bill, which had been approved by the Senate just hours before, was then rushed to President Bush, who signed the measure into law at 1:22 a.m. today after racing back from Texas on Sunday. My Way News has more updates.
(Big hat tip to Jody at Steal the Bandwagon)
Also see Captain’s Quarters and Michelle Malkin (who scooped us all). Are you blogging about this? Trackback to this post, and I’ll include your link in the round-up.
Liberals for Terri!
Other Terri bloggers: Sierra Faith, Ramblings’ Journal, Double Toothpicks, Down with Absolutes, Pajama Hadin, Musing Minds, Secure Liberty, Sister Toldjah (nice long post), Oh How I Love Jesus, Hugh Hewitt, UNCoRRELATED…
Joshua Claybourn beat me to the punch on this. He discusses the constitutionality of the federal law Bush just signed. Jeff Jarvis raises some valid points.
More bloggers: Lucid Moments, Everything I Know is Wrong…
Update (2:29 p.m.): I can’t remember where I read the time, but I think the federal judge with jurisdiction over this case will either issue a ruling at 3:00 p.m. or will begin the hearing at that time. See this story for more information.
Catez is blogging for Terri in New Zealand.
Update II: Even more Terri blogging – Different River, Outside the Beltway, The View From the Nest, ThoughtsOnline, Reformed Politics, JustOneMinute, The Reid Blog…
Someone asked about a baby in Texas removed from life support. Here’s the link. As tragic as it is, keep this distinction in mind: Unlike the baby, Terri Schiavo is not on life support. She will die not from her brain injury or failure to breath on her own. She will die of starvation. That will be the cause of death.
Also see this Q&A on the Schiavo case.
by La Shawn on March 18, 2005
in Schiavo
Update III (3/19): Commenting is closed on this post. For more discussion, visit Evangelical Outpost.
You may also comment at VodkaPundit.
Update II (9:35 p.m.): Don’t forget to check Blogs for Terri and Terri’s Fight for the latest information.
Update (3:33 p.m.): FOX News is reporting that the tube has been removed.
Please pray for a swift and painless death for Terri and that she received Christ as her Savior before falling into this tragic condition. If her husband played a part in it, God will contend with him. But even his sins are forgivable. If God had mercy on me, he can surely have mercy on Michael Schiavo.
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Unbelievable. I accidentally deleted this morning’s Terri Schiavo post! My apologies to commenters and trackbackers. Oh, well. The good news this morning was that Congress called Terri as a witness to keep her alive. The Florida judge on the case has since ruled that she can be starved to death if her husband so desires. He does.
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by La Shawn on March 7, 2005
in Schiavo
Update (3/18/05): If you’ve landed here through an Internet search, please see the latest post on Terri Schiavo.
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Email from a reader (edited for spelling/clarity):
“I took care of Terri as a respiratory therapist not long after her initial brain injury. She had every test…swallowing, etc. She is in a state of irreversible brain damage. People in her condition have their eyes open, grunt and can make alot of grimaces. The lay person does not realize what a person goes thru day in and day out…how hard it is on the human body…the constant care, and this is really for the people that cannot let go. In this case, her family that can not and will not face the truth. In this case, it is a control issue. When family members will not accept the facts they hang on for selfish reasons.
Please advocate letting Terri go…I have taken care of so many people in this state, and there is no happy outcome. Just heartbreak. The person who is suffering the most is Terri, whose body is in need of constant care, battling infections, bedsores, etc. Blog for the good of Terri…love her and let her go in peace. When a tube feeding is disconnected, a person is never denied water or meds. People need to be aware of the truth of people with severe brain damage and the suffering that lingers. Love is learning to accept the truth and giving peace to Terri finally.
Jo Ann F.”
Semi-Related Update: In response to In the Womb, reader Elizabeth B. sends link to an ultrasound photo and others of her baby boy, delivered last week.
by La Shawn on February 25, 2005
in Schiavo
Update (3/18/05): If you’ve landed here through an Internet search, please see the latest post on Terri Schiavo.
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On March 18, barring a court order to the contrary, Michael Schiavo’s wish will come true. The judge said he’s no longer “comfortable” trying to keep Terri alive. He washes his hands of the whole mess:
The judge wrote that he was no longer comfortable granting delays in the family feud, which has been going on for nearly seven years and has been waged in every level of Florida’s court system. He said the case must end….”The court is no longer comfortable granting stays simply upon the filings of new motions,” Greer wrote. “There will always be ‘new’ issues.” (Source)
Judge Greer’s got better things to do. March Madness must be on the horizon.
See the Schiavo category for links and background information.
Bloggers for Terri: Digital Brown-Pajamas, Blogs for Terri (and the saga of the censored/rejected ad that was subsequently accepted) Pro-Life Blogs, PoliPundit, Anchor Rising…
Terrisfight.org got so many hits, the site was knocked offline.
Read all about the pledge drive.
Update (10:17 p.m.): Michael Savage is going off. Liberals will hold vigils for murderous thugs on death row, thugs who are receiving the due penalty of their errors, but when an INNOCENT brain-damaged woman whose husband has two kids with another woman and may have put her in this state is facing death by starvation, they’ve got nothing to say. The greatest cause is protecting INNOCENT human life. Where are the feminists? Where are the Mumia Abu-Jamal clowns? (Visit the site of slain Officer Daniel Faulkner to clear the stench.)
What freaks they are, the whole lot of them.
Jody is more hopeful (and calmer) than I am. Please visit her site.
Update II (2/26):
Dr. William Burke, a neurologist in St. Louis describes the process: “A conscious person would feel it [dehydration] just as you and I would. They will go into seizures. Their skin cracks, their tongue cracks, their lips crack. They may have nosebleeds because of the drying of the mucous membranes, and heaving and vomiting might ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining . . . death by dehydration takes 10 to 14 days. It is an extremely agonizing death.”
Dignified? If you did that to your pet dog, you’d be locked up for animal cruelty. (Source)
by La Shawn on February 25, 2005
in Schiavo
Update (3/18/05): If you’ve landed here through an Internet search, please see the latest post on Terri Schiavo.
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Unless a judge intervenes, Michael Schiavo will be allowed to remove his wife’s feeding tube, which will begin the starvation process. I haven’t followed the case over the years, so I have no idea if starvation is the normal method of killing brain-damaged patients. As I wrote in a previous post, I know why the doctors won’t simply shoot her up with a lethal dose of something. That would be an unmistakable murder. Think about “partial birth abortion,” and you’ll see the connection. Where is Jack “The Ripper” Kevorkian when you need him?
Terri Schiavo is scheduled to begin a most inhumane route to death today at 5:00 p.m. today. But she may yet live another week or two after abuse allegations may finally be investigated.
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by La Shawn on February 23, 2005
in Schiavo
Kim at Musing Minds just e-mailed me: “Fox News just reported that the Judge has extended the stay for Terri until Friday, February 25th at 5 p.m.”
I hope my life never hinges on a judge’s whim.
Developing…
Update (5:33 p.m.): Tom McMahon has a personal story, “When Will They Be Coming For Ryan?”
Matt Margolis has some advice on living wills.
by La Shawn on February 22, 2005
in Schiavo
Update (3/18/05): If you’ve landed here through an Internet search, please see the latest post on Terri Schiavo.
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Update II: I wondered why the source link suddenly didn’t work. CNSNews retracted the story because there is no stay. It seems that M. Schiavo is free to have his wife killed. See Blogs for Terri.
Update III (5:35 p.m.): Sorry for the late update on this. Long meeting. As you can tell, I’m not the go-to person, but here’s the latest from the Miami Herald:
The fate of a severely brain-damaged woman remained locked in a flurry of legal gamesmanship Tuesday, as a state appeals court cleared the way for her husband to have a feeding tube removed but a local judge then blocked the removal, at least for another day.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal offered no specific instructions in a one-page mandate allowing Michael Schiavo, husband of Terri Schiavo, to order his wife’s tube be removed.
But an hour later, Circuit Court Judge George Greer issued an emergency stay blocking the tube’s removal until 5 p.m. EST Wednesday as both sides prepared for more arguments in his courtroom earlier that day.
More from Musing Minds, Blogs for Terri, Wizbang, Wittenberg Gate…
Update IV (8:48 p.m.): Hugh Hewitt is talking to a very frustrating neurologist who believes Schiavo should be killed. In case you’re wondering, Hugh falls squarely on the side of LIFE!
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The husband of Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman on feeding tubes, will have to wait another day for her to die. Curses! Foiled again.
A Florida circuit court ruled Monday afternoon that Michael Schiavo could take no action until after a previously scheduled hearing on Wednesday.
Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, filed an emergency motion seeking the temporary protection for their daughter after losing an earlier court battle Monday morning. In that action, the Florida Second District Court of Appeals indicated that it would issue a mandate on schedule Tuesday that would clear the way for the lower court to set the date on which Terri’s feeding tube could be removed.
Schiavo’s attorney, “right-to-die” advocate George Felos, had signaled Schiavo’s intention to stop his wife’s nutrition and hydration “immediately” after the issuance of that mandate. The Monday afternoon ruling by Pinellas-Pasco County, Fla., Circuit Judge George Greer prevents that, until at least Wednesday. (Source)
Who’s blogging for Terri? The Anchoress, Allthings2all (offers a great round-up), Terri’s Fight, Pro-Life Blogs, Hyscience (with video)…
Also see Blogging for Terri Schiavo.
Very Important Update: I’m confused about what’s going on. Michael Schiavo is pulling the plug anyway? And I think I’m 24 hours behind the news cycle. The order expired today at 1:00 p.m.? Somebody want to help me out here?
by La Shawn on February 16, 2005
in Schiavo
“By now you have probably heard about a young woman who is threatened with starvation in Florida.
That young woman is my daughter, Terri. In 1990, through circumstances which are shrouded in mystery (and may involve a criminal act by Terri’s estranged husband), my daughter was left severely brain-damaged.
But before I go any further, I must put an end to the lies and misinformation that are circulating around the country through the media concerning my daughter’s condition.
Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a ‘persistent vegetative state;’ nor is she on ANY life-support system.
Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ or ‘yeah’ when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and ‘puckers up’ her lips.
This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri’s mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.
I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.
Why, you may ask, is Terry in danger of death by starvation?
It is a long and outrageous story, but I’ll give it to you as briefly as I can.”
Read the rest. Also see yesterday’s post.
(Hat tip: Pro-Life Blogs and Hyscience)
Also see Uncle Sam’s Cabin.
