Has the Schiavo case Become a Political Football?

This situation is unspeakably cruel. Some people are grandstanding. Some are manipulating this situation. And, some can't stand the fact that this woman is being killed.

And some... me at least... think the wrong person is making the decision for the wrong reason. The folks who wrote the common-law marriage laws obviously didn't anticipate this situation.

It is beyond doubtful that when they wrote the laws they intended that someone in Michael's shoes would become a polygamist.

To claim he is the legitimate "next of kin" is to deny that common law marriage exists and that the law makers clearly didn't meant to create a polygamy situation which is, of course, ridiculous.

Now this morning I see people saying that anyone who believes the dissenting doctor's opinions is delusional? I never would have guessed so many A2Kers were qualified to make such certain assessments.

OCCOM BILL wrote:

And some... me at least... think the wrong person is making the decision for the wrong reason. The folks who wrote the common-law marriage laws obviously didn't anticipate this situation.

Nobody wrote the laws regarding common-law marriage. They're common law rules: that means they're not statutory.

OCCOM BILL wrote:

Now this morning I see people saying that anyone who believes the dissenting doctor's opinions is delusional? I never would have guessed so many A2Kers were qualified to make such certain assessments.

And yet people here offer uninformed, misguided opinions about the law all the time. What are their qualifications, O'BILL?

This whole issue is just plain sick, and a waste of our taxpayer money... just let the brain-dead woman go already!!!

Cycloptichorn

Brain death - irreversible cessation of cerebral and brain stem function; characterized by absence of: electrical activity in the brain, blood flow to the brain, and brain function as determined by clinical assessment of responses. A brain dead person is dead, although his or her cardiopulmonary functioning may be artificially maintained for some time.

This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."

Voting 203 to 58 at 12:42 a.m., the House joined the Senate in approving the measure and rushing it to President Bush. He signed the bill into law at 1:11 a.m., saying, "I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."

By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are also aware that Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug (no pun intended) on medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country.

Those of us who read liberal blogs also understand that that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are aware that the bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schiavo's because they will not be able to declare chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming.

And those of us who read liberal blogs also know that this grandstanding by the congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative.

Those who don't read liberal blogs, on the other hand, are seeing a spectacle on television in which the news anchors repeatedly say that the congress is "stepping in to save Terry Schiavo" mimicking the unctuous words of Tom Delay as they grovel and leer at the family and nod sympathetically at the sanctimonious phonies who are using this issue for their political gain.

This is why we cannot trust the mainstream media. Most people get their news from television. And television is presenting this issue as a round the clock one dimensional soap opera pitting the "family", the congress and the church against this woman's husband and the judicial system that upheld Terry Schiavo's right and explicit request that she be allowed to die if extraordinary means were required to keep her alive. The ghoulish infotainment industry is making a killing by acceding once again to trumped up right wing sensationalism.

and brain function as determined by clinical assessment of responses. A brain dead person is dead, although his or her cardiopulmonary functioning may be artificially maintained for some time.

You know as well as I do that not one, not two, but several doctors have concurred that she is in a PVS. You don't want to believe this; that's fine, but it doesn't change the diagnosis one bit. These doctors aren't out to kill Terri, why would they have anything against any of their patients? They made a judgement and that's that.

The fact that her crazy parents can't let go of their daughter is disturbing, but the fact that her life is being used as political capital by the Republicans is just morally bankrupt. Not that this is surprising coming from the party of Bush and DeLay.

Those of you who are arguing for keeping this poor dead lady alive are officially out of touch with the rest of America and our values. It's not even a Republican-Democrat thing.

Thanks for the clarification Joe... but my point remains pretty much the same. There remains a void or deficiency in law between "married" and "legally married". It is precisely this deficiency that's being exploited to prevent Terri's true next of kin from being heard.

Devil's in the details Joe. The word "certain" is the important detail in what you've quoted. You've established what the law is and for that matter who the lawyer in this exchange is... now would you care to address the point? Or were you just being helpful?

The GOP just guaranteed every American universal health coverage - Hillary would be proud
by John in DC - 3/21/2005 10:27:00 AM

Robert, a reader over at DailyKos, recently wrote a comment over there regarding Schiavo that is actually quite brilliant (I can't find the link to his post, but will summarize it below).

If the Republicans believe their "culture of life" requires the federal government to intervene and assure adequate medical care any time an American is at risk of bodily harm, then we can assume this "culture of life" applies to other Americans when they too need critical medical care yet something stands in their way.

For example:

- poor people, the homeless, the underemployed, illegal immigrants who can't afford to pay for their medical help
- the elderly who don't have enough money to pay for the kind of expensive medical attention they may need later in life
- parents of newborns facing catastrophic illness
- regular Americans who can't afford health insurance, have no health insurance for any other reason, or who have health insurance that doesn't cover their current major or catastrophic illness.
- any American who ends up facing any kind of major illness or threat to their health and who can't afford to pay for adequate treatment. STRIKE THAT, money is irrelevant, this is the Culture of Life we're talking about. That should read "any American facing any kind of major illness or health threat, period - regardless of ability to pay" - in Schiavo's case, money isn't the issue, yet they're still guaranteeing federal help. And after all, isn't the Culture of Life more important than dollars anyway?

In other words, the GOP just guaranteed every American universal health coverage. And if that's not what they're guaranteeing, ask them why not? Is the Terri Schiavo case about the "culture of life" - or is it simply about Tom DeLay and the radical right grandstanding when they don't really give a damn about anybody's life?

Some enterprising Democrat should write up the Culture of Life Act (Terri's bill) immediately and introduce it, guaranteeing universal health coverage to ensure that every American is guaranteed their "culture of life."

Even among evangelicals, 46 percent support removal of the feeding tube, as opposed to 44 percent who oppose. Conservatives support removal of the feeding tube 54-40.


Those of you who are arguing for keeping this poor dead lady alive are officially out of touch with the rest of America and our values....Cycloptichorn