Eyes to See/Ears to Hear

In order to combat my annoyance over the unwillingness of media outlets to tell the truth and avoid letting their bias rule, as well as to have an outlet for my very (at times) wordy self, this blog has been created by yours truly. This will be an accounting of events in the world, my country, and my little piece of the world as best as I can see it, hear it, and relay it.

Name:
Location: United States

Thursday, March 24, 2005

More On Terri

Sometimes people are legally in charge of someone and the court strips them of their rights when it becomes questionable whether they have the other person's best interests at heart.

There is something here, actually a couple things, that are just not right. For one, since Terri cannot speak for herself, doesn't it seem odd that the courts would err on the side of death, rather than life? Further, is anyone aware of the fact that Michael won two malpractice lawsuits after Terri collapsed, awarded Terri over a million dollars and Michael himself a couple hundred thousand? Or that in court testimony he said he would seek (with any settlement) the best possible rehabilitation and care available for Terri? Or that shortly after the lawsuit was won, he didn't care for her at all, neglecting her care and having her removed to a hospice? Hmm? That is what sparked her parents to try to get him removed as the legal guardian of Terri. It was around this time that Michael suddenly seemed to remember a casual conversation he had with Terri where she shared with him that she would not want to be live like...? Do you know that there was nothing specific he could say that she said? I know I have personally said things in passing regarding say, paralysis, that I would not want to live like that. I don't think that by any means I would want to die should that ever happen to me. It is one thing to say something like that when you see another suffering from one thing or another, and quite a different situation if you find yourself in the actual circumstance. I think we would all think differently.

Then consider that regardless of Terri's severe brain damage, she is NOT on life support, not at all. In fact, the tube is only inserted to feed Terri when it is time to eat. Sorry, but that is not life support, whatever anyone's personal opinion on what kind of quality of life Terri lives or not, or whatever one feels personally about living like that or looking at someone in that condition. And if she herself was going to court for the 'right to die' wouldn't this now mean a precedent for legal suicide in America?

I am amazed that a judge in the United States court system, a court system supposed to be based on the constitution, would deny Terri her God-given right to life as well as her constitutionally guaranteed right to life. Instead, Judge Greer, in cooperation with George Felos and Michael Schiavo, has court-ordered Terri's death by starvation. Cruel and unusual punishment given even at a time when a death row inmate in Texas who was scheduled to die was given a reprieve, and it was clear he actually committed the murder for which he was scheduled to die by lethal injection for. No starvation for him; but wait, he is physically, and (questionably mentally) healthy and not being fed through a
tube, so it wouldn't be right to starve him to death. It is more human to give him a lethal injection for his crime. But Terri has committed no crime to get such a sentence.

Astonishingly here we have a woman, albeit she is severely brain damaged, whose husband, under questionable circumstances for years over whether he has her best interests at heart (and compelling evidence that he does not), has been trying to legally kill her by starving her to death, and you hear not a peep from any of the high profile women's groups in this country. Remember that women's groups, especially NOW (National Organization for Women) proudly proclaim on their website

Quote:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"[The National Organization of Women] works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society;...; end all forms of violence against women; ...; and promote equality and justice in our society."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

but are completely ignoring Terri's fate at the hands of her husband, her husband's lawyer, and the judge, who really has no legal precedence for something like this. Not a peep from them, from Emily's List, Planned Parenthood, or NARAL. Shame on them, but it is not surprising that they don't care about Terri's fate since they themselves support the same culture of death that is being promoted by a legal judgment such as this one.

Though I am not surprised at what is happening, I cannot stop thinking about it, crying for her and her family, and praying for someone to save her, as well as being very angry at the how helpless her family and Terri are in this situation. All they want to do is take care of her until her natural death, at their own home. Anyone who sincerely believes Michael is doing this for Terri, clearly has not read any of the history of Terri's plight. To hear both him and his lawyer say that these people who are trying to keep Terri alive should stop violating Terri's wishes and desires and leave her alone to end her life, as if this is what she wanted, to be starved to death, and that is what they have been fighting for, Terri's rights! I find the both of them (indeed all three) to be both presumptuous and ludicrous.