Anyone hear recent news about Terri Schiavo?

[6_Time_Momma]

Just wondering what was going on in her situation lately?

 

[SandraM]

Hi Kristy,

Although I live in Ireland, I have been following Terri's story almost on a daily basis since last October and am a subscriber to fight4Terri@aol.com . Unfortunately, as I am not a US resident, there is not a lot I can do here, except try to raise awareness of Terri's tragic case.
In answer to your question, things are hotting up insofar as: 1. Terri's husband Michael has failed to show for a deposition on 2 August - her parents are trying to prove that he has not presented her care plan for the last number of years, which is one of the many reasons he should not be her guardian.
2. Terri has had to have 5 teeth extracted recently - her family have been saying for a long time that she has not had her teeth cleaned for years, and this is the result.
3. On 31 July, her parents asked for permission to bring in a CD to play for Terri but this was refused by Michael Schiavo.
4. Terri has also recently been hospitalised, but her husband (in defiance of a 1996 court order) has refused to say why.
5. I believe the Florida Supreme Court is due to make a ruling on Terri's Law on 31 August. If it goes against Terri, no doubt her husband will have her feeding tube removed that day if he can.

It beats me how he could go to court to get all the compensation to help him care for Terri, and then decide she wouldn't have wanted to live that way. I feel so bad (and helpless) for her family.

There is a website with lots of up to date information, including the famous videos of Terri responding. The site is:
www.terrisfight.org

Please do all you can to help her.

 

[Disney01]

I feel the best thing for Terri would be to let her die a peaceful death. I would not let this happen to my dog let alone my daughter, sister, etc. I think her parents are inhumane for wanting her to live like that. I don't know if her husband has her interests at heart or is a self-serving jerk, but I do feel like this woman needs to be let go. Who would want to live like that?

 

[MosMom]

I have let everyone around me know what I want if something like that were to happen to me. It will make me sick if he is allowed to starve her to death. You know though...if she is so out of it that starving to death wouldn't affect her...then she doesn't know what is happening now anyway. Why does he care? Why not just divorce her? There really has to be a reason. I don't buy that it was "what she wanted". I just don't buy it.

 

[SandraM]

Originally posted by Disney01
I feel the best thing for Terri would be to let her die a peaceful death.

Perhaps yes, if you could be sure it would be peaceful. However, her parents and many other people (including staff who have helped care for her) believe she is aware of her surroundings, recognises people, and tries to vocalise despite having had no therapy for years.

Originally posted by Disney01
II don't know if her husband has her interests at heart or is a self-serving jerk,

He has made sure she has had no dental care for years; her wheelchair broke a long time ago and he would not allow it to be fixed or for Terri to be brought outside her room; her parents cannot play a bit of music for her. According to him she is basically a vegetable, so why should it matter if her parents play a CD. What is wrong with bringing her out in the sunshine?

Originally posted by Disney01
Who would want to live like that?

Terri never made a living will (like many people, including myself). She was always deeply religious and her family (and friends of hers who are not her husband's friends, if you get me) believe she would never have wanted nutrition to be withheld in a situation such as this. As she had such a close relationship with her family, even to the extent of her husband and herself living with them for a while, I believe they knew her beliefs well.

Also, if you view the videos (particularly the one with the cotton bud) on the website, it is hard to believe that Terri knows nothing of what is going on around her. The upsetting thing for me is that Judge Greer, who has been making most of the decisions in this case, is legally blind, therefore he cannot appreciate the impact of the videos.

What is wrong with letting her parents look after her?

Why not let a bit of music be played in her room?

Would the world come to an end if she was brought into the sun?

Imagine watching someone do this to your child.

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by Disney01
I feel the best thing for Terri would be to let her die a peaceful death. I would not let this happen to my dog let alone my daughter, sister, etc. I think her parents are inhumane for wanting her to live like that. I don't know if her husband has her interests at heart or is a self-serving jerk, but I do feel like this woman needs to be let go. Who would want to live like that?

Hopefully this will be settled soon. Jeb Bush had no business getting into this and I'm confident the courts will continue to rule in favor of the husband as they always have in the past.


They've already found that the law Bush pushed through the legislature is unconsitutional, but as always happens, an appeal was filed so yet more delays. They are scheduled for the Florida Supreme Court at the end of this month. Most all the experts believe that the Fl. Supreme Court will hold that the law is unconstitutional.

It's Ms. Schiavo's parents that should be ashamed of themselves. They are thinking only of themselves and their pain, not their daughter. I don't blame the husband for not allowing the parents any more access to her than he has to.

 

[Disney01]

There are ways of giving her a peaceful death. And yes, I do think it would be what she would want. I can't believe anyone would want to live like that.

 

[gjw007]

This is a sad topic.

It is amazing that people feel so strongly that they would love to see this woman die a horrible death. I would not wish this death that people are encouraging for this woman on my worst enemy, yet they view the horrible pain and suffering as desirable to be inflicted on Terri. This is not a movie but real life. She will not get up and walk away after the last show. Compared to how they would let her die, prisoners who are on death sentence receive more compassion then is shown for this woman. Jeb Bush did do the right thing based on the facts that have been presented in the media but if a decision has been made to take her life away, then it should be treated with as much dignity as possible. It would be better to give her an injection that eases the suffering rather than promoting the death sentence that has been proposed.

This should be a difficult topic for everybody and where there is the least amount of chance to promote life, we should take it. Yet in this instant, satisfy-me-today culture, we discard items of value that may take time to recoupe or to appreciate. Life and the hope of life should not be something to just toss aside because it is inconvenient. It is better to make a mistake to keep a life than the mistake of taking a life. Terri's husband has shown no care and desires to toss this part of his life behind. Yet her family has shown a great deal of love and respect for her. In the end, the right thing may be to give her the injection but it is not that clear based on facts. It is important to note that there have been several case where people have been in comas for several years and have recovered. Shouldn't Terri at least have the chance?

Are we talking about the Florida Supreme Court who ruled in 2000 that the only votes that counted during the recall were those in the counties that favored Gore rather than recount all the counties. Your vote didn't count if you were in a county that didn't favor their choice. Remember, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled this by a substantive 7-2 vote (the disagreement and the ralling cry of extremists afterwards was with the 5-4 vote was whether after all the Florida Supreme Court's maneuvers to elect Gore if there was enough time to recount the votes in all the counties). The problem is do you trust the Florida Supreme Court to do the right thing?

Let's get back to talking life, joy, cheerfulness, fun, adventures, children laughing - let's get back to talking Disney and vacations.

 

[MosMom]

I have to put myself in this situation. If my daughter was in a coma under questionable circumstances and only her husband says she had these wishes, wouldn't you not want him to make that decision. He won a malpractice suit and said the funds would be put towards taking care of Terri for the rest of her life. Tell me, what changed? He wins money to care for her for the rest of her life then decides he can end her life? Come on. If this was a case where you had an obvious loving devoted husband and she had a living will. There would be no question. This case has too many unknowns. Someone's life is on the line here and I think if there is any question that she is aware of her surroundings she CANNOT BE STARVED TO DEATH. That is cruel. I wouldn't do THAT to my dog.

Edited to add: Perhaps there is a reason that he wants her dead and refusing therapy for her. Why refuse therapy? She was making some progress. Why not encourage that? Like I said, questionable circumstances put her in this position. There may be a reason why Michael does not want her to recover.

 

[SandraM]

Originally posted by peachgirl

It's Ms. Schiavo's parents that should be ashamed of themselves. They are thinking only of themselves and their pain, not their daughter.

I don't understand what you mean by this statement. I assume you are of the opinion that Terri is effectively in a persistent vegetative state. Surely this doesn't negate the feelings of the parents. Even if she is PVS, there are plenty of people caring for patients in this condition, some of whom had perhaps previously expressed that they would not live in this way. I'm sure you're not suggesting that such carers should be ashamed of themselves that they are not letting their patient die of starvation. If Terri had made a living will, things would be different, but she didn't make one.

But her parents don't believe she is in a persistent vegetative state, so surely you can understand their horror at the prospect of her being starved and dehydrated to death, a process likely to carry on for about 10 days to 2 weeks? As a parent, that thought keeps me awake at night.

I don't know where I found this link from, I've had it a long time, but it contains a lot of legal documentation (over 100 pages) in this case. Readers may find it very illuminating.
http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/c/pc93/FedCourtDktCaseNo8_03-cv-1860-T-26TGW.txt

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by peachgirl


It's Ms. Schiavo's parents that should be ashamed of themselves. They are thinking only of themselves and their pain, not their daughter. I don't blame the husband for not allowing the parents any more access to her than he has to.

If this was your child would you want someone to make that decision for her? And I DO believe in euthanasia, I actually believe that death IS better than some forms of life, but to have someone else decide this for MY loved one, especially my CHILD, would kill me.

They are guilty of LOVING her, if nothing else. It is hard to let someone who reacts to you and you have hope for die a slow and painful death. I know I couldn't do it, I can't imagine what they're going through.

My prayer is that she goes painlessly, without the people fighting over her and with the political wrangling. She deserves the peace, and so do all involved.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

Originally posted by SandraM
Hi Kristy,

Although I live in Ireland, I have been following Terri's story almost on a daily basis since last October and am a subscriber to fight4Terri@aol.com . Unfortunately, as I am not a US resident, there is not a lot I can do here, except try to raise awareness of Terri's tragic case.
In answer to your question, things are hotting up insofar as: 1. Terri's husband Michael has failed to show for a deposition on 2 August - her parents are trying to prove that he has not presented her care plan for the last number of years, which is one of the many reasons he should not be her guardian.
2. Terri has had to have 5 teeth extracted recently - her family have been saying for a long time that she has not had her teeth cleaned for years, and this is the result.
3. On 31 July, her parents asked for permission to bring in a CD to play for Terri but this was refused by Michael Schiavo.
4. Terri has also recently been hospitalised, but her husband (in defiance of a 1996 court order) has refused to say why.
5. I believe the Florida Supreme Court is due to make a ruling on Terri's Law on 31 August. If it goes against Terri, no doubt her husband will have her feeding tube removed that day if he can.

It beats me how he could go to court to get all the compensation to help him care for Terri, and then decide she wouldn't have wanted to live that way. I feel so bad (and helpless) for her family.

There is a website with lots of up to date information, including the famous videos of Terri responding. The site is:
www.terrisfight.org

Please do all you can to help her.

Thanks for the update, Sandra.

 

[SandraM]

Originally posted by 6_Time_Momma
Thanks for the update, Sandra.

You're very welcome, and feel free to pm me any time on this subject.
I have to say I'm seriously impressed that with the busy family life you have on your hands, you have the time to think about a situation like Terri's.
With all good wishes.

 

[Tuffcookie]

If this was my child I would not want that man making all the decisions. He has already moved on with his life so any decisions he's making right now are NOT in Terri's best interest. As for Jeb Bush staying out of it...I'm glad there are still some politicians willing take a moral stand for those unable to speak for themselves.

TC

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Disney01
I feel the best thing for Terri would be to let her die a peaceful death. I would not let this happen to my dog let alone my daughter, sister, etc. I think her parents are inhumane for wanting her to live like that. I don't know if her husband has her interests at heart or is a self-serving jerk, but I do feel like this woman needs to be let go. Who would want to live like that?

I agree. While I feel badly for the parents, because who could let their child go, I have to side with the husband. I would hope that since she was happily married to him when this happened that he would know her and know what her wishes were. I cannot believer Bush got involved in this case. The only ones that needs to be involved are the husband and doctors. They can stop her feeding and still make sure she feels no pain. Let that poor girl die with dignity.

 

[Disney Doll]

If anyone kept me in a PVS like, this, I'd come and haunt them when I did die, and make their life miserable.

There are worse things than dying, and this is one of them. I have made it very clear to my DH, friends, and family that I do not wish to be kept alive ina PVS like this.

Quality of life is far more important than quantity of time.

 

[peachgirl]

If this was your child would you want someone to make that decision for her?

Unless she had specified otherswise, yes I would. Since she is in a persistent vegetative state she certainly can't make any decisions for herself.

This subject was discussed months ago and I provided link after link, but the fact of the matter is that every single court that has ever ruled on this case has always sided with the husband and doctors who say she will never recover.

Terri Schiavo will not "starve" to death. Her death will be from dehydration which is not a painful way to die.

I say her parents are selfish because if they truly loved their daughter they would let her die in peace. This poor girl has been examined and poked and prodded enough.

 

[DisMN]

Originally posted by Disney Doll
If anyone kept me in a PVS like, this, I'd come and haunt them when I did die, and make their life miserable.

There are worse things than dying, and this is one of them. I have made it very clear to my DH, friends, and family that I do not wish to be kept alive ina PVS like this.

Quality of life is far more important than quantity of time.

Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto.............I couldn't say it better than you did Disney Doll.

 

[Mamu]

Whenever I see news articles on this very sad situation, my heart aches. First for the parents who love their daughter and don't want to lose her. To a husband who loved his wife and has been accused of terrible things because he feels she should die with dignity.

I have no answers, I only know if it was me I wouldn't want my family being torn apart.

Medical science has progressed to the point where we have to ask are we still alive or are you keeping me alive.

If it were me I'd want them to let me go. Yesterday not tomorrow.

 

[SandraM]

Could someone explain to me why this loving husband sued for huge compensation BEFORE deciding his wife would not have wanted to live like this?