2008 Woodie Awards
Shiavo's murder coming to an end
Patrick Donley
Issue date: 3/31/05 Section: Opinion
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As of March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo has passed away. She lived without her feeding tube for 13 days straight. Her parents gave up the fight for their daughter with the government Wednesday after filing appeals everyday only to be shot down by all of the courts of our gracious and compassionate country.
Her death seemed eminent early on although the family spokesman for the Schindlers said that Terri responded to her father talking to her on Sunday and she was still fighting for her life in a report from "Face the Nation" on CNN.
This case has brought attention to yet another topic of worth of life: A "right to die" case. Or at least that is how her husband Michael Schiavo, Judge George Greer who has presided over the case and the legislation in Florida viewed her agonizing situation. She got her right as a human to die.
In truth, her situation should be viewed as a crime against humanity. Doctors predicted that her death would come between seven and 14 days. That's 336 hours.
How long can you go without eating before you start complaining, have a headache, stomachache or even feel dizzy? Terri had to endure helplessly dying at the hands of her husband and certain members of our government who repeatedly voted to keep her feeding tube removed.
The words starvation, dehydration, torture and murder come to mind.
Our government demonstrated the meanings of these words on a helpless American woman with a family that wanted to witness her live not suffer through a slow excruciating death.
This all sounds too familiar to me except the trials were held in Michigan and the accused person's name was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Michigan courts took Kevorkian to trial several times before he was finally convicted of euthanasia. The difference here between Michael Schiavo and the government and Kevorkian is that the people Kevorkian assisted in murdering gave him consent and the victim was simply given a shot of a lethal drug which was a painless death.
Her death seemed eminent early on although the family spokesman for the Schindlers said that Terri responded to her father talking to her on Sunday and she was still fighting for her life in a report from "Face the Nation" on CNN.
This case has brought attention to yet another topic of worth of life: A "right to die" case. Or at least that is how her husband Michael Schiavo, Judge George Greer who has presided over the case and the legislation in Florida viewed her agonizing situation. She got her right as a human to die.
In truth, her situation should be viewed as a crime against humanity. Doctors predicted that her death would come between seven and 14 days. That's 336 hours.
How long can you go without eating before you start complaining, have a headache, stomachache or even feel dizzy? Terri had to endure helplessly dying at the hands of her husband and certain members of our government who repeatedly voted to keep her feeding tube removed.
The words starvation, dehydration, torture and murder come to mind.
Our government demonstrated the meanings of these words on a helpless American woman with a family that wanted to witness her live not suffer through a slow excruciating death.
This all sounds too familiar to me except the trials were held in Michigan and the accused person's name was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Michigan courts took Kevorkian to trial several times before he was finally convicted of euthanasia. The difference here between Michael Schiavo and the government and Kevorkian is that the people Kevorkian assisted in murdering gave him consent and the victim was simply given a shot of a lethal drug which was a painless death.