In Schiavo Case, Gov. Bush Seeks Delay to Probe Abuse Allegations

[kskiska]

CLEARWATER, Fla., Feb. 23 -- The administration of Gov. Jeb Bush, already forcefully rebuked by the Florida Supreme Court for trying to override judicial orders and block the removal of a brain-damaged woman's feeding tubes, launched itself back into the case Wednesday by asking for a delay to investigate abuse allegations.

The surprise request by Florida's Department of Children and Families to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo stirred an already emotional atmosphere. A woman broke with courtroom decorum and called out "Amen" when an attorney for Schiavo's parents, who are trying to stop her husband from removing the feeding tubes, announced in Pinellas County Circuit Court that the department has asked for a delay.

(snip)

The legal maneuver adds a new layer of complication to the seven-year case, which has drawn an eclectic mix of monks, antiabortion activists and conservative Christian activists to this town west of Tampa. George J. Felos, the lead attorney for Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, said the move "reeks of political arm-twisting."

"The governor and the legislature -- the politicians -- have tried to do an end run around the court system," Felos said. In the past few years, he said, "scores" of abuse allegations from anonymous tipsters have been proved untrue.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48398-2005Feb23.html

[roguevalley]

1. God almighty. Leave that family and woman alone, you poseur

grandson of a Nazi collaborator!

[napi21]

2. Ignoring the law must be a prominent defect in the Bush family!

I don't think I ever remember any elected official just saying and doing anything they damn well please, and just ignoring the repremand if and when it comes.

[Say_What]

24. Wannabe Dictator in DC, wannabe dictator in Florida

[Mz Pip]

3. Abuse allegations

These people have no shame. I honestly don't know how I feel about the case but to raise abuse allegations just to keep this mess in court is a low as it goes. I feel bad for everyone involved but it's sad that the parents are hanging their hopes on anonymous tipsters to keep their daughter alive.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Erika]

5. Terri's parents rarely visited her until

the right-wing approached them with $ and fame. Her husband has already introduced the hospital's visitor log to the courts.

They are not doing this for Terri.

[civil discourse]

8. This is new information for me

Is there any website or similar that you could refer me to?

[Erika]

4. Florida DCF had already conducted an investigation on abuse

and they and the courts found NO abuse. Nor did they find any grounds to remove her husband as her legal guardian.

The right wingers have gone into full blown histrionics on this case to press their own extremist agenda and use Terri as a poster child. Their actions have been absolutely anarchist and obscene and Jeb Bush appeases them.

So they wish more tests and more invasions of privacy on the husband and the shell of Terri. How utterly disgusting.

[Rosco T.]

35. There is a little more involved here that is making the MSM...

Roughly a year after she collapsed and was left in this condition, she was demonstrating very painful reactions to physical therapy treatment, the medical director ordered a bone scan.

This bone scan revealed a badly healed broken right femur bone and healed bone fractures in the ribs, pelvis, spine and ankle.

The director concluded that she has a history of trauma consistent with severe abuse and that it should be investigated, however the husband has blocked any further investigation of this trauma.

Something is wrong here....

[Walt Starr]

37. Link please

I know for a FACT what you've detailed is UTTER BULLSHIT. The charges were fully investigated and dismissed YEARS AGO.

[msanthrope]

40. Utter Bullshit...and funny, the doctors that were being sued for

not diagnosing her bulima never raised abuse as a defense...and they were all over Terri's medical records.

The Schindlers waited nearly 10 years after she collapsed to mention the bone scan and abuse allegations. And it won't wash.

[moobu2]

6. Right Wing Right to life people have

100,000 propaganda websites out there spreading lies about the husband.

[janx]

34. Yep. It's like the game of telephone played by people on

amphetamines.

[NightOwwl]

7. Jesus Effin Christ.

Just let this poor woman out of her misery.

[ernstbass]

9. Why don't these people mind their own business

The lengths they will go to are unreal!

[janx]

29. It's like a soap opera to them. I've been reading their threads

online for years. It is one of the most insidious and disgusting parts of human nature that I've ever encountered.

[chickenscratching]

10. Attorney: State seeking Schiavo delay (terri schiavo)

Attorney: State seeking Schiavo delay
Friday, February 25, 2005 Posted: 10:50 AM EST (1550 GMT)

TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- An attorney for the parents of Terri Schiavo say Florida's social services agency is seeking a 60-day delay in the removal of the woman's feeding tube while it investigates new allegations of her abuse and neglect.


Terri Schiavo collapsed 15 years ago Friday, when a chemical imbalance caused her heart to stop beating and cut off oxygen to her brain. She is now 41.

Michael Schiavo is currently blocked from ordering the removal of his wife's feeding tube until 5 p.m. Friday. He and the Schindlers have been at odds over the right-to-die case for more than seven years.

more: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/25/schiavo.case.ap/index.html

[BOSSHOG]

11. "New Allegations of her abuse?"

Who is doing the allegating? Yesterday on an American Family Radio "News"break this was reported:

Medical evidence may indicate foul play in the Terry Schiavo case which may point to her husband who is the man who wants her dead the most.

If you are not a fetus or are braindead in a comotose state conservatives care naught about you.

[civil discourse]

14. This isn't a "pro-life" issue

It's anti-murder and anti a really crummy judge.


I can tell spousal abuse when I see it.

[BOSSHOG]

17. Is it "new" abuse?

If not, how can 15 year old evidence materialize today? Terry has been available to investigators for years. As the ruling gets closer to cutting off her feeding tube the pro-lifers get more desperate. Maybe Jeff Gannon can investigate and get to the bottom of this story for all life loving conservatives.

[janx]

27. It most certainly is a "pro-life" issue.

Anyone following the money (and "press") can quickly see that.

[Warpy]

15. This is insane

Abuse would have killed her years ago.

Why right wingers are so horrified at the prospect of something as natural as death is beyond me.

Oh wait, vengeful god, fear based religion, hypocrisy....gotcha.

[bluedog]

30. the pro lifers

are calling the abuse hotline here and really jamming it up.

I wrote on other boards that they could be more useful in helping find a little girl 9 years old missing from her home since yeaterday......she is a living walking talking human being.
its only 45 to 1 hour drive from Pinellas Park to Citrus county where they can put their energies to better use!

they are also protesting the judges Baptist church...the lawyers office and mikes house.........they are following the command of randall terry.......

[janx]

31. Right--I saw pics online of Randall Terry harassing Schiavo

when he returned home in his car. Apparently Terry also yelled at him over a fence. The "pro-lifers" were on his property and left a sign on his door or something.

God bless Schiavo. I cannot believe what that man has gone through just to honor his wife's wishes. He must have loved her very much.

[BOSSHOG]

32. But gosh

I thought it had nothing to do with the pro life movement!! Maybe if they kill the judge and burn the church that will make everything fine. Meanwhile Terry suffers.

[janx]

33. She's not suffering physically, but the memory of her is being

so terribly disrespected and abused.

[janx]

36. Here is the latest schedule of events:

To: floriduh voter; amdgmary; All
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR TERRI ... From Fight4Terri.com

Today, February 25, 2005

3:00 PM --7:00 PM

Woodside Hospice

6774 102nd Avenue N. (near 66th Street N and 102nd Avenue N) Pinellas Park, Florida.

At 3:00 PM today, meet with Father Tom Euteneuer, President of Human Life International

**** ****** ****

Saturday, February 26, 2005

10 AM - 4 PM

The neighborhood of Michael Schiavo's & Jodi Centonze's home, protestors will gather at the corner of Marrie Court and Frisco Drive.

A map to this protest site is available online at: http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=1NZfvOp_0To0_LP.CtzQeoW0LKGP5oySm3BYOC4PqlU-&csz=Clearwater%2C+FL&country=us&new=1&name=Protest&qty=

*** This protest will feature students from Ava Maria College***

**** ************* ****

Daily Vigil held every evening

Woodside Hospice

5:00-7:00 PM Daily

6774 102nd Avenue N. (near 66th Street N and 102nd Avenue N) Pinellas Park, Florida. Fight4Terri @aol.com

www.fight4terri.blogspot.com

Visit Terri's site: www.terrisfight.org

Cheryl Ford, RN ([e-mail]) is not affiliated with any other group and works as an independent volunteer promoting the protection of Florida's disabled community.
3,699 posted on 02/25/2005 11:31:29 AM MST by Pegita ('Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word ...)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3695 | View Replies | Report Abuse >

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1333205/posts?page=3698#3698

[janx]

12. The courts dismissed these allegations years ago.

It's another delay tactic and political maneuver.

[etherealtruth]

13. As a former Hospice nurse...

... I pray they let this poor woman's body die. To her parents: I am so sorry you (and your daughter) have had to endure this horror. As a mother I can not even allow myself to imagine your pain... but, it is time to make the most selfless decision of your life and let Terry's body go.

To Jeb Bush: It is unconscionable that you have, and continue to, use this woman and her family as pawns while trying to push your political agenda. Terry is a human being, NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE.

Finally, to Terry's husband: Your critics fall into two categories, the first are those who criticize you out of pain for Terry's lost life. Forgive them. Second there are those who have used your plight for political expediency, this is unforgivable. It would have been unhealthy for you not to have moved on, it has been a long time... I wish you well.

If I am ever in Terry's position, I pray those around me will allow my body to die. I have made my wishes clear to all around me (and have put it in writing).

[civil discourse]

16. If he's such a loving husband

why does he restrict the patents' visiting?

[janx]

18. Because he doesn't like their videotaping and treating what's

left of Terri like a circus animal, that's why. They are understandably desperate and in denial, the poor things, but under Florida law, it's not their decision. And they (and she) are being used by fundamentalist Christians to boot.

[civil discourse]

20. If there's anything in there

then Terri would feel better having visitors.

If there's nothing, she won't mind the videotaping.

Just because a bunch of nutty fundamentalist have made it their issue, doesn't mean we can't see this for what it is.

How often does the husband visit Terri?

Has it changed over the years?

Does she have a blink reflex?

Can she see?

Are there flowers in the room?

Is there a life insurance policy which benefits him?

[Walt Starr]

22. Terri Shiavo died 15 years ago., All that is left is a shell

Her monstrous parents paragde the shell in an undignified manner against Terri shiavo's wishes.

They are MONSTERS.

[etherealtruth]

47. What has been done to Terry's body is monstrous

I can't help having pity for her parents, though. Whether they do not have the faculties to understand what they are doing or that they are blinded by the pain, are possibilities that are not monstrous, but extremely unfortunate (a phenomenal understatement, I understand).

I really try not to judge parents in situations such as this; as a mother of three I can only hope I would have the strength to do the right thing-----and pray I will never be called upon to do so.

It is the damned politicians that have jumped in to score political points who sicken and disgust me!

[janx]

23. There's nothing in there, sadly.

This has been established time and time again in the courts. But the "pro-life" organizations are on a feeding frenzy.

[Walt Starr]

21. Because her parents are MONSTERS who parade videotapes

and bullshit allegations as if they were the truth!

[Walt Starr]

19. MICHAEL SHIAVO IS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO!!!!!!

Fucking MONSTERS are what the parents are. EVIL MONSTERS!

[Megahurtz]

25. What a slick political move.

Runs in the family.

[janx]

26. I don't think it's going to work, but then all kinds of shenanigans

have gone on for over seven years to prolong this poor woman's "life." The courts have already established that there was no abuse on the part of Schiavo, and the DFC will have no leg to stand on, so to speak.

It's just another desperate ploy to drag this thing out for another couple of months.

Also, note that this information comes not from the DCF itself, but from an attorney representing the woman's parents. That in itself is suspect.

[Guckert]

28. We should all pray Jeb suffers the same fate as Terri.

He would be praying to his Brothers God to let him die.

[bluedog]

38. Hardball Statement by Dad...................

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about your own plans. If you are able to get custody of your daughter, able to take her back to your home, what would it cost to you keep her treated the way she‘s treated now in the hospital and to give her some therapy to regain some of her faculties? What would it cost you to do that?

SCHINDLER: It would not cost us a penny. We‘ve had volunteers from a medical profession that will take Terri. There‘s an establishment that will house her. She‘ll get the full therapy at no cost to us.

And since this, Terri‘s story has become public, everyone has come forward. And it hasn‘t cost us a penny. And our attorneys are pro bono. The doctors that testified on Terri‘s behalf are all pro bono. They‘re all volunteers. Conversely, our adversary paid these experts to testify against Terri. They‘re paid experts, professional witnesses.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7024315/


***********you see they are not going to "take" care of her......others will still have too!

[janx]

39. The same day, NewsMax sent this letter from him to their

subscribers:

http://view.exacttarget.com/?ffcd16-febd137970640d79-fe0615737560067876117275

Help Save My Daughter From Starvation! (from Terri Schiavo's father)

Dear Friend of Life,

By now you have probably heard about a young woman who is threatened with starvation in Florida.

That young woman is my daughter, Terri. In 1990, through circumstances which are shrouded in mystery (and may involve a criminal act by Terri's estranged husband), my daughter was left severely brain-damaged.

But before I go any further, I must put an end to the lies and misinformation that are circulating around the country through the media concerning my daughter's condition.

Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state;" nor is she on ANY life-support system.


Terri Schiavo responds
to her mother's touch

Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and "puckers up" her lips.

This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri's mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.

I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.

Why, you may ask, is Terry in danger of death by starvation?

It is a long and outrageous story, but I'll give it to you as briefly as I can.

After the "incident" that left Terry in this condition, her husband Michael Schiavo sued various members of the medical community for money, saying that they did not treat or diagnose her properly at an early stage, and that he needed this money to provide for Terri's therapy and rehabilitation and care.

After lengthy court battles, he finally won upwards of $1.7 million under the guise of caring for our daughter, and then to our horror, he immediately began spending the money on himself and his Playboy lifestyle.

Terri's estranged husband Michael Schiavo has been living with another woman for years, and has two children by her. He is determined to see Terri dead. Why? We believe it's because he gets to keep whatever money is left... and he may have even darker motives than that.

To add insult to all of this injury toward my daughter, Michael Schiavo is still her "legal husband" and therefore is her "guardian." And since they are not legally divorced, he controls whatever health care she will and will not get. We are not even allowed to know if she is getting aspirin.

In 1993 my family initiated litigation against Michael Schiavo solely for the purpose of acquiring medical, physical and neurological assistance for our daughter Terri. The litigation escalated in 1998 when Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to stop Terri from receiving food and water, thereby starving her to death.

In filing this legal action, he retained the services of a high profile euthanasia attorney and the financial backing of powerful euthanasia organizations. He also used Terri's medical rehabilitation money to underwrite much of the legal expenses associated with his effort to starve our daughter to death.

We know that he has spent nearly $500,000 of Terri's money in attorney's fees for just one attorney trying to obtain a court order to have Terri starved to death. The very money that was supposed to be used for Terri's rehabilitation is being used to have her killed.

We very quickly discovered it was impossible for us to compete with the abundance of financial and legal resources the pro-death organizations were providing Micheal Schiavo in their effort to kill Terri. They are pouring time and effort into her starvation because they want to use this case to further the agenda of legalized euthanasia.

My wife and I are not wealthy people. Throughout those years, we did not have any large organizations trying to help rescue our daughter. Consequently, we had to rely on the generosity of attorneys who were willing to offer their legal expertise at no cost or at reduced fees.

The bottom line is that we are in the final weeks or months of our struggle to rescue our daughter from an untimely death by starvation. Death by starvation is very slow, and extremely painful. As you must know, it is against the law to deliberately starve an animal to death. There are members of the Florida court who would not treat a dog the way they plan to treat my daughter.

At this point we must pull out all the stops in our fight to rescue our daughter.

As parents, we are desperate to save our daughter's life. As people who love life, we are determined to deprive the euthanasia advocates of successfully legalizing this form of homicide. We believe that their efforts to kill Terri are designed to set a precedent for the future eradication of defenseless disabled human beings. I was alive when Americans fought the Nazis; I do not want my daughter to meet the same fate of thousands of disabled people in Nazi Germany, and I do not want our country to go down that same dark path.

Friend, though we have never met, I'm asking you for your help. We desperately need your financial assistance to help our family continue the battle to keep our daughter from being starved to death. There are so many expenses in a case like this it is mind-boggling and overwhelming. Please click below to make a contribution now:

https://secure.cartlight.com/merchant/terri/?afid=max

Our adversaries believe that by our family's financial attrition and difficulties, they will attain their objective of killing our daughter. Presently, Terri's starvation may only be a few weeks away, unless we find the financial resources to prevent this atrocity from becoming a reality.

I implore you to please help us. We are writing to you, because we believe you have a heart for justice and mercy. I'm asking you to put yourself in my shoes, and then do whatever you can to help our family. Whether it is $10 or $1000, we are desperate for the resources to fight this battle for our daughter's life at this critical juncture.

Please do whatever you can, and forward this e-mail to any friends or family that you have who you think might be interested in saving Terri's life.

I thank you for your time, your concern, and I solicit your prayers for Terri and our entire family. These have been very trying times for us all.

Sincerely,

Bob Schindler Sr.

GO HERE TO CONTRIBUTE NOW!

[bluedog]

42. Terry Randall.....the snake in the grass!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Terry said students will hold a six-hour demonstration in front of Michael Schiavo's home on Saturday. On Sunday, the protest will move to the front of Greer's church in Clearwater.

snip...................

"We are calling on the Baptist church that Greer attends to withhold Communion from him," said Terry.

There is the possibility of confrontations at this weekend's protests, and the Clearwater Police Department said it's "?prepared for any eventuality."

Terry has been arrested dozens of times in the past at anti-abortion rallies, but many people doubt he'll go far enough for that to happen in this case, because that would prevent him from being able to speak to the media.


http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2005/2/24/72548.html

[bluedog]

43. guess daddy wanted the money!!!

1992
_ November: Terri's husband, Michael, wins malpractice suit that accused doctors of misdiagnosing his wife; jury awards more than more than $700,000 for her care, Michael receives an additional $300,000.

1993
_ Feb. 14: Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have a falling out with Michael over the malpractice suit money and Terri's care.
_ July 29, 1993: Bob and Mary Schindler file petition to have Michael Schiavo removed as Terri's guardian. The case is later dismissed.


http://www.legalwills.ca/news040923a.asp

[candy331]

41. So the DCF has investigated this claim and was unsubstantiated

then why are they back at it again? So Jeb just use as pawns for his political stance any agency he sees fit? Is there no one that will stand up to this governors face in the media and say it is enough.

[janx]

44. FACTS of this case:

http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html#timeline

Note this part of the Timeline:

December 1963… Terri's birth date

November 1984… Terri & Michael marry

February 1990… Terri suffers cardiac arrest and a severe loss of oxygen to her brain

May 1990… Terri leaves hospital and is brought to a rehabiliation center for aggressive therapy

July 1990… Terri is brought to the home where her husband and parents live; after a few weeks, she is brought back to the rehabilitation center

November 1990… Terri is taken to California for experimental therapies

January 1991… Terri is returned to Florida and placed at a rehabilitation center in Brandon

July 1991… Terri is transfered to a skilled nursing facility where she receives aggressive physical therapy and speech therapy

May 1992… Michael and the Schindlers stop living together

January 1993… Michael recovers $1 million settlement for medical malpractice claim involving Terri's care; jury had ruled in Michael's favor on allegations Terri's doctors failed to diagnose her bulimia, which led to her heart failure; case settled while on appeal

March 1994… Terri is transferred to a Largo nursing home

May 1998… Michael files petition for court to determine whether Terri's feeding tube should be removed; Michael takes position that Terri would chose to remove the tube; Terri's parents take position that Terri would chose not to remove the tube

Schiavo tried eight years of rehabilitation and therapy for his wife before losing hope when it was found that her cerebral cortex was gone.

[bluedog]

45. EXTENED..................update

Order Keeps Feeding Tube in Fla. Woman

1 minute ago

Add to My Yahoo! U.S. National - AP

TAMPA, Fla. - A Pinellas Circuit Court judge has extended the stay keeping Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place until March 18. The development came two days after her parents sought court protection to keep their son-in-law from ordering doctors to remove the feeding tube. The tube keeps the 41-year-old disabled woman alive.


Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer issued the stay until 1 p.m. March 18. He made his decision after pleadings from Bob and Mary Schindler that they need more time to pursue additional medical tests which might prove their daughter has more mental capabilities than previously thought.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_BRAIN_DAMAGED_WOMAN_FLOL-?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[janx]

46. This isn't a stay. He denied their motion for an emergency stay

and basically washed his hands of the whole thing. They can try to appeal to higher courts in the next few weeks, but I don't doubt if the USSC is going to take this one.

It's about time. That judge has been more than patient throughout this ordeal.