What if you had a disabled child that could not feed or take care of itself? What if you forced that child to stay in its bed, never being taken care of or taught anything? What if someone stopped feeding your child? What would you do? What if you heard about it on the news? Would you rally to that child?
What if it wasn't a cute little child? What if it was an adult woman with a disability? Would you rally around her?
One night in 1990, Terri Schiavo was brought to the emergency room after having suffered a form of oxygen disruption to her brain. Her brain was damaged and she is not as capable as she was before the mysterious events that occurred that night.
Terri's husband, Michael, filed lawsuits in response to her disability. He was awarded $1 million for Terri's medical care and $300,000 for his own personal expenses so he could quit working and care for Terri full time.
Michael's love for Terri apparently extended only as far as the end of the settlement process. He promptly ordered her transferred to a hospice and ordered no more therapy to be administered. He ordered that no antibiotics be given to Terri for infections. He ordered that no one attempt to sustain her life in any way. Terri's teeth have not been brushed in a decade.
Then Michael decided he wanted to kill Terri. He filed a legal pleading to have Terri's feeding tube removed, so Terri could die a slow, painful death of starvation and dehydration. After Terri dies, Michael will receive the remainder of the $1 million medical settlement.
Michael has since found himself a new girlfriend, asked her to marry him and the couple is now expecting a child.
Since the day Michael filed his motion to have Terri's feeding tube removed, her parents have been fighting tooth and nail to stop him. They've contacted dozens of doctors and specialists.
Most of the doctors who have examined Terri believe she may partially recover with hyperbaric treatment. She may be able to feed herself and eat on her own. There is simply one problem with these methods of
treatment: no one has even tried them. In 13 years, no one has even tried to feed her.
Maybe you have heard of Terri, maybe you haven't. Maybe you have heard from CNN or CBS that she is "comatose" or in a "persistent vegetative state," despite the fact she can sit up in bed, vocalize approval or
disapproval, smile, cry and knows the difference between people she knows and people she doesn't. That doesn't sound like any comatose person I've ever heard of. Maybe you've heard that Terri had a heart attack, or maybe you've heard the theory, backed by medical evidence, that Michael tried to kill Terri by choking her that night in 1990.
The judges who have handled this case have severely damaged our way of life. By telling the people of this country that Terri should die without any real attempt at rehabilitation, Judge George W. Greer has
made a mockery of the legal system.
This isn't a conservative or liberal issue. This is a human issue and we are all responsible.
At the time of this publication, Terri's feeding tube has been removed, and she is dying. Visit www.terrisfight.org to help do something about it.
Write to Russell at rlg@temporalfront.com
visit www.temporalfront.com
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