The War on Terri Part IX
It has been now more than 100 hours since Terri Schiavo last had food or water.
The 11th Circuit appelate court says, in effect, "Good riddance", essentially asserting in the majority opinion that unless Congress wrote legislation saying "The 11th Circuit shall reinsert Theresa Marie Schiavo's feeding tube into the appropriate location themselves immediately, meaning right this instant---now" the intent of Congress is unclear. As a result, the feeding tube will not be reinserted. This woman's agony will continue.
If ever you wondered why seating President Bush's judicial appointments is so crucial, the cowardly judges who have once again pretended their hands are bound in this case whereas they discover all sorts of nifty new things they're allowed to do in others should settle the matter.
Powerline raises some interesting questions about the alleged GOP "talking points memo" the Democrats and Left have attempted to use to discredit Republican efforts to save Mrs. Schiavo.
Andrew McCarthy notes that the slow, agonizing nature of her death is designed not to ease Terri Schiavo's suffering, but to salve the consciences of the people ordering her death. I don't believe they have much conscience to begin with, and would likely have gone the much quicker route of bludgeoning her with a lead pipe if they could have done so without engendering outrage.
The 11th Circuit appelate court says, in effect, "Good riddance", essentially asserting in the majority opinion that unless Congress wrote legislation saying "The 11th Circuit shall reinsert Theresa Marie Schiavo's feeding tube into the appropriate location themselves immediately, meaning right this instant---now" the intent of Congress is unclear. As a result, the feeding tube will not be reinserted. This woman's agony will continue.
If ever you wondered why seating President Bush's judicial appointments is so crucial, the cowardly judges who have once again pretended their hands are bound in this case whereas they discover all sorts of nifty new things they're allowed to do in others should settle the matter.
Powerline raises some interesting questions about the alleged GOP "talking points memo" the Democrats and Left have attempted to use to discredit Republican efforts to save Mrs. Schiavo.
Andrew McCarthy notes that the slow, agonizing nature of her death is designed not to ease Terri Schiavo's suffering, but to salve the consciences of the people ordering her death. I don't believe they have much conscience to begin with, and would likely have gone the much quicker route of bludgeoning her with a lead pipe if they could have done so without engendering outrage.
1 Comments:
The only problem here is that no one is talking about what her life would be like if the feeding were reconnected.
Spending life as a bedridden vegitable can be a LOT worse than you would suspect. My wife used to be an ICU nurse who took care of people like this and it was often horrific.
Your muscles atrophy, you get more bony and the bony points press against the bed. Even with the best of care (eg, Christopher Reeve), you get bed sores (and they can be horrific all by themselves). Usually, you require cathaterization (for both urine and fecal matter - the stuff they feed you through the tube doesn't go through your system like regular food) and the areas where the tubes go can become ongoing sores. The site where the feeding tube enters sometimes also becomes a sore. You have to have constant physical therapy to move your arms and legs, else you end up curled into a fetal position. Often, these patients (especially if they have diminished mental capacity) have to be restrained, because they want to pull our their tubes and IVs.
If you are seriously reduced in mental capacity, you can't understand why all of this is happening to you, just that it's bad and it hurts. You are essentially a tied-down, suffering prisoner with a life sentence.
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