How else can you explain the Florida courts, in the person of Judge George Greer, ordering a woman to starve to death?
Terri Schiavo is guilty of no crime - unfortunately for her. That has allowed the courts to successfully argue against a petition of habeas corpus, and permitted them to defy the Constitutional protections of due process and against cruel and unusual punishment - on the basis of hearsay evidence, solely supported by a man with huge conflicts of interest in the case (seeing as how he has already started a second family).
National Review has been all over it (such as this example), the blogs are all over it (Dawn Eden has an indispensible clearinghouse of updates). So naturally Michael Moore, NOW, and the rest of the diligent watchdogs of human rights are talking about this outrage. Right?
I won't go on about it here - enough has been said elsewhere, far better than I could. But if you haven't heard it all, visit some of these links. You may be tempted to say, "Boy, they sound like they have an axe to grind," and dismiss them as biased sources. I urge you to look at WHY everyone is so strenuous about the grave injustice being done to Terri. Consider that the plaintiff's suit is based on testimony that would be utterly inadmissable in most other legal proceedings. Consider that the medical diagnosis of Terri being unrecoverably vegetative is highly disputed, and that its chief proponent is an advocate for the right to die movement, rendering his judgement (and his selection for expert testimony) gravely suspect. Remember that the plaintiff, Terri's husband, has refused even recommended attempts at rehabilitation, thus making that suspect diagnosis impossible to disprove. Think about the presupposition we as a public are asked to assume - that food and water are now considered medical treatment by Judge Greer, establishing a dangerous precedent for any profoundly injured patient.
The whole thing is sickening and horrific. Any further comment on my part would require four-letter English, so let me spare you.
UPDATED - an email from the Barking Spider linked to this fantastic statement from Patricia Heaton. Thanks, Jeff (and Patricia).
2 comments:
More than one person has wondered why Hollywood has been silent, when they are such advocates otherwise. Thanks for posting the article on Patricia Heaton.
what hollywood and michael moore have to say, even the government, has nothing to do with this, the family should be left to decide what happens, if it is a fact that she had said not to be left to live like this, that is what should be done, it is too much on a family to have someone living in that condition, and screw what all the outsiders have to say about it, its up to the family and no one else...
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