Michael Schiavo's lawyer on the intervention of Florida's Department of Children and Families:
The lawyer leading the battle to remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube said the agency's sudden interest at such a late stage in the case ``reeks of the intervention of politics.''
``It's no secret that the politicians were saying yesterday in Tallahassee that if there was anything they could think of [to keep Terri Schiavo alive] they would,'' said George Felos, who represents Michael Schiavo in his quest to remove his wife's feeding tube.
``The DCF is part of the executive branch and Jeb Bush heads the executive branch,'' Felos said.
Everyone who has criticized Governor Bush for not doing enough to help the Schindler family should take it back. The guy is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. I think just about every newspaper columnist in Florida hates his guts for trying to help Terri Schiavo and her parents. The man is trying to do what he can within the limits of his powers. If Terri were a prisoner about to be executed, just a word from him could halt it; in this situation he has to use other methods.
Posted by floridacracker at February 24, 2005 07:45 AMI am in total agreement with you. I think Gov. Bush is doing everything he can but he only has so much power within the law. He's in a lose - lose situation no matter how this turns out but I know he's on the side of life. The DCF action shows that he's trying to do things behind the scenes that we may not even know about.
He's a good man and I'm proud that he's our Governor.
Posted by: Janette at February 24, 2005 12:46 PMThis story breaks my heart, so much so that I can barely stand to read about it and frankly wish I wasn't even aware of it. I know I don't know all the facts, but from whhat little I do know it seems that there is no scenario that could produce a good outcome here.
Given the unforseen harshness of Forida law in the area of what law governs in choosing next of kin/guardians, guadians ad litem, custody of gravely incapacitated adults etc., it occurs to me that if I were advsing her parents I would be thinking real, real hard right about now about a plan B: If she must die, does it have to be by starvation and dehydration?. Or are they going to let her stay hydrated?]. Would the husband consent to taking her to Holland or some other country that would allow her to be euthanized by morphine or some other painless means of killing her?
Starvation could take 8 weeks. Like many others are saying, we don't even do this to our stray animals....
For some reason this situation reminds me of that GI in Iraq who is being prosecuted for murder for shooting that teenage boy [suicide bomber? passerby?] who had caught fire and had become a human torch after a big gasoline explosion- - a classic mercy killing. Really makes you think. And hurt for all involved. I guess my only point is if you want her to die, or want to "let" her die, what's wrong with at least making sure she would suffer no pain in the "unlikely" event that she has some level of awareness. She dowesn't look totally unaware to me on those tapes, but I presume the tape must be somewhat misleadfing about her affect, right? She is in a true vegetative state, right? When she seems to be looking at people who are talking to her, that's just a autonomic reflex like breathing, right? Same for the sounds she makes, huh?
What a tragedy. God help all these people (including Gov Bush)
Posted by: Carl in Atlanta at February 24, 2005 02:55 PMCarl,
You are seeing older tapes of Terri. Her husband Michael has forbidden any further filming of her, and actually got a court order forbidding the family from showing the films they already have. Luckily for Terri, the tapes are already on the web.
Terri suffers from severe brain injury, but she is not in a vegetative state. If you put Stephen Hawking in that same bed, with no means of communication, isloated from therapy, he would appear to be in much worse shape then Terri. I'm not comparing their conditions or afflictions, just saying that you can't make an informed decision about her state based on what you're seeing.
Posted by: John from WuzzaDem at February 24, 2005 06:09 PM