Terri Schiavo Developments: Cheers & Jeers
Today's news carried a variety of stories related to Terri Schiavo. Some were positive. Others...well...were less than helpful. Here is how I see it.
Cheers: As the Schindler family entered seclusion, having failed in the last of their legal options, they asked protesters in front of Terri's hospice to go home and spend Easter with their families. There is a time for a protest vigil on behalf of Terri and there is a time for worship and celebration of God's victory over sin and death. Clearly, the focus today should be on the latter. After all, it is the primary source of comfort and hope for the former! The family added that the protestors would be welcomed back on Monday.
Jeers: Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, described Terri (who has been denied food and water for the past nine days) in this way, "She looked beautiful. In all the years I've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I have never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her." That should go a long way towards encouraging bulimic and anorexic women in their pursuit of "beauty." Oh...by the way...isn't that what Felos and Michael have claimed led to Terri's heart stoppage in the first place? How ironic!
Cheers: Apparently Michael permitted a Catholic priest to give Terri communion today. When the priest reported this to those outside the hospice the news was greeted with cheers. I join them. He said he was able to put a drop of communion wine on her tongue but that her mouth was too dry to be able to receive the bread/wafer. I wonder if that was the first drop of moisture she has enjoyed in over a week...
Jeers: The LA Times continues its embarrassing attempts to be clever. In an article by Walter Roche Jr. and Sam Verhovek today, a pathetic attempt was made to equate the 1988 decision of Tom DeLay's family to remove life-support (IVs, ventilator, etc.) from his father, critically injured in an unspecified at-home accident. After a long buildup, creating the appearance of possible hypocrisy in the congressman's positions, the article continues, "DeLay has denounced Schiavo's husband, as well as judges, for committing what he calls 'an act of barbarism' in removing the tube. In 1988, however, there was no such rhetoric as the congressman joined the family consensus to let his father die."
The article then proceeds to disprove their entire thesis by quoting Dan Allen, Rep. DeLay's aide, as saying, "The situation faced by the congressman's family was entirely different than Terri Schiavo's. The only thing keeping her alive is the food and water we all need to survive. (DeLay's) father was on a ventilator and other machines to sustain him."
DeLay's 81-year-old mother added that "she believes there might be hope for Terri Shiavo's recovery. That's what makes her family's experience different," she says. "Charles DeLay had no hope."
I can find hypocrisy in this article but it is not with Tom DeLay.
Cheers: For Florida governor Jeb Bush for respecting the rule of law even when it "is a ass." "I cannot violate a court order," he said. "I don't have powers from the United States Constitution or, for that matter, from the Florida Constitution, that would allow me to intervene after a decision has been made."
In being steadfast in his personal opposition to the starving of Terri and yet refusing to scandalize and cruelly interfere with the inevitable conclusion of this drama by making a mockery of the law, Jeb Bush has set a good example for the rest of us to follow. As Kenny Rogers puts it, "You gotta know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em..."
Others have already made a mockery of the law by ordering death by starvation of a living, breathing human being without giving her the opportunity to have a second medical opinion concerning whether she is in a "persistent (or permanent) vegetative state" or not.
Jeers: For all those zealots who have made death threats on Michael Schiavo and Judge Greer. They are despicable people who have lost both their minds and their morality. As if "life is so precious that I'm going to kill you if you don't let Terri live!" Yeah, right. I'm convinced. Not! Put them in jail where they won't hurt anybody.
Cheers: For those protestors, including ministers and children, who have been arrested or turned away in front of the hospice during the past few days for attempting to bring water or Communion to Terri. This is exactly the type of non-violent, symbolic protest that is more than just an effective media trick. It clearly and persuasively communicates compassion for someone who is very much in need of a "cold cup of water."
Jeers: For the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast for violating two of the most fundamental tenets of the philosophy of hospice care:
1. Admitting someone (Terri Schiavo) who is not terminally ill (normal admission standards for hospice care require a person to be terminally ill with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less--the Hospice's own website states that they "Provide dignified, quality comfort care that enhances the lives of dying people and their families"); and,
2. Withholding food and water from a non-dying patient. (hospice protocol permits the withholding of food and water from a terminally ill patient in the final stages of dying only--even then the Hospice's own website quotes the following standards:
Final Jeer: The revelation that Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hospice of the Florida Sunshine Coast from at least 1997 to 2001. Is there a conflict of interest here? Has the Hospice been receiving payment for Terri's care in violation of their charter/incorporation papers? It is no wonder that the families of other patients in the facility have complained about the media circus revolving around the Terri Schiavo case. She has no business being there in the first place. Pathetic.
Cheers: As the Schindler family entered seclusion, having failed in the last of their legal options, they asked protesters in front of Terri's hospice to go home and spend Easter with their families. There is a time for a protest vigil on behalf of Terri and there is a time for worship and celebration of God's victory over sin and death. Clearly, the focus today should be on the latter. After all, it is the primary source of comfort and hope for the former! The family added that the protestors would be welcomed back on Monday.
Jeers: Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, described Terri (who has been denied food and water for the past nine days) in this way, "She looked beautiful. In all the years I've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I have never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her." That should go a long way towards encouraging bulimic and anorexic women in their pursuit of "beauty." Oh...by the way...isn't that what Felos and Michael have claimed led to Terri's heart stoppage in the first place? How ironic!
Cheers: Apparently Michael permitted a Catholic priest to give Terri communion today. When the priest reported this to those outside the hospice the news was greeted with cheers. I join them. He said he was able to put a drop of communion wine on her tongue but that her mouth was too dry to be able to receive the bread/wafer. I wonder if that was the first drop of moisture she has enjoyed in over a week...
Jeers: The LA Times continues its embarrassing attempts to be clever. In an article by Walter Roche Jr. and Sam Verhovek today, a pathetic attempt was made to equate the 1988 decision of Tom DeLay's family to remove life-support (IVs, ventilator, etc.) from his father, critically injured in an unspecified at-home accident. After a long buildup, creating the appearance of possible hypocrisy in the congressman's positions, the article continues, "DeLay has denounced Schiavo's husband, as well as judges, for committing what he calls 'an act of barbarism' in removing the tube. In 1988, however, there was no such rhetoric as the congressman joined the family consensus to let his father die."
The article then proceeds to disprove their entire thesis by quoting Dan Allen, Rep. DeLay's aide, as saying, "The situation faced by the congressman's family was entirely different than Terri Schiavo's. The only thing keeping her alive is the food and water we all need to survive. (DeLay's) father was on a ventilator and other machines to sustain him."
DeLay's 81-year-old mother added that "she believes there might be hope for Terri Shiavo's recovery. That's what makes her family's experience different," she says. "Charles DeLay had no hope."
I can find hypocrisy in this article but it is not with Tom DeLay.
Cheers: For Florida governor Jeb Bush for respecting the rule of law even when it "is a ass." "I cannot violate a court order," he said. "I don't have powers from the United States Constitution or, for that matter, from the Florida Constitution, that would allow me to intervene after a decision has been made."
In being steadfast in his personal opposition to the starving of Terri and yet refusing to scandalize and cruelly interfere with the inevitable conclusion of this drama by making a mockery of the law, Jeb Bush has set a good example for the rest of us to follow. As Kenny Rogers puts it, "You gotta know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em..."
Others have already made a mockery of the law by ordering death by starvation of a living, breathing human being without giving her the opportunity to have a second medical opinion concerning whether she is in a "persistent (or permanent) vegetative state" or not.
Jeers: For all those zealots who have made death threats on Michael Schiavo and Judge Greer. They are despicable people who have lost both their minds and their morality. As if "life is so precious that I'm going to kill you if you don't let Terri live!" Yeah, right. I'm convinced. Not! Put them in jail where they won't hurt anybody.
Cheers: For those protestors, including ministers and children, who have been arrested or turned away in front of the hospice during the past few days for attempting to bring water or Communion to Terri. This is exactly the type of non-violent, symbolic protest that is more than just an effective media trick. It clearly and persuasively communicates compassion for someone who is very much in need of a "cold cup of water."
Jeers: For the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast for violating two of the most fundamental tenets of the philosophy of hospice care:
1. Admitting someone (Terri Schiavo) who is not terminally ill (normal admission standards for hospice care require a person to be terminally ill with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less--the Hospice's own website states that they "Provide dignified, quality comfort care that enhances the lives of dying people and their families"); and,
2. Withholding food and water from a non-dying patient. (hospice protocol permits the withholding of food and water from a terminally ill patient in the final stages of dying only--even then the Hospice's own website quotes the following standards:
Will the person nearing death who does not receive artificial food and fluids be thirsty?Back in the early days of the hospice movement in the United States (1970's) I was privileged to co-found the Hospice of Cache Valley in Logan, Utah. I served as its President for five years. It is now a functioning program of the Logan Regional Hospital. I mention this to indicate that I know what I'm talking about.
-Usually, the person does not experience thirst or hunger.
-If a person has thirst, it will only last a day or so and ice chips or small sips of fluid with good oral care should relieve this symptom.
What can be done to provide comfort?
-If the person is awake it may be comforting to offer ice chips if they can be tolerated.
-The person will also benefit from frequent oral care with a soft brush or sponge to relieve any dryness in the mouth. A saline spray to the mouth may also be comforting.
-Moisten the person’s eyes, or use a warm, damp cloth over them a few times each day.
-Moisten the person’s lips, and use lip balm to prevent dryness.
-Use lotion without alcohol added to maintain skin comfort.
Final Jeer: The revelation that Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hospice of the Florida Sunshine Coast from at least 1997 to 2001. Is there a conflict of interest here? Has the Hospice been receiving payment for Terri's care in violation of their charter/incorporation papers? It is no wonder that the families of other patients in the facility have complained about the media circus revolving around the Terri Schiavo case. She has no business being there in the first place. Pathetic.
posted by Bird of Paradise at 8:57 PM
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