1. Terri Schiavo.
She killed herself when her bulimic behavior led to a persistent and, in time, irreversible persistent vegetative state.
2. Michael Schiavo.
He removed the artificial feeding system that either kept Ms. Schiavo’s body alive, or prolonged her death, depending upon one’s perspective. He deserves conditional public sympathy.
3. The Schindlers and the religious right
Instead of arguing their case based on traditional bioethics and convincing lawmakers to amend Florida law, the Schindlers and the religious right took the low road: They publicly distorted Terri’s medical condition, waged a campaign of character assassination against Michael Schiavo, and sought out the same "activist judges" that the far right had been accusing of lawlessness.
But numerous judges and courts adhered strictly to the law and the U.S. Constitution. The religious right’s political campaign was, it turns out, based upon fundamental falsehoods that alienated the public.
No doubt the Schindlers’ actions were motivated by love. But because they and the religious right transformed loving motives into hateful and deceptive actions, my sympathy for them is also conditional.
4. The nation’s refusal to address health care
Along with private insurers’ premiums paid by millions of policyholders across Florida and the nation, Medicaid helped keep Ms. Schiavo’s body artificially alive for 15 years at tremendous public cost. It is a program mired in financial crisis. Neither the president nor Congress are willing to budget responsibly, nor is anyone willing to say exactly who should live — or die — at public expense.
We will never know for certain whether Ms. Schiavo would have wanted her nearly mindless body, lacking most of the cerebral cortex, to be artificially fed for 15 years at tremendous public expense while other people — lacking Medicaid, insurance payouts, and political friends — died.
We do know what factors killed Ms. Schiavo — or allowed her to die naturally. If anyone is to be "blamed," it is, well, everyone.
OK, folks, have at it. Share your rants, or your links to bloggers who are more thoughtful than I.
Addendum: Wayne Besen commented March 27 on the religious right’s exploitation of the Schindlers and Schiavos. Randy Thomas ranted (his own word) March 18 on behalf of the religious right — XGW coverage of that is here.
I agree with most of this, but another interesting question would be: who is–or was–making money from keeping some functioning of her body alive? I hate to keep beating this drum, but the sad fact is that one should usually try to follow the money. It was reported that “Schindler’s list” of donors, etc., is now being hawked to various conservative/religious operations. I suspect that this whole sorry episode started with a falling out between Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers, for reasons that we will probably never know, and it snow-balled as the issue was made public. And various conservative religious operations saw an opportunity to make money off it–much as they did with Exodus.
I’m not suggesting that the Schindlers initially went into the contretemps with Michael with the idea that they were going to make money off it. Indeed, they themselves might not be making any money off it. But it is clear that others on the conservative/religious side were. And, of course, the longer that they–ghouls that they are–could keep some functioning of Terri’s body alive, the more they could make off her. They’re sick.
Quite frankly, this whole shameful episode reminds me of an Outer Limits episode from the 1960s. The difference was that, in that episode, a ghoul kept a brain alive after the body was dead.
I don’t know who is fooling who but when the public finds out the truth about all the evidence that this judge refused to admit in the hearings and when the public learn the truth about Terri’s husband they will realize they have been played like a cheap violin by an abusive and murderous husband who was able to work with his crooked lawyer and the judge to cover this thing up–Terri’s death will bring these evil people to justice and I hope most of you folks who think you got the real news from the networks will finally realize you are being led like sheeps to the slaughter–wake up and dig for the facts and when you finally see you have been used–get angry and do something about
it- This poor girl was ordered by the courts to be murdered–think about that–these people will fall and I will be happy to be at the front of the line when they go down –these deceptive people will pay and suffer for what they have done–they will have no peace in their life because I believe in the balance of justice and all things will be equal in time–thank God for those who recognized this for what it really was–it had nothing to with a feeding tube or some phony husband’s claims about hiw wife’s so-called wishes–this has to do with murder plain and simple–murder–first by the husband who I believe beat and strangled her and then by the judge and lawyer who finished the job–she never had a heart attack that is a matter of record her air supply was cut off –I wonder how–follow the facts and any sane thinking person will reach the same conclusion–my only consolation is that enough good and honest people have now gotten involved and the guilty will pay —they had best enjoy this victory because soon they will be begging for their lives and their crys for help should be music to the ears of decent and moral people.
FGR,
I hear your concern. At the same time, you failed to offer a single documented fact to substantiate your accusations.
I recommend you adopt a bit of Christian humility and self-examination, FGR. The failure to document accusations such as yours deprived Ms. Schiavo of public support and hastened her death.
When you fail to document your case, FGR, the public concludes that you do not care what the facts are. You are doing a disservice to the pro-life cause and to other people who may face Ms. Schiavo’s fate.
so we’re allowed to rant? Here ya go.
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7305206/site/newsweek/All the pundits, politicians and activists have announced since they no longer have Terri to fight for they will be turning their effort to now abolish the death penalty. Congress will be holding a special session and Bush will be staying up past his bedtime to work on it. Texas, the most death-penalty happy state, has already begun converting its gas chamber into a ten commandments monument rather than ever again risk executing an innocent man. Because as we heard over and over for the past month,
NOT! They don’t F-ing care. And yet the religious right wonders where accusations of racism and hypocrisy come from. Now that this white married heterosexual is dead they’re going to resume work reinstating the death penalty for negro homosexuals.(much as the AFA, FRC and FOTF continue to use “homosexual” contrary to our community’s expressed preference for “gay,” black Americans have since transitioned away from use of the term “negro” which seems to have finally taken hold with even the most backwards members of our society)(also let me clarify about the reference to the death penalty for homosexuality. Re-constructionists are very much a part of the religious right as evidenced by Coral Ridge Ministries)
Who killed Terri Schiavo?
I understand that this question is somewhat rhetorical, but it really sets me off.
(begin rant)
This will sound crass, but what the heck.
The fact is that I’ve buried more people than I care to count over the last 25 years and as far as I’m concerned, this excessive recent attention to two cases–Terri Schiavo and a demented old man (the pope)–is disgusting.
The sad fact is that people die. Americans should learn that sad fact. People die.
The sooner that Americans learn and understand the fact that people really do die, the better off they’ll be. This incessant wailing about one woman in a hospice in Florida. Give me a break. I’ve known more people who have died with far less media exposure and with far less ceremony. And the old guy in Italy? Also give me a break. He’s done far too much damage than I would care to recount, but it’s clear that he’s been brain dead for years, and the body is just catching up.
(/rant)
NB: the HTML people really do need to add tags for “rant,” “tic” (tongue in cheek), “tiq” (troll in question) and other useful tidbits.
BTW, regarding FGR’s idiotic posting, it strikes me as being counterproductive and rather stupid to reargue the legal proceedings in the case. The opinions are all on line. Most, if not all, of them are available through https://www.abstractappeal.com/
One thing that should be mentioned is that FGR’s posting seems to be typical of a number of postings in which paid trolls seek to deflect comment threads of various web sites. I’ve noted it elsewhere.
I’m not suggesting that the Schindlers initially went into the contretemps with Michael with the idea that they were going to make money off it. Indeed, they themselves might not be making any money off it.
According to one report I read online (sorry, can’t remember where it was printed – so take it’s accuracy with a grain of salt), the Schindlers and Mr. Schiavo got along fine until the medical malpractice case (against Mrs. Schiavo’s doctors, for failure to recognize and diagnose the bulemia that is believed to have led to her heart failure) was settled, and all the money either went to Mr. Schiavo (about $300k, for loss of his wife’s companionship) or his wife’s care (about $750k more). They expected to get a cut of the $$, and only after they did not was there an argument about her care.
In fact, none of the abuse allegations were raised during their marriage, or at the time of her heart failure and initial recovery period. Apparently, Mr. Schiavo was urged by his in-laws to date again, and he introduced them to his current girlfriend.
But the saddest thing about this whole case (and the question of “who” killed her seems moot at this point – if one wanted to be a bleeding-heart liberal, one could say society killed her, for presenting an ideal of womanhood that was too difficult to achieve) is that had Mrs. Schiavo’s parents agreed with her husband, we would never have known them or her history. There are – what? – 30,000 people in the US defined as being in a “persistant vegitative state”? So logic holds that dozens of these people die every year because their families decide, in unison, to withhold care, including feeding tubes. Yet the “pro-life” movement didn’t hold protests about this, didn’t get involved in the issue, until there were cases (and Mrs. Schiavo is by far not the first such case to draw their attention – Hugh Finn, a Kentucky anchorman who died in VA 8 – 10 years ago was a nearly identical issue, and they were there)that would attract publicity. If the movement is really against ANY witholding of this type of care – or only with a written living will – why did they not draw attention to it earlier?
Raj, I agree that Terri Schiavo’s importance has been overplayed by my own profession (journalism) — thousands of people die unjustly every day, but few dying people possess the money and political connections required to gain the attention of the corporate mass media.
No, Mike, thousands die each day. Some of the deaths are just, and some are unjust. As far as anyone can tell, Terri Schiavo’s death was just. It was unfortunate that it happened. But just because something is unfortunate doesn’t mean that it is unjust.
Regarding
but few dying people possess the money and political connections required to gain the attention of the corporate mass media.
as far as I can tell, she herself didn’t possess the money or political connections required to gain the attention of the corporate mass media. Neither did Michael and, as far as I can tell, neither did the Schindlers–at least not initially. Via a mechanism that is still not clear to me, the conservative christian heralds latched onto the Schindlers’ story, and that’s what brought it to the incessant attention of the corporate mass media. And, since the corporate mass media has to fill time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will do so at the lowest cost to them (so that they will thereby maximize their profits), they’ll latch onto a story like this any day.
I keep saying, follow the money. And I mean it.
I agree the money should be followed, but I struggle just to find time to follow the exgay money. I can’t follow the Schiavo-Schindler money also. 🙂
But I hope someone will — probably from the independent media. The major wire services and newspaper/TV networks perform virtually no investigative reporting anymore.
The NYTimes reported a couple of days ago that Schindler’s list–a list of individuals who have donated to them over the years (and, no, that reference was not original with me)–was being rented out to various religious right organizations to the tune of several hundreds of dollars for only a few months use.
Follow the money.
Who knew that the Schindlers were even keeping a list?
Regan,
Please press your Enter or Return key twice at the end of each paragraph.
All paragraphs should be double-spaced.
Thanks.
Regan DuCasse | April 1, 2005 02:10 PM
“Follow the money”? “Err of the side of life?”
Okay, so now we’re reducing this sad family contention into cliche and tired slogans?
I say this-if it were YOU in Terri’s situation would you prefer it? And if you DIDN’T, would you want the government FORCING you to be kept alive no matter what your wishes or your nearest relative’s, especially if you’re married?
Come down, Regan. I’ve actually had to address these issues. As has my partner. As I mentioned above, I’ve buried more people over the last 25 years than I care to count. And my partner buried his father almost 25 years ago. He was in the hospital for a number of weeks, and–because of the lack of public health care–his care threatened to bankrupt his wife (apropos one of MikeA’s comments). After living and working here for 25 years as an immigrant from Germany. When he was in the hospital, the social worker told his wife–my partner’s mother–to present all of the bank books, and so forth, so that they could determine how long they would keep him on the machines before the money ran out. Fortunately for her, he died before that became an issue. But, if they had stayed in Germany, he still would have died, but his hospital stay would not have even come close to threatening to bankrupt the family.
A couple of years ago my partner was in a hospital in Munich for a week (long story, most of which is irrelevant) for a thrombosis in the leg. He was a private pay patient. The total bill for the entire week, which included lots of tests, including genetic tests, was on the order of US$5000. I’m not joking. US$5000. We were reimbursed by the US carrier, but note. A week in a hospital. Lots of tests. Excellent care. Decent food. US$5000. That would be about the cost of a single night in an American hospital, even without tests.
Let’s get something straight. The American health care system is seriously out of wack.
Oh, and, by the way, we have a house in Boston and a house just outside of Munich. The Munich house is on the remnants of his family’s farm (it’s rather urbanized now, so it’s hardly farm country). The property taxes in Boston are on the order of US$6000 for a house worth maybe US$600,000 (we bought well, a long time ago). The property taxes on the house in Germany are on the order of US$250 per year on a property worth over a million US$. The value of the property is irrelevant, since it will not be sold by us (it will probably be inherited by my nieces and nephews), but you get the idea. In the US, the government owns the property. In Germany, you own the property.
Most ridiculous assertions on the face of the planet. Wake up.
Gee, that’s an insightful comment, Juan. Informative and constructive.