Terri

From the June 2005 Citizen article "Vital Signs," by Karla Dial.
The timeline of Terri Schiavo.

2/25/1990: Terri Schiavo collapses.

1991: Terri's husband, Michael, puts her in rehab center; bone scan finds several fractures. Terri's condition improves; Michael moves her to nursing home.

1992: Michael receives $1.5 million in malpractice trial.

1993: Michael orders staff not to treat Terri for potentially fatal infection. Terri's parents sue to remove Michael as guardian.

1995: Michael moves in with girlfriend.

1997: Michael announces engagement, begins claiming Terri said she'd rather die.

2000: Florida 6th Circuit Judge George Greer rules to remove Terri's feeding tube, denies request for swallowing test. Terri moved to hospice for terminally ill.

4/24/2001: Terri's tube removed.

4/25/2001: Michael's ex-girlfriend tells local media he lied about Terri's death wishes.

4/26/2001: Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court Judge Frank Quesada says new evidence compels him to resume Terri's feeding.

2002: Terri's scond trial before Greer. Greer orders January tube removal. Family appeals to 2nd District.

2003: 2nd District upholds Greer.

10/15/2003: Terri's feeding tube removed. Terri's Bill introduced in state legislature.

10/21/2003: Terri's Bill signed into law; feeding tube reinserted.

2004: Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge W. Douglas Baird strikes down Terri's law.

2005: U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal of Terri's law.

3/18/2005: Feeding tube removed for third time.

3/27/2005: Terri given last rites Easter Sunday.

3/31/2005: Terri dies at 9:03 am EST.


I only heard about the Terri Schiavo case last year, year and a half. If I only knew the whole story, I may have been a bit more active in getting the news out to more people. But then, what could I have done? There was no way for me at the time to do more than spread the news like Focus on the Family tried to do. Even then I didn't hear much about it. Or I didn't want to involve myself too much into politics. And when I did, the elections were on and I had no idea about it other than an occasional update from my wife. There were so many other issues to face, I neglected one of the more important ones. As the "Vital Signs" article said, this isn't the end. The incident has put the issue on the forefront.

As of now, I will say that Michael had no right to unplug the feeding tube. Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state, which is actually quite a derogatory term. In fact, she was disabled, not too far from that of a quadriplegic. She was still able to breathe by herself and could respond well to verbal stimuli. I can only imagine how angry I would be if my quadriplegic friend, Brooke, was denied food because she couldn't feed herself and the government denied her the right to have a feeding tube. It's scary because at least Terri was able to breathe without a machine, Brooke needs a whole lot of help with eveything, even a breathing machine. I can understand unplugging someone from life-support who was brain-dead if no one was able to financially care for the person anymore. But even then, that's a rarity because some people contribute to keeping those people alive. Unfortunately, because of the apparent cognitive dissonance in Judge Greer, he was not intelligent enough to use common sense in this issue, especially when the facts proved against Michael and for the Schindler family. The issue was never about Michael's right to decide for Terri. The issue is always about the facts and hard evidence, especially when it comes to deciding over life. Fact: Michael did NOT have evidence that Terri wanted to be unplugged. Fact: Terri WAS disabled and NOT brain-dead. Fact: Michael was known for wanting Terri dead. Fact: Michael's new marriage to another woman dissolves any legal bond between he and his former wife. Conclusion: Common sense dictates that Terri should have been given over to her family. The whole "right to my wife" idea was merely an excuse, a distraction if you will, to the truth. The government should never have been involved because it would give even more power to an entity that shouldn't decide in these matters, especially if a non-criminal's life is at stake.

I just hope that America's judges would stop ruling by "the letter of the law" (and I use that phrase very generously) and to decide by "the spirit of the law," the underlying principles that provide life along with liberty and the pursuit of happiness.