Has the Schiavo case Become a Political Football?

Unbelievable. You rush to the defense of convicted murderers, and blame Terri Schiavo for her death today.

Fox ...I agree with you totally. I will be fighting right along side of you!

There have been numerous innocent people released from death row after being wrongly convicted.

And, as for Terri, you obviously missed the point that she wasn't a victim until into one recently.

Thomas, I'm glad to see that this "battle" was done properly by Michael Schiavo. I believe they did everything humanly possible, under the circumstances, to make sure Terri Schiavo's civil rights were protected from the very beginning, and the judges followed the laws on the books in Florida. Nobody should expect more nor less.

No Debra. On page 3 of the document Foxfyre just posted, he makes the "regrettably ..." remark in describing the history of the case. The comment on the guardian's testimony is on page 5, and it says:"The Guardian Ad Litem felt that this testimony standing alone would not rise to clear and convincing evidence of her intent. The court is not required to rule on this issue since it does have the benefit of the testimony of his brother and sister-in-law". He goes on to provide arguments why he thinks those two witnesses reliable. In other words, the judge didn't dissmiss the guardian ad litem's report for the reason you stated -- he didn't dismiss the report at all.

You may want to read the opinion too. It certainly taught me a thing or two.

I read the opinion, Thomas. Where in the opinion does the judge give any weight at all to the guardian's report that Michael cannot provide clear and convincing evidence of Terri's wishes due to his conflicts of interest?

I read the opinion several times. I noted how the judge simply dismissed ALL evidence that reflected adversely upon Michael's credibility as simply not relevant. I noted how the judge simply dismissed testimony concerning statements Terri made concerning Karen Quinlan based on his own factual error with respect to Karen's date of death. I noted how the judge simply declared that some hearsay testimony was "reliable" without setting forth any factual or legal basis for the finding.

Perhaps you should research and familiarize yourself with respect to the admission of hearsay and whether the hearsay that the judge found to be "reliable" and "clear and convincing evidence" of Terri's alleged wishes would ever be found to be admissible in any other case.

And then read the entire Florida statute and determine whether it is constitutional as applied to Terri's case. . . .

BBB
For the facts and timeline in the Schiavo case without all the innuendo and spin:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48601&highlight=

And then, Thomas, research Judge Greer's affiliations and the contributions made to his reelection fund. . . .

My concern with Judge Greer's opinion is that he twice referred to Terri's condition as she was 'comatose' and referred to 'pregnant pauses' as a basis on which to judge credibility of a witness. Now this would work nicely in Judge Wapner or Judge Judy's courts on television adjudicating financial disputes between opposing parties. I would like to think a decision resulting in the ordered killing of an innocent disabled person would need something much more substantive.

Good God!

A pregnant pause is reason to disbelieve? Jeez. That's superstition, not judgement. It's one man's biased hunch.

I'd rather not have known how perverted justice is.

Also, I have been unable to come up with any source other than Michael Schiavo who says Terri ever had an eating disorder.

Fox, Michael didn't need to say Terri had a eating disorder. She had a heart attack because of her bulimia; your demand for sources are irrelevant.

How do you know that C.I.? There is nothing in the court opinion to that effect. So what source is out there that you find so credible other than Michael Schiavo? Her parents, siblings, and best friends say it isn't so.

If you look hard enough, you''ll find something. But don't put yourself out...

Say Fox,

If it was a potassium imbalance that caused her heart to stop, then what did?

I know people with liver ailments have problems with too much potassium in their blood at times. I know someone who K level was almost deadly.

So many people here who "claim" to be on Terri's side seem to think Terri has been "killed". It's a very skewed way of seeing it.

I'm %100 against the death penalty and yet I think Michael, Medicine and the Courts have all done their best FOR Terri.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that those who wanted this to happen (like me) are against Terri, and try not to belittle our feelings for her and pretend we don't care.

From everything I've read and seen, they say that her heart attack was most likely cause by an eating disorder, but I've never seen it stated as fact.

I will never forget this for as long as I live and if marriage gives someone that much power over a persons own parents and siblings, then I will be spending the rest of my life as a single woman! My mother and my son know what my wishes are and I can surely trust that they would carry them through. If these were Terri's wishes, I refuse to believe that of all her family and friends, her husband is the only one she told.

I know many of you wouldn't want to live the way Terri did and I respect that, but the difference is that you have a choice to make a living will to be sure your wishes are carried out. Terri didn't have that choice and the way they decided to end her life will have an effect on me for the rest of my life.

Montana, I can assure you that if my wife had bulimia and/or she would not want to be kept alive in such a state, that I would be the only one who would know either of these things.

That is why the courts give the spouse the right to make such decisions, long term partners know many more things about you than you would ever tell your parents.

The fact that this happens is not a fair reason to refuse to marry, quite the opposite. Just make sure you put your whishes in writing and copy a few others (such as your parents) so that your family never ends up in this terrible position.

Eorl
You may be right, but I simply don't believe her husband. I had already pretty much decided to stay single before this, but this made my choice final.
I could never sign a contract that gives another person half of everything I own either. I worked very hard for what I have and I plan on keeping my home, my car and everything else I own.