One Again The Religious Right Shows its Hypocrisy

[ulTRAX]

I admit, I have mixed feelings about abortion... I'd rather see kids brought up in homes where they are welcome, the parent/s are emotionally stable, and they have sufficient resources. Sadly this is not the case. I was once in a relationship and we had a family-planning crisis. Given our circumstances, there were no other viable options. And so I have mixed feelings about Terri S. An elderly relative once had a stroke and I was appalled when the other side of the family pulled the plug so quickly. He could not pass the swallow test but he was certainly aware. It took him 10 days to die. I later discovered that one of the persons making the decision knew what was in the will and profited handsomely. I don't think Terri's husband deserves to be guardian but I also believe the family's gone off the deep end with it baseless hope and vilification of the husband.

Then there's the Religious Right and their lackeys in the GOP. They would not come off as such blatant hypocrites if they actually demonstrated that they cared as much about the living and less about unviable fetuses and the brain-dead. Sadly they do not. They revel in their hypocritical contradictions opposing abortion but embracing war and capital punishment. I learned yesterday that while in Texas Bush signed a law permitting such pulling of the plug. Frist's office admitted that while he was a physician he did too. At least the Catholic Church tries to flesh out the concept of "pro-life" in reduce those contradictions by their opposition to capital punishment and calling for more a more equitable society. In contrast the Religious Right and the GOP have made a mockery of life, Christianity, and integrity.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

1. I don't think Terri's husband deserves to be guardian

Oh, and what makes you think that?

[ulTRAX]

3. he's already moved on

The husband has already moved on to a new relationship.

[Dr Ron]

5. Not our choice to make

It is a complex question as to whether he is acting in his wife's interests. This needs to be decided by people who have reviewed the evidence extensively--not based upon people deciding upon news media accounts.

That's why the decisions of the Florida court should be respected, and the politicians should stay out of this.

[Inland]

7. Terri's pretty much moved on, too.

I don't see her haveing any marital relationship either, being in a PSV. Granted, it wasn't her choice, but she really isn't there anymore. Therefore is seems to me Michael is just about right for a guardian.

On the other hand, the parents seem to be propping up a pretense.
Only the parents seem unwilling to accept the reality of the situation. And the strangers who are "helping" should be kept at arms's length.
I mean, really--once you start making Randall Terry your spiritual guru, you KNOW that you aren't doing the right thing.

[Patchuli]

8. Can you blame him??!

It's not like Terri's been able to be a wife and companion to him for the past 15 years. On the other hand, he's stuck by her side when he
didn't have to. This story is as much about Mr. Schiavo as it is about
Mrs. Schiavo. And I agree with the other poster, this guy is a hero. As
for her parents, they apparently tried to care for her once some years
ago and ended up taking her back to the hospital because they couldn't
handle it. We've not heard any plan for Terri's care from the parents and as badly as I feel for them and what they are going through, I think that a care plan should have been discussed. I think they need to accept the fact that this poor girl is gone and let her body rest. I know if it was me, I wouldn't want to be kept alive like that and my spouse and I are planning to put it in writing!

[pbartch]

11. It has been 15 YEARS!!! I would hope my hubby would "move on with life"

and not hole up with grief for that long if I should die or be in a severe medical condition.

We have discussed this. We both agree that we would not do what has been done to Terri.

[SaveElmer]

2. Michael Schiavo is a hero

And the only one who really seems to have his wife's best interests at heart. Read the report of the court appointed Guardian ad litem if you do not agree.

No one should have to undergo the abuse he has gone through to protect the rights of their loved ones.

http://jb-williams.com/ts-report-12-03.htm

[ulTRAX]

4. this thread is not about Michael Schiavo

It's about the hypocrisy of the Right.

[SaveElmer]

6. "I don't think Terri's husband deserves to be guardian "

This was in the original message you posted. It was the part of your post that I disagreed with so I commented on it!

[ulTRAX]

15. I know damn well what I said...

My feelings about the guardianship issue is irrelevant given court rulings. It's merely my personal opinion that if the husband is no longer committed to Terri... as indicated by his having two kids with his new fiancée, I believe he should have given up guardianship.

It had NOTHING to do with the main topic of the post which is about how the Right is hijacking this issue.

[SaveElmer]

17. Oh ok...not a mind reader

You make a blatantly ignorant remark about Terri Schiavo's husband but I am supposed to ignore it because it wasn't the main topic of your post. If you didn't want comment on it you should have left that part out!!

[ulTRAX]

19. there was nothing "blatantly ignorant" about my statement

My original statement was merely "I don't think Terri's husband deserves to be guardian but I also believe the family's gone off the deep end with it baseless hope and vilification of the husband."

I later said the reason I believed this was because he had two kids with another woman. I hardly see this being a committed husband. I don't fault him for moving on. I have not said he would gain from Terri's death. I merely fault him for not letting go.
Just because the courts have ruled that the husband has the right to be guardian hardly makes my opinion "ignorant". It's merely a reflection of what I would do in a similar situation.

[LuminousX]

9. The Guardianship doesn't really matter

The courts sided with Michael after Michael stepped aside and allowed the matter to go to court.

Why did Terri’s husband get to make the decision about whether she should live or die?

Michael Schiavo did not make the decision to discontinue life-prolonging measures for Terri.

As Terri's husband, Michael has been her guardian and her surrogate decision-maker. By 1998, though -- eight years after the trauma that produced Terri's situation -- Michael and Terri's parents disagreed over the proper course for her.

Rather than make the decision himself, Michael followed a procedure permitted by Florida courts by which a surrogate such as Michael can petition a court, asking the court to act as the ward's surrogate and determine what the ward would decide to do. Michael did this, and based on statements Terri made to him and others, he took the position that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures. The Schindlers took the position that Terri would continue life-prolonging measures. Under this procedure, the trial court becomes the surrogate decision-maker, and that is what happened in this case.

The trial court in this case held a trial on the dispute. Both sides were given opportunities to present their views and the evidence supporting those views. Afterwards, the trial court determined that, even applying the "clear and convincing evidence" standard -- the highest burden of proof used in civil cases -- the evidence showed that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures.



Why didn’t the court appoint a guardian other than Terri’s husband to speak for her?

The trial judge could have utilized a guardian ad litem as a neutral party to speak for Terri, but in the end the trial judge did not do so. The Second District affirmed this decision and explained its rationale in this way:

Under these circumstances, the two parties, as adversaries, present their evidence to the trial court. The trial court determines whether the evidence is sufficient to allow it to make the decision for the ward to discontinue life support. In this context, the trial court essentially serves as the ward's guardian. Although we do not rule out the occasional need for a guardian in this type of proceeding, a guardian ad litem would tend to duplicate the function of the judge, would add little of value to this process, and might cause the process to be influenced by hearsay or matters outside the record. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court's discretionary decision in this case to proceed without a guardian ad litem.

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

The man may be the biggest asshat in history or not, 23 judges seem to think otherwise.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

14. Excellent synopsis

Except for the fact that the court did appoint a Guardian Ad-Litem in this case but his findings were the same as everyone else’s.

[Warpy]

10. I will profit handsomely when my father dies

but that doesn't mean I'm going to pull the plug on him unless quite a few conditions he's already spelled out to me in conversations are met. I have a durable power of attorney. I've only used it to send him to intensive rehab after a stroke, so it's bought him 10 years of independence.

I want him to live forever. I just don't want forever to mean a nursing home, a dirty diaper, and food he can't taste because it's going through a tube.

I'm sure some nasty relative will pop out of the woodwork and accuse me of sending him to an early grave for my inheritance.

I'm ready for it. There's nothing like a clear conscience to help you stare those folks down and shut them up.

[madmom]

12. so what would happen if her parents did get guardianship...

and she lives on for however many more years. The parents die(hey we all gotta go sometime) who takes over then? Who's responsible for her then?

[deadparrot]

13. Hypocracy's the name of the game in this case. nt

[libodem]

16. weird partisan issue created with this

right wing pundit, just said ...the 'right' chooses the parent's rights and life...the 'left' chooses the dubious husband and death...it just isn't fair...'they' are always defining us....

[Patchuli]

18. It looks like much of the public

does not agree with keeping her alive artificially, even in the MSNBC Poll. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/