Supreme Court Sets Back Florida's Right-to-Die Case

[Neil D]

By MARIA NEWMAN

The United States Supreme Court dealt Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida a significant setback today in his efforts to keep a brain-damaged woman alive through the use of a feeding tube in spite of her husband's wishes.

Without comment, the high court declined to hear a challenge brought by the governor's office to a Florida State Supreme Court decision last September striking down a law that had let Governor Bush order the reinsertion of the feeding tube for the woman, Terri Schiavo.

[:"blue"] While I applaud the Supreme Court and it's actions, there is one caviot to this case- [/]

Mrs. Schiavo left no will or instructions about her care in the event that she became incapacitated. Mr. Schiavo contends his wife never wanted to be kept alive artificially. But her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, told the justices in a legal brief that their son-in-law was trying to hasten her death so he that could inherit her estate and be free to marry another woman.

[:"blue"] See the full story [/] here

[Dr. Shane]

My dictionary doesn't even have caviot in it. I know there is suspition that the lady's condition is due to the husband. Good example of why one should have a living will.

[Rosie]

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"What happened here today is judicial homicide," her father said today from Washington, where he and his wife were attending a right-to-life march. "It borders on the criminal. They've ignored all the facts. Terri is not a person in a vegetative state. Terri talks. She reacts to the family. She reacts to commands. She needs therapy and she's been denied it for 10 years."

He said the family would fight as long as they had to for the right to keep her alive and help her get better".

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I'm kinda confused here, is she in a vegetative state or not?

[Neil D]

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My dictionary doesn't even have caviot in it. I know there is suspition that the lady's condition is due to the husband. Good example of why one should have a living will.

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Hmmmmm....Ok, my spell checker wasn't working that day...but surely, you can sound it out...ca-vi-ot...perhaps this spelling would be best...caveat, with the phonetically way to pronounce it-( kä-vi-ät)...

BTW, I don't see the word "suspition " in my spellchecker...nor do I find it at 'dictionary.com'. I doubt that I could slew out that word while spitting it out at the same time....But I have my suspicion that the word you are looking for is phonectically close in sounding out the word. I suspect that by phonectically sounding it out, I could have, with a bit of imagination on my part, found it what you were trying to say...Unfortunely, I was up all last night and don't have the energy to figure it out.....Maybe later when I get some sleep.

And I agree...a living will is a good thing to have. Does everyone have one? Come on you, speak up....do you want to be like this lady or not? Then make out a living will today and keep it in the hospital files or better yet your doctors records, along with a copy of one in your files. So, do you have one or not?

As to whether she is in a vegetative state, that is up to the court to decide.....

[bevin]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/10622329.htm?1c

"Her parents dispute that she is in a persistent vegetative state [:"red"]as the court has ruled[/]."

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2005/1/12/68046.html

"Terri Schiavo has been in what some doctors call a persistent vegetative state for more than 14 years"

Her parents are, apparently, deluding themselves. Sad, but it happens.

/Bevin

[Dr. Shane]

Brother Neil, I wasn't critisizing your spelling - mine is terrible and then when you put my typing errors on top of my spelling things get real tough. I have just never heard that word and tried to look it up and couldn't find it.

I don't have a living will but then I don't care what they do with me either. I believe the Conference will help any members with a will. Does that include a living will?

[Nicodema]

Gentlemen, the word you seek is caveat.

Nico

[Rosie]

Thanks, Bevin.

Looking further into the matter of "vegetative state", it would seem there is even more confusion:

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19909

More on Terri:

"Despite the widely believed claims of her husband, Terri Schiavo is purposefully interactive, curious and expressive with her parents, according to a surprised lawyer who visited for the first time the brain-damaged Florida woman embroiled in a euthanasia dispute".

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42240

If she's responding, as this article says, I'd have a big problem with just pulling her life support.

[bevin]

I don't trust the husband

I don't trust the parents

I do trust the medical profession and the court system to not to something patently absurd

I think the real problem here is that she is NOT in a coma and she is reacting to her environment - but even worms do that. She is not, apparently, capable of sufficient interaction that the doctors think preserving her life is a requirement of their oath.

As I said, the situation is very sad - sad enough for the parents to definitely be clinging to false hopes.

/Bevin

[Ron Lambert]

Bevin, your trust in the medical profession is misplaced. I would not be surprised if the doctor stands to benefit when Terri's husband inherits her estate. Terri's parents are the ones who really care about her. Her husband does not love her, he only wants to inherit her estate. He is already living with another woman, and has children by her. He ought to divorce Terri and marry the woman he has been living with for years, but then he would lose out on inheriting Terri's estate. I think that the accounts of those observers who claim that Terri does interact with people and show she is not "brain dead" should be taken very seriously. If the feeding tube is removed and doctors allow her to die, it will not be merciful, it will be murder for a profit motive. That's how the governor and legislature of Florida see it, as well as a lot of other people.

[Rosie]

Ron brings out some good points, why does the husband not just divorce Terri and get on his life? And may I add that this is a human being we're talking about. Not a worm.

[Neil D]

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I would not be surprised if the doctor stands to benefit when Terri's husband inherits her estate.

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And what do doctors recieve upon the death of thier patients??? Money in gratitude from the loved ones? I doubt that totally. Doctors make money based upon how long thier patient keeps coming to them or they make visits to the hospital. It behoves the doctor to keep his patients alive.

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I think that the accounts of those observers who claim that Terri does interact with people and show she is not "brain dead" should be taken very seriously

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I concur. Hospital personel can make those tests necessary to show the activity of the brain, both during rest and during her 'interactive activity'. The hospital is going to root for her to be interactive and alive. Not too many hospital personel get excited over a vegetable.

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If the feeding tube is removed and doctors allow her to die, it will not be merciful, it will be murder for a profit motive.

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The only person who will profit from her death is the husband. Her parents are out of the decision making loop, or should be. Her husband should be, although he has the legal system on his side. And the doctor is unbiased as is the hospital staff. But they profit if she is alive, that is, in the long run, thru doctor visits and subsequent hospital admitances...