I don't know how many of you are familiar with the case of Terri Schiavo. She is a woman who was left incapacitated after a heart attack in 1990. She has been kept alive via a feeding tube since then, and has been described by court-appointed doctors as being in a persistive vegetative state. Her husband maintains that her wishes were not to be kept alive if she was ever in such a state, and wants the tube removed. Her parents, on the other hand, insist that she will improve with treatment and that she responds to them. There have been a number of court battles over the matter; at one point Jeb Bush overstepped his bounds and ordered her tube be put back in after it had been removed at one point for 6 days, something that the Florida Supreme Court found was illegal. Anyway, now Congress has decided to get involved, and I honestly don't have a fucking clue as to why. Just wondering if anyone's been following this story and what their opinion is.

Congress Plans Order to Keep Schiavo Alive

51 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers said on Friday they plan to issue a congressional subpoena to keep alive Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman at the heart of a heated debate over the right to die.

"Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena, which will require hospice administrators and attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive," three Republican leaders said in a statement.

The lawmakers -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas and Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis of Virginia -- support the reform committee's inquiry into the long-term care of incapacitated or non-ambulatory adults.

The subpoena will be joined by a Senate investigation, the lawmakers said.

"This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety," the statement said. "This fight is not over."

Schiavo has been fed through a tube since she suffered an incapacitating heart attack in 1990. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, contends she would not have wanted to be kept alive in what court-appointed doctors describe as a persistent vegetative state.

Her parents dispute this, saying their daughter responds to them and could improve with rehabilitation.

"Tom DeLay and Dennis Hastert are not members of the Politburo in Stalinist Russia," Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, told Reuters by telephone. "The state does not own Mrs. Schiavo's body and Congress cannot simply order her to remain alive contrary to her medical treatment wishes and court order."

Felos said Congress has no power to enter an injunction. "The only subpoena Congress can issue is to appear before a congressional body," he said.

The House (of Representatives) on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday passed legislation aimed at prolonging Schiavo's life, by allowing federal courts to review the case. But the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) declined to step in, sending the matter back to a Florida court.

Late Thursday night, several senators announced they were still holding talks and Congress -- which is supposed to start a two-week recess -- might return on Monday to work on the bill. Even if Schiavo's feeding tube is removed at 1 p.m. Friday, death would not be instantaneous.

In a White House statement, President Bush (news - web sites) said, "In instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life." He was due to visit Florida to talk about Social Security (news - web sites) on Friday.

Schiavo was in her mid-20s when she became ill and had no "living will" or written directive about end-of-life care. She remains at the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, under police guard. Outside demonstrators held a prayer vigil.

The Florida legislature failed on Thursday to agree on legislation aimed at stopping or delaying removal of the feeding tube, and Republican leaders said prospects were bleak for an agreement on Friday.

It's a tough situation. The parents of Terri say not all possible tests have been done, nor has proper care been given to her over the years. They say it's because her husband doesn't want to spend the money. Crazy stuff. There's also the accusation that Schiavo's husband just wants to kill her off because he wants to marry the lady he's with now. There's a lot more to this story than meets the eye, so they say.

This is just fucking absurd that the House is getting involved in this. Talk about special legislation. What ever happened to states' rights?

Can somebody please explain to me how a vegetable can testify in front of Congress? Have Republicans lost whatever sanity they had left?

All these fuckers that want so much to keep her alive should pay her medical bills.

Well, if it were your kid perhaps you'd feel differently about having her starved and dehydrated to death because her husband wants to marry someone else and doesn't feel like doing all the possible medical tests available. Of course, I wouldn't want to see my kid suffer either.

The woman has been in this state for 15 years, she ISN'T going to get better, no matter what breakthroughs occur in the future. The parents are delusional if they think she responds to them. Or maybe her response is the little she can do to say, "will you please just let me die already?"

Even if she had not made it clear to her husband that she would never want to live this way, I still wouldn't begridge him for wanting to a) not go bankrupt to keep a non-responsive piece of meat persisting, or b) wanting to move on with his life, which is artifically being held in its own "persistive vegetative state" by his crazy selfish in-laws.

It's all a completely fucked up and distorted stretch of the "right to life" argument. I can respect abortion foes even if I disagree with them, but this is cruel. This is NOT life anymore, by any stretch, for Terri, for her husband, or even for her parents. No person with any kindness in their heart would want the lives of everyone they love to grind to a halt because of a tragedy like this, but that is what has happened to Terri's family for 15 years.

It's definitely a crappy situation to be in. Guess that's why it's best to have all your wishes, living wills, and other paperwork in order when you're young. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today.

ive only vaguley heard the intimate details of this particular story, but apparently, if he divorces his wife, he gets none of the money from insurance or whatever. so if she dies, he is free to seek out someone to date and possibly marry. this is why he is dead set on her being taken off of life support.

several companies have offered him over a million dollars to divorce her and let her parents take over custody.


its tough, i can see it from both the parents side and the husbands side

You're exactly right. But think about this, for those of you who are married. Who is more likely to know the wishes of a person in this situation? I would think that the spouse would, but that's based on the relationship I have with my wife. I'd also like to add that the way she will eventually die is pretty horrific, in my opinion, but I guess if she can't feel anything it doesn't matter.

Just in case my parents forget (I'm obviously single), I'll post it on here: I don't want to be kept alive with tubes and machines.

My wife totally knows me better, but my parents are delutional. They would think that they know me better.

My wife said she didn't know if she wanted to be kept alive or not. I told her that if she didn't decided, I was just going to pull the plug.

Not sure if you were trying to be funny, but dang if that didn't make me laugh!

That will come in handy when we see the headline, "Turkey sub jr. in vegetative state."

Like all the times when there were serious questions and substantial doubts on death row in Texas, and he delayed every execution until they were resolved.

Just shut up, you fucking hypocrite!

See, yet another instance you and I can agree on something (hums "We Are The World").

What's so surprising? The fact I agree with you or the fact I know "We Are The World?"

Seriously, I think the White House had no business delving into this area, especially considering Texas' track record with executions and the "sanctity of life."

I can be open and unbiased.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=594118




now we have to wait and see.

Y'know, the parents argue that the husband doesn't care about her and just wants to go on with his life with this other woman. If that were true, why don't they just offer to take over guardianship, grant him a divorce, and keep her alive in the hospital of their choice?

I bet they offered that at some point, but this dude really does love his wife, and really knows that she wanted and wants to give it to her so he refused.