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.

Related posts and links: See the entire Schiavo category for background, Damnum Absque Injuria, Blogs for Terri, Pro-Life Blogs, ThreeBadFingers…

News: NYTimes, CNSNews, MSNBC (autopsy report “backs” husband), Associated Press, more Associated Press…

Update (6/16): Michelle Malkin responds:

Late last night, I took the time to read the 39-page autopsy report of Terri Schiavo–something which, it is clear to me, most of the callous gloaters on the other side of this debate have not bothered to do. And will never do. These are people who can only talk about the sanctity of life if it’s enclosed in ghost quotes and pronounced with a sneer.

You do not need a medical examiner’s license to see that the report raises many more questions than it answers, though from the (once again) misleading media coverage, we are led to believe that the matters of Terri’s life and murder are resolved. They are not.

Blogger and radio show host Cindy Swanson interviewed Schindler family attorney, David Gibbs III. An excerpt:

DAVID: We need to remember that the IME, the independent medical examiner, is looking at a dead body, a corpse, and trying to evaluate by looking at what is there and essentially, we understood as the Schindler family and as the legal team that Terri was brain-injured. And he has confirmed in that report that indeed she was significantly brain-injured.

But that does not eliminate some of the questions that still remain as to what caused her injuries, and certainly what we would call the larger moral or legal issues still remain.

The IME said clearly that Terri was not terminal, and what that means is she was not going to die because of her brain-injured condition, her disability; she had no living will, she’d put nothing in writing as to her wishes; her heart was remarkably strong and would have continued for many years; and that the immediate cause of death was this brutal dehydration that Terri was taken, where she had no hydration, no nourishment, and died over those period of days.

The rest.

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.

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.

When the people of California approved Proposition 209, outlawing skin color discrimination in public admissions and hiring, liberals wanted a judge to strike it down. When the people of Arizona approved Proposition 200, a law that requires “proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo ID to vote, and proof of eligibility for non-federally mandated public benefits (welfare),” liberals wanted that law stricken, too. Do you see a pattern here?

When it comes to the protection of life, decency, fairness and American values in general, liberals dismiss the will of the people, preferring judge-made law. But when death, destruction, and indecency are in play, suddenly the will of the people is paramount. I got a kick out of reading the rambling posts of liberal bloggers pontificating about “the rule of law.” It was hysterical.

Meanwhile, Terri Schiavo starves. It’s been a week since her feeding tube was removed.

Captain Ed responds to a reader about Judge Greer. Lorie Byrd blogs in the wee hours. Also be sure to check out Wittenberg Gate. Gerry Phelps argues that providing food and water is not “artificial life support.” Wizbang says the case is over.

Steven Sailer:

[M]illions of Blue State Baby Boomers are in line to inherit a bundle … but not if Mom or Dad lives forever or, especially, if his or her slowly declining health requires a fortune in expensive care. A nice quick fatal heart attack would do the trick, but with Lipitor and the like these days, oldsters are going slower.

So, when you wonder why a lot of people, especially Democrats, are okay with starving Terri Schiavo to death instead of having her kept expensively alive, follow the money.

Update (11:08 a.m.): Supreme Court tells Schindlers to get lost. Governor Jeb Bush files for custody of Terri Schiavo. (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)

Peggy Noonan:

I do not understand the emotionalism of the pull-the-tube people. What is driving their engagement? Is it because they are compassionate, and their hearts bleed at the thought that Mrs. Schiavo suffers? But throughout this case no one has testified that she is in persistent pain, as those with terminal cancer are.

If they care so much about her pain, why are they unconcerned at the suffering caused her by the denial of food and water? And why do those who argue for Mrs. Schiavo’s death employ language and imagery that is so violent and aggressive? The chairman of the Democratic National Committee calls Republicans “brain dead.” Michael Schiavo, the husband, calls House Majority Leader Tom DeLay “a slithering snake.”

Everyone who has written in defense of Mrs. Schiavo’s right to live has received e-mail blasts full of attacks that appear to have been dictated by the unstable and typed by the unhinged. On Democratic Underground they crowed about having “kicked the sh– out of the fascists.” On Tuesday James Carville’s face was swept with a sneer so convulsive you could see his gums as he damned the Republicans trying to help Mrs. Schiavo. It would have seemed demonic if he weren’t a buffoon.

Why are they so committed to this woman’s death?

They seem to have fallen half in love with death.

Hugh Hewitt: “Congress is allowed to ‘intervene and guide or control the exercise of the courts’ discretion’ — except when it comes to Terri Schiavo.”

Bryan Preston: “We don’t err on the side of protecting anyone. We don’t protect the unborn. We don’t protect the nearly born and we’re edging closer to the edge of not protecting the recently born. Now we don’t protect those born 41 years ago, if they have suffered enough that a couple of doctors and a judge think her life is no longer worth living.”

Blogger Dan Edelen noticed something strange about Sojourners, a liberal Christian magazine. They are supposedly “concerned with the social gospel, peace and justice issue for those who have no voice,” Dan said. Guess what they had to say about Terri Schiavo?

JollyBlogger:

Yet, with all of my moral outrage on this, I have to stop and ask myself if I am viewing this situation, and Michael in particular through a gospel-centered lens, or through a cross-centered lens?

Viewing Michael through a cross-centered lens won’t change the sinfulness of his actions. Viewing Michael through a cross-centered lens won’t change our obligation to rescue those being led away to slaughter. Viewing Michael through a cross-centered lens won’t change our obligation to voice our opposition to the laws that make the starvation of a person like Terri possible.

But we are also faced with how we are to respond to Michael as a person. Put more precisely, how does the gospel guide our response to Michael as a person? If all should go his way, how should the Christian community react to him in the future?

From funny man Scott Ott:

Judge Greer suspended the Florida constitution and issued a declaration of ‘judicial law’ for the good of the people. His edict moves the official seat of government to his Pinnellas County courtroom….The coup comes during a month in which Judge Greer twice overruled the governor and state legislature in order to carry out his decree to slowly execute Terri Schiavo, a woman who has come to symbolize the oppressive reign of Christian conservatives.

CBS undercuts its own reporting on Terri Schiavo.

Watch the big bloggers (Hugh Hewitt, John Hinderaker and Glenn Reynolds) duke it out on “Kudlow and Company.”

Update: Since George Bush is such a friend to lawbreakers, he should become one himself and save Terri Schiavo’s life despite whatever edicts have been handed down. But he won’t. Terri will die, and he and Vicente Fox will drink a toast to their amnesty plan.

I’m listening to Michael Savage, who says (paraphrased): You mean to tell me that a swamp judge in Florida (Judge Greer, Schiavo trial judge) is more powerful than the most powerful man in the world (G. Bush)? Or the United States Congress? And his brother Jeb Bush can send in the state troopers right now if he wanted to.

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.

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.

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.

The rule of law is a very important concept in a democracy, and I have the utmost respect for it. Without it, there’d be inconsistency, chaos. There’d be no standard on which to rely. While it’s true that Judge Greer, the trier of fact in the case, found that Terri was in a permanent vegetative state (PVS), the evidence on which he relied is flawed or at least insufficient enough to warrant a new hearing. Because appellate courts are reluctant to overturn trial court decisions, these courts have consistently ruled against the Schindlers.

Despite Judge Greer’s determination that Terri is PVS, there are a few things to consider: 1) Although doctors have determined that she is PVS, other doctors disagree. Terri is a living, breathing human being who responds at times to outside stimuli, evidence of higher brain function. More tests would determine the nature of the brain function; 2) Terri is not brain dead or terminally ill or being kept alive by extraordinary means. She is severely brain damage. She is not on life support and doesn’t require a respirator to breath. Terri does require sustenance to live, however, just like the rest of us. The removal of the feeding tube will lead to her death by the most unnatural of causes.

These are the bare bone facts that should be taken into account. For background research, I re-read relevant sections of the Constitution and several articles, including one by Rev. Robert Johansen in National Review. He explains that PVS is a difficult diagnosis to make without extensive testing and spending a prolonged period of time with the patient. Johansen said that Terri’s diagnosis was arrived at without the benefit of standard testing used to diagnose PVS.

Terri has never had a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test, which would provide more detailed information about her brain. The neurologists Johansen spoke to were shocked that this standard test had not been administered to a patient whose life is at stake. The test that was performed on Terri is called Computer-Aided Tomography (CT), which neurologist Dr. Peter Morin, a research specialist in degenerative brain diseases, said provided only a tenth of the information that an MRI does. Johansen also goes into some detail about the biases of the expert medical witness, Dr. Ronald Cranford. Johansen concludes:

The whole history of Terri’s case over the past few years can be summed up as the efforts of the Schindlers, and those who value Terri’s life, to try to introduce additional information before the courts and other authorities. Some of this information consists of facts and arguments that were ignored or dismissed without adequate consideration; some has been the result of advances in the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries over the last five years. On the side of Michael Schiavo, George Felos, and Judge Greer, their efforts have consisted almost entirely in trying to prevent any new information from being presented or considered.

These facts alone are more than enough to permit a review of Terri’s case.

The fervent determination of Michael Schiavo to have Terri’s feeding tube removed is suspicious. Refusing to allow Terri to receive physical therapy (doctors have noted that her condition can improve with proper therapy) and further testing also damages his credibility. THIS CASE DESERVES ANOTHER LOOK. All Congress did was allow Terri’s case to be heard in federal court. Judge James Whittemore may concur with Judge Greer. If he does, what happens after that is obvious. Terri will starve to death.

Despite liberals’ lament that the rule of law is being trampled on, an unjust law is no law at all. A law that deprives the innocent of life should be no more enforceable than one legalizing human bondage.

As always, I will provide an after-action report of the MSNBC segment. (Any typos will be corrected at that time.)

Update (8:24 a.m.): Judge Whittemore has refused to order reinsertion of Terri’s feeding tube. In that regard, today’s discussion will be largely academic.

Also, the segment has been moved up to 9:30 a.m.

Update II (10:20 a.m.): As usual, these things last just long enough for a sound bite or two. The producers moved up the segment, so we had less time to prepare. I arrived at the building around 9:00 a.m. I recognized Matt Yglesias and introduced myself. We waited in the lobby for about five minutes because although we had a 9:30 segment, there was no receptionist to let us in. I banged on the door and we both tried to look up a number to call. Finally, the makeup lady arrived, let us in and got started on our faces right away.

We were so pushed for time at this point that she had to finish my make-up while I was “strapped” in the studio chair. It was kind of funny. I wanted to go over my notes but didn’t have time, and it turned out to be unnecessary anyway.

Matt is a nice guy. Meeting people in the flesh is always different than what you expect. We’re just human beings who think and feel differently about certain issues. The Terri Schiavo case is highly politicized, and I believe reasonable people can discuss the matter without resorting to name-calling. I appreciate face-to-face meetings a lot more than online communication.

As you know, the federal judge refused to order the feeding tube reinserted. Judge Whittemore said, “The court is constrained to apply the law to the issues before it, as plaintiffs have not established a substantial likelihood of the success of the merits of their case.” Because the Schindler’s were defeated so many times, and as long as courts defer to Judge Greer’s rulings, Whittemore is correct.

Where do the Schindler’s go from here? To the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s likely they will be defeated there as well.

Others blogging: Michelle Malkin, Michael King, Captain Ed, Oh How I Love Jesus, Pajama Hadin, Outside the Beltway, Wesley Blog, Back of the Envelope, The Classical Child, JackLewis.net, L’Ombre de l’Olivier, Hennessy’s View, Hugh Hewitt, Wizbang (and here), Polipundit, Reformed Politics, Different River, Blogical Conclusions, WILLisms.com, The Things We Say But Don’t Do…

Thomas Sowell:

Terri Schiavo’s only crime is that she has become an inconvenience — and is caught in the merciless machinery of the law. Those who think law is the answer to our problems need to face the reality that law is a crude and blunt instrument.

Make no mistake about it, Terri Schiavo is being killed. She is not being “allowed to die.”

She is not like someone whose breathing, blood circulation, kidney function, or other vital work of the body is being performed by machines. What she is getting by machine is what all of us get otherwise every day — food and water. Depriving any of us of food and water would kill us just as surely, and just as agonizingly, as it is killing Terri Schiavo.

Cal Thomas:

Opponents of federal intervention cry “hypocrisy” because conservatives pushing for a federal court review claim to support states rights on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage and think these matters should be left to the states under the 10th Amendment.

But the hypocrisy label can be turned around. Didn’t liberals reject states rights when it came to civil rights for African-Americans four decades ago, and didn’t they make federal cases out of such things as integrated restrooms and universities? They supported sending federal troops to force integration on unwilling states. They were right to do so then, and conservatives are right to ask the federal government to intervene when a Florida judge has, in effect, ordered the murder of Terri Schiavo by denying her food and water.

Then, as now, when an individual’s civil and constitutional rights are denied by a state, there are instances when federal action is required. This is such an instance.

David Limbaugh:

I doubt that I’ll ever be able to understand, much less relate to, the sympathies of certain people. Generally speaking, they seem to feel more compassion for wildlife than animals, more for animals than human beings, more for guilty human beings than innocent ones, more for Communist dictators and tyrannical thugs than freedom fighters, and more for the vindication of an abstract principle devaluing human life than for an actual human being like Terri Schiavo, who, though severely disabled, may truly want to live.

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.

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.

Here’s the latest:

The presiding judge in the case of Terri Schiavo ruled Friday that the feeding tube keeping the brain-damaged woman alive can be removed despite efforts by congressional Republicans to block the move by seeking her appearance at hearings.

Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer refused a request from U.S. House attorneys to delay the removal, which he had previously ordered to take place at 1 p.m. EST. Greer determined that it should go forward about an hour after another judge issued a temporary delay blocking the tube’s removal.

There was no immediate word on when the tube might be removed. (Source)

Also see Michelle Malkin’s post.

The following e-mail is from reader Jara D., posted with her permission:

I am a Christian. I was raised in the church, and after years of struggle and backsliding, I’ve finally come home. While I believe that you and your blog fans have the best of intentions, I believe the only thing this blog and other blogs like it is accomplishing is just a simple voicing of opinion and moral “high-horsing” (for lack of a better term). You can have all the opinions in the world, but not one member of any blog (or blog itself) about Terri Schiavo have either raised money for her parents’ cause, or had someone (or people) step forward and say, “I would be willing to sacrifice all that I have in order to keep Terri on life support.” And by “all that I have,” I mean a person’s emotional, financial, physical, and mental resources. Because simply, that’s what the feeding tube is…just another form of life support.

Tell me this. Would God want us to live a life where we couldn’t lift our voice in praise? Where we couldn’t acknowledge the beauty that is all around us? Where we couldn’t even see to our own basic needs to stay alive to be able to do the things mentioned? I’m sorry, but the God I believe in is a God of mercy. Tell me how keeping this poor woman “alive” is merciful? What is life when you can’t live it?

I truly believe that had Michael Schiavo decided not to move on with his life, people who share your viewpoint would be saying, “Oh, poor man,” instead of “He’s a selfish jerk,” which really seems to be the way Conservatives like to deem this man. I personally do not think this man is selfish or a jerk. I believe he has done all that he could to do what is best for Terri. It’s unfortunate that Terri didn’t leave a living will. We don’t think to do things like that until we get older, but maybe we all should have one, because you never know when things like this may happen. And I vow that if, God forbid, something like this would happen to me, I would NOT want to be kept alive by artificial means. I pray that my family would love me enough to let me go to be with my spirit.

I know what it is like to have a loved one who’s in a vegetative state. I know what it is like to hope and pray that some day they will be miraculously cured, or that one day there is a breakthrough that could lead to something good, but the day never comes. I know what it is like to be physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially drained from this. I have nothing but sympathy for Michael Schiavo. Taking care of a loved one like that is HARD, and for all the proselytizing, not one of these blogs or its members, I’ve seen, have experienced what that man is going through. It’s easy to say what you think should be done when you’ve not had to live it.

My point is this: I do not believe that God would want any one of his children to suffer so. How can Terri die a “natural” death when our technology, great as it is, can literally keep her alive indefinitely? AND, who are we to deem what is “natural” and frankly have the audacity to say, “It’s not what God would want?” I am not God. I have no right to say what God would want and what he wouldn’t want in instances like these, where the line is not black or white. I instead ask for his wisdom, and that he lead and guide me to the path I am to take. I hope that Michael Schiavo did the same, though I am not going to assume one way or the other what Michael Schiavo’s relationship is with God. But whatever it may be, I believe that is in OUR best interest to not judge or criticize. Did our Father not say, “Judge NOT lest ye be judged?” God’s will is perfect, right, and it is just. He knows what is going to happen. Whether Terri’s feeding tube stays or goes, I know that it will be what GOD wants.

Again, I think you and blogs like this are well-intentioned. But what I feel is missing is a sense of compassion for Michael Schiavo, not just Terri, and for the situation itself. We are to love all men, as we are all God’s children. Do not hate this man because he’s trying to move on with his life. Don’t pray to God to save Terri. He already has her in his Hand. Pray that we may see and understand what it is He is trying to say to us. Pray that we understand the message behind this struggle. Pray that whatever happens, we THANK HIM for the outcome, and we THANK HIM for all that He has done for the Schiavos and the Schindlers, and for us as well.

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.

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)

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.

From PennLive.com:

The Department of Children & Families is seeking a 60-day stay on the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube while it investigates new allegations of abuse and neglect, an attorney for her parents said Thursday.

In an 11-page confidential document detailing why the social services agency wants to intervene in the case, the DCF said it needs the time to adequately investigate allegations that the 41-year-woman at the center of a life-or-death legal battle between her husband and parents has been mistreated….

The Schindlers attorneys have included the allegations of abuse and mistreatment in their effort to oust Michael Schiavo as his wife’s guardian. More than two years ago, one of the Schindlers former attorneys told Greer that a 1991 bone scan showing several fractures raised questions about whether Terri Schiavo had been beaten.

Blogger Don Hawthorne has rounded up all the important pieces of information in the ongoing drama.

More from Pearl, David Limbaugh, and My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy…

Hyscience links to the column of a journalist who no longer believes Terri’s feeding tube should be removed.

Update: A commenter links to information at The Empire Journal.

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.

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 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.