A copy of an email I recieved.......

[Guest Guest]

HI Everyone,

 

The Florida woman, Terri Schindler-Schiavo, is going to have a simple

feeding tube removed on October 15th(this Wednesday) of 2003! That

is

just a few days away! Terri can talk and is aware of her

surroundings,

but her guardian says enough is enough!

 

This in itself is a huge wrong. Even if someone did not wish to live

on life support, no one would request to starve to death slowly in an

alert manner. The side issue is that once this takes place it will

set

a precedent for Florida with the rest of the United States

following.

The precedent to be set was spoken by George Felos, the well-known

"right-to-die" attorney and will be as follows:

 

"At an appeals court hearing in August 2001, Felos set a high

standard

for personhood. "The litmus test is whether or not a person can bring

a

spoon to their mouth," he said. "*

 

What this can mean simply is this; Anyone who cannot feed themselves

is on life-support artificially, regardless of what they are able to

do

otherwise. This could apply to infants, paraplegics, as well as the

elderly!

 

Please, Please contact the governor of Florida-you can find his e-

mail

address as well as other officials at the web site link. Then

Americans should contact their local officials as well and let them

know that

this is important to you. We all need to act to save the life of

this

woman from this cruel suffering, as well as step in to guard the

lives

of those we love in the days to come! I beg you to get the word out

again as this woman is days (this Wednesday, October 15, 2003)from

this

cruel murder. No one would dare do this to a convicted killer but it

will soon be legal for those innocents who can not feed themselves.

Please Help!

 

Walking in Faith,

 

Marjorie Tallman

Mother, Wife and Daughter

 

*This quote was taken from an article posted in WorldNetExclusive

Posted: August 2, 2003

1:00 a.m. Eastern and written by Sarah Foster

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com titled:

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH

Fight-for-life bombshell: Woman 'trying to talk'!

Husband of brain-damaged wife seeks starvation despite claims

 

You can view this article and others as well as other information at

this link.

 

 

 

http://www.terrisfight.org/Framesets/CNewsFrame.htm

 

[Deblyn]

I will be interested to read the responses to this.

[ozzzyyy]

I have been following this story with great interest. From all I have read on Terri S. tells me that she is not in a veg. state but she does in fact respond and interact with loved ones. I do hope her family wins in court to intercept this act. I think this is sad that Terri's husband wishes to end her life in this matter by removing her feeding tube and letting her starve to death. Makes you wonder what kind of marriage they had before the accident. When my DH and I shared vows at our wedding, We truly meant it when we said "in sickness and health", with no intentions of rushing the "death do us part", portion of the vows.

20 years of marriage has only increased those vows and devotion to one another.

[Guest Guest]

I guess I had not heard of this. How sad. Unless I have read wrong, it seems as though the lady is being fed by a tube, but otherwise ok? And her husband wants to take the tube out? Like Ginger, I have to wonder what's going on in their relationship. I think my DH would have other plans....like seeing how to help me survive! I'll try to keep up with this better. Thanks for the post!

[Guest Guest]

Stories like this really get to me. I do agree that this is a sad situation and I am sure that they will not have this woman starve to death. I do think that there are some underlying facts that the media is not picking up on here. We can't know the entire story and what is in the hearts of this husband and family.

 

What does bother me greatly is that the media had zeroed in on this woman and her situation while totally ignorning 1000's of other similar cases. Time and time again, our media plays lottery with lives. One person is singled out because of money or fame while others are left to suffer. One kidnapped child is high profile while hundreds of others are ignored.

 

The US news media plays our hearts like a violin. They know that we are wanting to help and support others and they twang us in on the people that they pick and choose.

 

This may not be a popular movie with most of you, but if you want these facts shown clearly to you, watch "Bowling for Columbine". Moore, show us how our TV, movies, commercials, newspapers --- All the big money media -- orchistrates how we feel and respond. They even create much of the hate and anger in this world.

 

Now I am not going to stop watching the news or reading the newspaper. I just recognize when someone is "twanging" my heart strings.

 

God bless this woman and her family. God bless all who need our support. Living with disabilities is not easy on any side. God asks us to help and support those who our lives touch. That is what I try to do.

 

PS, aren't you guys glad that Dar, drug me in here. Give her a swat.

 

[Guest Guest]

I have to agree with you Joan, Media is a very misleading item in our lives...they say they show unbiased reporting but I find that to be a load of baloney. High profile cases are always going to be there and you're right...there may be other mitigating factors prompting the removal of the tube....maybe the woman herself told her husband to do this. Spouses often make arrangements prior to these kind of health issues telling each other not to let the other suffer if there's no change or if quality of life will be severely compromised. We can't depend on the media reports to always be completely correct or containing ALL the facts.

My 2 cents worth!

 

[ozzzyyy]

Good point, Joan and Caveman, I do agree that media plays with games with our heartstrings and emotions. But media is not where I learned of this situation. The place where I got my information on Terri Schindler is from her families website set up on her behalf. You can check it out here:

 

http://www.terrisfight.org/

[Guest Guest]

Please trust that I am not doubting your thoughts one bit. Being a librarian who teaches information literacy, I still have some doubts. I teach people that if it seems too good to be true then maybe you should look for another point of view. This case seems out of the realm of reality. No judge is going to allow someone to die when her parents are willing to care for her. I have no doubt that her husband wants out of the situation and is being a first class jerk. He might have used all of this media attention to force her parents to say they would take care of her. When I get to work I will see if I can find out a bit more informaiton.

 

Again, I am not doubting that this is happening or that your heart is in the right place. It just smells a tad fishy to me.

 

[Guest Guest]

*I* for one, am THRILLED you're here Joan...you add a very special dimension to MrsSurvival...

 

So, on that note, I think I'll...

 

SWAT Joan.

 

*smile*

 

 

 

[ozzzyyy]

Joan, I do hope you help me understand the true motives behind this case. I truly want to know more than I am reading and watching on the news.

 

Joni Eareckson-Tada (whom I highly respect and admire for her voice to the disabled) is holding vigil with many in Florida for the life of this woman who is being denied feeding today. If Terri Schindler is allowed to die by court order, what is to become of our elderly, disabled and critically ill citizens?

[Guest Guest]

The removal of her feeding tube was the culmination of a five-year court battle between her husband, who said she would not want to live in her condition, and her parents, who said she could be rehabilitated.

 

Her father, Robert Schindler, told reporters that his daughter's feeding tube was removed Wednesday afternoon at the hospice near St. Petersburg where she is being cared for.

 

"It's a slow painful death," her father said.

 

Her doctors say she is in a permanent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. Her husband and guardian, Michael Schiavo, said his wife would not want to keep living in her condition. He asked for and was granted a court order to end her life support.

 

 

[Guest Guest]

This is a sad situation. I did read up on the case. There is a huge lawsuit document that was filed by Terri's parents that outlines all that Terri's parents have done. No where does it give the husband's side.

 

All we can do is make sure our loved ones know our wishes for our own lives and death. I just can't see how this can happen if the husband's issues are as selfish that the lawsuit makes out.

 

Anyway....... I wanted to make a comment upon dying in this manner. Death by starvation is very common and is the one choice that some people make when they are ready to go. The husband of a woman whom I work with died 2 weeks ago in this manner. She held him and sang to him until his last breath. She did not see any evidence of pain or suffering in his death. I did read an article on how we are cushioned in death against the pain. God's plan is amazing and there are so many things we just don't understand.

Yahoo News - Death be not Painful

 

[Guest Guest]

I don't mean to offend anyone with what I am about to say here.......

 

BUT

 

I think it is down right sick! As a farmer, if an animal is going to die, you put it down and end it's suffering. We treat animals more humanely. Why let a person slowly die? No one but the person dying knows if there is suffering involved. And why drag it out?

 

I do not agree with what they are doing. I do not agree with any of it but I do feel if being done do so swiftly and get it over.

 

Like Pilot in the Bible, I wash my hands of this, I disagree, I voiced my opinion of which maybe should have been kept to itself and I wash my hands of it.

 

Hill

 

[ozzzyyy]

Hillbillie, Does this mean you'd rather see this woman die instantly rather than slowly?

 

I do not believe in euthanesia (sp?) for the human race. Farmers and pet owners may end the lives of their animals in this fashion but I will never consent to ending the life of a a person I love. I believe every person has an appointed day to die and when we step in and take thier God-given lives in our hands, we go where we have no moral right to do so. Just my opinion.

 

My dearly beloved Grandmother had to be taken off life support to die...its was not an easy decision but neither was the machines keeping her alive un-naturally. I guess, from all I've read of the Terri Schindler case is that the feeding tube was keeping her alive. I read somewhere on her parents website that they wanted her to recieve therapy to learn to spoon feed but it didn't happen. There were monies given to enhance the quality of life for Terri but instead she was put in a nursing home. I know the husband has his own reasons for doing this, I just wish his voice was as loud as Terri's parents in this matter of life and death.

 

Joan, thank you for sharing more about your friend whose loved one died in this manner. I'm not disputing the facts you've given but I can't help but think that by looking at the pictures of starving children in Africa made me believe that they were in pain.

[Guest Guest]

No, not at all. I personally could never choose death for anyone except in the circumstances you mentioned.

 

I was just feeling the sadness at the lack of value on human life. The fact that some people feel it is ok to allow a human to slowly starve to death but if it was an animal starving to death you would be arrested and charged with what ever they decided to throw at you.

 

I was looking at the low value placed on a human life and the high value placed upon an animal. What have we come to?

 

Please forgive my wrong wording. This whole situation is quite upsetting to me. Especally since it was about 7 years ago (guessing here) that this very thing happened in another state and they vidio taped the slow death. It took 8 or 9 days for her to die and all the while it was taped.

 

I was sick to my stomach and felt like someone had ripped my heart out for about a week. I still feel the same way when ever I think about it.

 

It is sad, very, very, sad.

 

Hill

[Guest Guest]

The feeding tube will be reinserted so Terri can live. Florida goverment stepped in today.

 

Lawmakers intervene in coma case

 

So nice to be back up and running. Thanks to all who put in the hard work.

 

[Guest Guest]

Wow! Thanks for the update!

[ozzzyyy]

Thank God! Terri's voice has been heard in Florida, as well as all mentally and physically challenged persons who do not live a "normal" life. Quality of life cannot be measured and judged. I am excited for the miracle that has taken place in Tallahassee Florida.

[Guest Guest]

The "question" is....has her VOICE really been heard?? No one really knows if she wants to be in this state....except perhaps her spouse. I, for one would NOT want to be kept alive in this state....it's not living if you can't do anything or enjoy life.

[Guest Guest]

I watched an interview on CNN with her father last night. He seemed to think that she would want to live...and at least be given the chance to have some therapy...he said that she has not been taken care of well in the last 10 years...all I can remember is that her teeth hadn't been cleaned in 10 years...and other stuff like that. I'm not saying that I know what's best for her, and if there was no hope for recovery at all I'm not sure I'd want to live like that either, but from the small amount of footage that I saw, it looked like there was hope for her and it has been denided. We'll have to see what happens. She has been with our food or water for a week (or almost a week last night) and I'm sure that's a whole issue in itself. I also have to add that it does seem rather fishy to me that her husband is willing for her to die, while he's been engaged to another woman for quite some time now...doesn't sound to me that he has her (his wife's) best interests at heart, but maybe his own...anyway, just my thoughts. Again, I don't claim to know what's best for her...just some thoughts...

[Guest Guest]

here is a copy of a newsletter that I receive.

 

What comes to mind when you think about important health care

decisions? Choosing a primary care doctor? Which medication (if

any!) makes sense for you? Which is the best hospital in which to

have a baby?

 

They're all important. But the one thing that probably didn't jump

to the fore is the type of care you'd want if you were unable to

speak for yourself. You might be thinking, "I'm young and healthy.

I can worry about that later" or "I'll deal with that if I develop a

life-threatening illness."

 

But the story of Terri Schiavo -- a 39-year-old woman now at the

center of a right-to-die controversy in Florida -- should make us

all think again. She was only 26 when she suffered apparently

permanent brain damage after collapsing for still unexplained

reasons. This very sad and difficult situation not only raises

compelling legal and moral issues, but has caused profound personal

pain, confusion, and conflict for her family.

 

You can never be completely prepared for such unforeseen tragedies.

But there are things you can do to protect your health care

preferences and help ease the burden on your family. You can fill

out a form called a "health care proxy." In this document you

legally name someone you trust to make health decisions on your

behalf should you be unable to do so (a "health care agent"). You

can also specify the care you would (and wouldn't) want under

various circumstances in a "living will." You may have heard of

these documents referred to collectively as "advance care

directives."

 

The editors and faculty at Harvard Health Publications have prepared

"A Guide to Living Wills and Health Care Proxies: How to Protect

Your Right to Make Critical Health Care Decisions" to help you

understand what you need to do to get the end-of-life care you want.

It explains these documents and why you need them; offers advice on

appointing a health care agent and organizing your thoughts about

medical decisions; and provides tips on how to talk about end-of-

life issues. It also includes the forms you need. To learn more, cut

and paste this URL into your Web browser

http://www.health.harvard.edu/hhp/publicat...view.do?name=LW.

 

Best wishes,

Nancy Ferrari, Managing Editor

Harvard Health Publications

Harvard Medical School

www.health.harvard.edu