CATHOLIC
MEDIA COALITION
|
CATHOLIC
MEDIA COALITION SAYS
by Mary Ann Kreitzer
Terri Schiavo, the brain
damaged Florida woman in a fight for her life, faces a new crisis. As
tens of thousands of Americans rallied on the ellipse January 24 to
commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision
allowing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, the U.S.
Supreme Court released its decision refusing to hear Florida's
defense of "Terri's law." The Florida legislature passed
the law in 2003 to force Terri's husband/guardian, Michael Schiavo, to
reinsert Terri's feeding tube preventing her gruesome death by
dehydration and starvation. Florida's Supreme Court struck down the
law in 2004. The U.S. Supreme Court's action Monday clears
the way for Michael to legally kill his wife. Was the timing
of the decision on the day of the March for Life an ironic coincidence
or a deliberate slap in the face to millions of pro-life Americans?
The details of Terri's
case are well documented. She collapsed in 1990 under suspicious
circumstances, and was admitted to the emergency room with symptoms
consistent with strangulation. Oxygen deprivation caused severe
brain-damage. A successful malpractice suit secured almost a
million dollars earmarked for Terri's therapy and rehabilitation. Three
months later, Michael Schiavo denied all treatment for
Terri and began legal maneuvers to bring about her death. He
melted down her engagement and wedding rings to make a ring for
himself, began shacking up with another woman with whom he subsequently
had two children, hired an attorney with ties to the euthanasia
movement, orchestrated a media blitz misrepresenting Terri's condition
as "comatose," and waged a vicious public relations campaign
portraying Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, as greedy opportunists.
In reality Terri is
conscious and aware of her surroundings. She is not hooked up to
any machines or on any life support. Like tens of
thousands of other disabled Americans she requires a simple feeding
tube for nourishment. Terri cannot speak, but responds
to visitors, especially her parents and siblings. Many doctors have
testified she could improve with therapy. Michael has consistently
denied any physical assistance to Terri even to the point of instructing
nursing staff not to put rolled up washcloths in her hands to
prevent them turning in on themselves. Several nurses and
aides have submitted signed depositions testifying to Michael's malice.
One of the most shocking
aspects of Terri's case involves a bone scan done a year after her
collapse showing numerous fractures and injuries in various stages of
healing. Her parents were denied the evidence at the time.
When they finally saw the report in 2002 they requested police to
conduct a criminal investigation. They were refused. So not only is Terri
in the guardianship of a man who is currently trying to kill her, but
it's likely she was a battered wife whose injuries may have
been due to physical abuse.
Michael successfully
secured the support of Judge George Greer who has consistently ruled
against Terri's parents denying Terri's civil rights and ignoring
Florida state laws protecting the disabled. Greer has shrugged
off serious conflicts of interest on Michael's part including inheriting
Terri's remaining money and the fact he has been in an adulterous
union since 1992. Michael has ignored court orders to submit a
guardianship plan required under Florida law or to appear for
depositions. These abuses have all been swept under the rug by
Judge Greer. His bias is less baffling when viewed in the
light of judicial activism around the country that consistently violates
the rule of law and the civil rights of the weak and helpless.
In the famous movie on the Nazi Holocaust, Judgment at
Nuremburg there is a poignant scene when the judge, convicted
for war crimes, says to the prosecuting attorney, "You must
believe, I never thought it would come to this." The attorney
replies, "It came to this the first time you sentenced to
death a man you knew to be innocent." If Terri dies, no
one is safe from our runaway judiciary.
Just as Roe v. Wade and
its companion case Doe v. Bolton were based on lies that led to the
legal murder of millions of children, Terri's case, shrouded in lies,
threatens to be the vehicle for advancing the euthanasia
murder of the elderly, sick, and disabled. The hour is late.
If we don't stop the euthanasia juggernaut it will ultimately consume
millions of helpless individuals at the end of life's journey just as
its gruesome twin, abortion, has killed so many million's at life's
beginning.
The Catholic Media
Coalition calls on all Catholics to storm heaven on
Terri's behalf . We entreat our bishops and clergy
to ask their local diocesan and parish congregations to pray
for Terri's deliverance and for the conversion of Michael
Schiavo, his attorney, euthanasia advocate George Felos, and Judge
George Greer. We beg all people of good will to join in this
mission of mercy. (Contact information for the U.S. bishops is
available at http://www.usccb.org/bishops.htm.) Also
contact Governor Jeb Bush and ask for a criminal investigation of Terri's
apparent abuse and for a grand jury investigation of Judge George Greer. Governor
Bush can be reached at (850) 488-4441 or by e-mail at jeb.bush@myflorida.com
Many ethicists and
pro-life leaders have defended Terri's right to life. Some
of these statements are available at our website. Euthanasia
Also see "The Perfect
Murder," an extensive report by The Empire Journal on
Terri's case and the abuses of Judge George Greer at http://www.theempirejournal.com/alleged_schiavo_abuse_florida_of.htm
Catholic Media Coalition: In line with the Church, online with the world |