Are there other "liberals" who want Terri to live?

Marlene, via e-mail:

I’m a registered Independent, which means, to me, that I refuse to pledge my allegiance to either the Republican or the Democratic party.  I try to be as fair and objective in my opinions as I can, always trying to place myself in the other person’s place.  However, I’m usually more on the liberal side, more spiritual than religious, and I'm appalled at what is happening to Terri. I'm very curious as to whether there are other "liberals" such as myself who feel this way. If so, then this fact is either unknown by the media or is purposely being withheld in furtherance of an assertion that this is a “religious right, red state” issue.  To me, this is an American issue that potentially affects every citizen of this country and a Constitutional issue because a person’s 14th Amendment rights are clearly being violated.

As there are so many glaring questions in this case, rather than take the media's word for it, I’ve tried to research facts for myself, which at best, has been frustrating.  We’re entering the Easter holiday, and ironically, this is a “bunny” case if I’ve ever seen one.

It’s a “bunny” case because conflicting issues in this case multiply like bunnies.  It seems that every time I try to find the answer to one question, all it does it lead to another question, which multiples into a litter of grandquestions, followed very quickly by great-grandquestions. For example, I found it confusing that Terri’s been in a hospice for so long, since I always thought that was a very temporary, end-of-life place for someone. I then go on to discover that Michael's lawyer was on the board of directors of this hospice. But that's only after I find sworn affidavits of a couple of the nurses who claimed that she could talk and swallow and show happiness and fear (immediately after a visit with Michael). When they reported this to authorities, they were fired. When they went to the police, they were ignored. 

What seems to be clear is that if she really is in such poor condition today, it's because of Michael's help. Reminds me of the guy who killed both of his parents and then threw himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan.

This is also a “bunny” case because Terri is the human equivalent of the Ever-Ready Bunny.  She keeps going and going and going.  This woman apparently has an incredibly strong will to live, and she's survived this long in SPITE of Michael, not because of him. She survived years of being refused antibiotics for infections, of being denied sunshine and fresh air, of being denied dental care in the apparent hope that a dental infection in conjunction with her heart problem would cause death, and she's survived all of that. It's been a week since she's been without food or water.

Judge Greer's decisions are based solely on very questionable hearsay evidence that this is what Terri wants. He called Governor Bush a liar when the Governor tried to intervene based on new evidence that Terri had been neglected and that there is now doubt into whether or not she's been misdiagnosed. The judge responded by saying, "The requested intervention ... appears to be brought for the purpose of circumventing the courts' final judgment…” 

I’m not sure what to say to that, other than DUH, JUDGE.  And we would like to circumvent your final judgment because it was based purely on hearsay regarding her wishes, as well as accepting a set of facts based on a medical condition that may in fact NOT be her true medical condition.  Damn right we want to circumvent that.  If she were a death row inmate and new evidence emerged on the eve of execution, that criminal would be worth a second look.  Why not Terri?

The liberal side of me says that religion and government should not mix, and my reason for feeling that way is that each person of a different religious persuasion should be free to worship as he or she chooses without overt government preference to one religion.

Which is exactly why I think religion IS an important element of this case because if Terri follows a religious doctrine that does NOT believe in starving someone to death (Catholicism), then her federal right to freedom of religion is being violated, as well as the myriad of other things that are just WRONG with this case.  And how can Michael assert that he’s Terri’s husband when, for all intents and purposes, he’s taken another wife?  How can his loyalty possibly lie with Terri when another woman has replaced her in his life? 

Just what IS Judge Greer's, Felos' and Michael's timeline for her life, and if she doesn't die soon enough for them, are they going to just walk in her room and club her to death?

As I stated previously, I'm not all that religious, but with the Easter holiday weekend upon us, it's impossible for me not to draw a comparison and note the potentially catastrophic irony.  I am, however, continuing to pray that Terri survives Good Friday and that all hope and promise for her recovery, with the assistance of someone in power who possesses a heart and a conscience, will be fully resurrected by Easter Sunday, if not sooner.

Comments

[Liesa]

I found this to be quite interesting, and though I would love to run with it, I don't think I could as well as you could.

According to public records Judge George W. Greer received a campaign contribution from the law firm of Felos & Felos in the spring of 2004. Terri's Law was struck down on May 6, 2004; the contribution was made on May 7, 2004.

(link to the PDF copy of the public record -- http://www.reclaimamerica.org/download/FelosGreer1.pdf)

Found this on the blog Saved By Grace

[Denise]

The one thing that stuck with me was your question...and it is a valid one...about length of stay in hospice. Yes, a person can be in hospice for years. In order to receive hospice care, the patient must be physician-certified to have at best six months or less to live. That being said, it is often impossible to know for certain how long a person can live with a terminal illness. My husband's sister is a hospice nurse of over 20 years, and my mother's ex-husband has been on hospice for over 10 years now, and continues to remain on hospice per physician certification. What hospice is intended for is to minimize discomfort without aggressive medical intervention for the terminal condition. If however, that patient gets a cold, for instance, the patient can still receive treatment for that cold. The only diagnosis applicable with hospice care is the one that is terminal. I hope that helps a little with the thought of hospice.

The case of Terri Shiavo is a complicated one, without question, and there are a multitude of unanswered questions, but truthfully, they're the sort of questions that delve into a personal family life and have no place in the media. I wouldn't want the media or the government delving into my personal family matters, regardless of possible innuendo or other tactics used by a loving set of parents who, understandably, are not as objective as the medical staff of multiple facilities who have examined Terri over the years. Were she my daughter, I cannot honestly say that I would be objective either. Parents are allowed to be emotional. Objectivity is absolutely necessary...and politicizing of a private matter only serves to muddy objectivity by bringing a nation of emotion into an already tragic situation.

Peace.

[Dick]

Gov Bush is a liar and is trying to play God with an eye to re-election.

[Leslie]

You are not alone as a liberal who finds this tragedy abhorrent. I am a dyed in the wool, card carrying, knuckle dragging liberal who thinks: 1) that it is criminal to starve a person to death and 2) it is an obscenity to make a divisive political issue out of it.
The cruel injustice being foisted upon this woman is not something that should mirror anyone's political passions. It is a matter of heart.
Michael Schiavo would be well served to mind the laws of karma rather than the laws of this land. The universe will return to him tenfold the horrors that he has bestowed upon this woman he calls his wife. There is no escaping that and no attorney who will mediate on his behalf.
If there is one axiom in life to live by, the most notable would be, "what goes around comes around."
He will rue the day he made this choice for eternity to come.