Friday , March 29 2024

Blogcritics On Terri Schiavo: Life, Death, Law

For me, the intense drama, Herculean legal action and international attention focused on one woman, Terry Schiavo, in an incapacitated state for 15 of her 41 years (doctors appointed by Florida courts to examine Schiavo say “persistent vegetative state,” other physicians have questioned that diagnosis – nothing in this case is without rancor and contention), reminds me that ultimately we are a nation — and a government — of individuals, that every life truly does count, and that people of good will can intensely disagree over matters of conscience.

U.S. District Court Judge James D. Whittemore scheduled a hearing for the afternoon of March 21 in Tampa on a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by the parents of Terri Schiavo against her husband, a state judge and the hospice in which she lies incapacitated, seeking to have Schiavo’s feeding tube reinserted while the federal court considers the case.

The motion was filed in accordance with a new federal law (approved 203 to 58 by the House at 12:42 a.m. March 21 and rushed to Bush, who signed the bill into law at 1:11 a.m., saying, “I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities”), whereby Congress gave jurisdiction over the case — this specific case only — to federal courts.

A Florida state court had ordered the tube removed March 18, agreeing with the claim by the woman’s husband, Michael Schiavo, that he was honoring her wish not to be kept alive under such circumstances.

All subsequent appeals have been for naught – the feeding tube was not reinserted and she died March 31.

My personal opinion on the matter is that it just didn’t seem right to let the woman starve to death, especially when her parents and siblings opposed such a “remedy,” and it was costing the family nothing to keep her alive. And of course the appropriateness of the legislative and executive branches of the Federal government taking up THIS ONE CASE is a matter of intense debate as well.

Below is our ongoing coverage of the drama, dating back to last year:

Terri Schiavo and the end of decency
This news is more than a week old, but family matters and work responsibilities prevented me from blogging at a more appropriate time on the subject of Terri Schiavo.So, onwards …The whole affair surrounding Terri Schiavo concerned a Gestapo-like mindset:…
Posted to Politics by Mark Edward Manning on April 10, 2005 08:03 PM

Intellectual Honesty is for Suckers
The GOP Terri Schiavo memo really doesn’t tell us much. It just adds to the deafening roar.
Posted to Politics by Pete Blackwell on April 8, 2005 10:43 AM

Schiavo at a Slight Remove
We with access to computers, microphones, cameras, or simply our own voices have expended a vast amount of time and energy publicly wrestling with our opinions and/or attempting to convince others of the rightness of said opinions regarding poor, benighted,…
Posted to Politics by Eric Olsen on April 6, 2005 08:50 PM

TV Thoughts: Tru Calling and Current Events
Tru Calling is back on television, as hard as it is to believe. But while I was watching a thought struck me about the timing, which I will get to in a minute. First I can’t believe that I am…
Posted to Video by Chris Beaumont on April 3, 2005 09:31 AM

God’s reps on earth warn against playing God
I originally viewed the “sinister cabal” blogcritics tagline as innocuous pleasantry, but a review of some of the commentary on the Schiavo matter raises the possibility that it’s in earnest. In Disabled or Dead?, the faith-swaddled Denise Jones proposes, in…
Posted to Culture by Uriel Wittenberg on April 2, 2005 12:39 PM

More on Euthanasia and the Right to Die
I. Definitions of Types of Euthanasia Euthanasia is often erroneously described as “mercy killing”. Most forms of euthanasia are, indeed, motivated by (some say: misplaced) mercy. Not so others. In Greek, “eu” means both “well” and “easy” and “Thanatos” is death. Euthanasia…
Posted to Politics by Sam Vaknin on April 2, 2005 10:08 AM

John Danforth Sees The Light
John Danforth, who served three terms as the Republican senator from Missouri and until January served as US ambassador to the UN, has joined Republican congressman Chris Shays and Virginia senator John Warner in bemoaning their party’s sharp sectarian…
Posted to Politics by Weldon Berger on April 1, 2005 01:45 AM

Ann Coulter, please meet Separation of Powers
Ann Coulter should be put to the lash. I’m afraid, however, that a setting of Ann Coulter, Al Barger and a lash would somehow result in me being her woman in some terribly shameful way. So from a keyboard at…
Posted to Politics by Al Barger on March 31, 2005 11:39 PM

Disabled or Dead?
Terri Schiavo revisited in the wake of her death: If anyone had asked me, as an epileptic with severe brain dysfunction in earlier life, “If at any point in time you are physically incapacitated, would you want to live as…
Posted to Culture by Denise Jones on March 31, 2005 04:23 PM

Don’t be the Next Terri Schiavo
In light of the Terry Schiavo situation I’ve come to realize that the one thing I really don’t want to see right before I pass into the great beyond is the grim specter of Jesse Jackson hovering…
Posted to Culture by Dave Nalle on March 31, 2005 03:32 PM

Who Is This?
Who is this? See also…
Posted to Culture by Temple Stark on March 31, 2005 01:08 PM

Whither Red Lake?
In the wake of the Terri Schiavo media black hole, other news, such as the tragic shooting at Red Lake High School in Minnesota, has gotten little coverage. The stats on Google news this morning reveal 3400 stories about Schiavo,…
Posted to Politics by LegendaryMonkey on March 31, 2005 12:07 PM

Terri Schiavo Has Died
Terri Schiavo, possibly the best-known, least-conscious woman in American history died this morning shortly before 10 a.m. EST, ending a protracted battle between her husband and her parents that elicited action and opinion from every branch of the Florida…
Posted to Politics by Eric Olsen on March 31, 2005 10:36 AM

Terri Schiavo’s So-Called “Supporters”
The Terri Schiavo case has become a cultural Rorschach test, with enough conflicts and ambiguities that different people see different things in it. Therefore, I won’t necessarily 100% describe my own reactions as totally and unequivocally “rational” and based…
Posted to Culture by Al Barger on March 31, 2005 01:50 AM

Schiavo: Court Rescinds Hope
After agreeing to consider an emergency bid by Bob and Mary Schindler for a new hearing in their case late Tuesday night, 15 hours later the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said “just kidding.” “Any further action by…
Posted to Politics by Eric Olsen on March 30, 2005 04:51 PM

Glimmer of Legal Hope for Schiavo’s Parents
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: “The Appellant’s emergency motion for leave to file out of time is granted.” Entering her thirteenth day without nourishment, late Tuesday Terri Schiavo’s family received their first positive legal news since the U.S. Congress…
Posted to Politics by Eric Olsen on March 30, 2005 10:12 AM

The Schiavo – Schindler Family Feud
(Satire) In a retrospective reversal of sorts, Scott Ott describes the last hours of Michael Schiavo as he nears his long awaited nirvana after seven traumatic years of ordeal being deprived of the death of his wife… (2005-03-29)…
Posted to Culture by Z.Z. Bachman on March 29, 2005 03:59 PM

More Terri Troubles
OK, this is the last time I’ll address this issue; but I just couldn’t help myself after reading this morning’s stories on this increasingly bizarre case. The Supreme Court of the United States of America–which, by the way, leans quite…
Posted to Politics by Mark Morrow on March 28, 2005 11:53 AM

Vinick for President
The last West Wing episode, “In God We Trust,” had my wife and I spontaneously applauding for the fictional Republican Senator from California and Presidential Nominee Arnold Vinick. If you didn’t catch it, you can BitTorrent the episode….
Posted to Politics by Michael D. Bryan on March 27, 2005 08:20 PM

The Republican ”Culture of Death”…
”The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command released figures Friday that show 27 detainees were killed while in U.S. custody between August 2002 and November 2004 in Iraq and Afghanistan. The deaths are either considered to be homicides or suspected to be homicides.”…
Posted to Politics by Big Time Patriot on March 27, 2005 01:12 PM

Culture of Life and the Rights of Men
Population and Abortion (Editor’s note: The recent debate dealing with Terri Schiavo and the issue of assisted suicide hides a deeper debate, a debate that deals with the direction of our society. My own bias is to err on the…
Posted to Culture by Tom Donelson on March 26, 2005 08:11 PM

Peterson’s son Elian Gonzalez abducted by Jackson 5–El queso existe!
Today, in a shocking twist of fate, Scott Peterson discovered that he had murdered Terri Schiavo, leaving Laci Peterson in a brain-dead coma. Peterson is now taking legal action to have his sentence reversed, on the basis that all the…
Posted to Culture by Leoniceno on March 26, 2005 08:10 PM

Schiavo – The Myth of the Right to Life
I. The Right to Life Generations of malleable Israeli children are brought up on the story of the misnamed Jewish settlement Tel-Hai (“Mount of Life”), Israel’s Alamo. There, among the picturesque valleys of the Galilee, a one-armed hero named Joseph Trumpeldor…
Posted to Politics by Sam Vaknin on March 26, 2005 04:45 AM

What’s the next move in Schiavo case?
One of the last recourses available to Schiavo’s parents, and to all of Schiavo’s ‘supporters’ is to hope that either Jeb or President Bush will sign an executive order. To me this seems patently unlikely for a few reasons. As…
Posted to Politics by Leoniceno on March 26, 2005 02:50 AM

Starved for Logic
Highlighting the method of Terri Schiavo’s impending doom is a favorite rhetorical flourish for those lining up on the side of “life” in this fractious medical and moral drama that’s saturating the 24-hour news cycle (a recent
Posted to Politics by Pete Blackwell on March 26, 2005 01:18 AM

The Right to Life
Not long ago, I read of the ruling on Terri Schiavo and when it wasn’t her decision, she has no living will, it is legalized murder because it’s on the say-so of another human being. And this seems to…
Posted to Politics by Denise Jones on March 25, 2005 01:45 PM

The Schiavo Solution? Enemy Combatant status…
George Bush was defeated by those liberal judges in his bid to save Terri Schiavo from her anointed role as Religious Martyr (can Sainthood be in her future? When will the first Schiavo miracles start occurring?). George Bush would prefer…
Posted to Politics by Big Time Patriot on March 24, 2005 04:10 PM

DeLay Off the Deep End
When you think of the Terri Schiavo case, what comes to mind? Tom DeLay’s ethics violations probe, right?
Posted to Politics by Pete Blackwell on March 24, 2005 01:05 PM

Asking Life and Death Questions
Do we understand any of the consequences of our actions in the Terry Schiavo case?
Posted to Politics by DJRadiohead on March 24, 2005 11:28 AM

Spinning Terri Schiavo before she’s in her grave
It is interesting to see that the media, especially the more liberal organs of the media, are already trying to impart anti-Bush spin to the sad case of Terri Schiavo. The story was the first one reported this morning on…
Posted to Politics by Harry Forbes on March 23, 2005 11:05 PM

The Right to Rest in Peace
Office of the Press Secretary March 17, 2005 President’s Statement on Terri Schiavo “The case of Terri Schiavo raises complex issues. Yet in instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should…
Posted to Politics by francisco68 on March 23, 2005 01:54 PM

Who Will Make Your Medica

Who gets to play God with Terri Schiavo’s life?
I cannot offer you a catchy or cute post header to lead you to this very serious and story about Terri Schiavo. Now, I just want to be clear on this subject and please know that I do feel…
Posted to Politics by Richard Porter on March 21, 2005 03:37 PM

Death and Dying: Thoughts on Terri Schiavo
The following is two separate blog posts I wrote about the Terri Schiavo saga. The first I wrote on Saturday and the second part was written today, to clarify my stance a bit in response to some comments on my…
Posted to Culture by Michele Catalano on March 21, 2005 09:51 AM

Terri Schiavo: What’s a Parent to Do?
I wrote my thoughts about the Terri Schiavo case back in May, 2004. I still feel essentially the same way: Terri’s husband should have the final say in her case. He is the one she chose to spend her…
Posted to Politics by bhw on March 21, 2005 03:56 AM

Congressional Zombies Feeding on Terri Schiavo’s Corpse
Dear Congress: Please mind your own damned business. Leave the Schiavo family alone. Who in hell do you presumptuous SOBs think you are? Let me be more specific. What part of your legal mandate, the US…
Posted to Culture by Al Barger on March 21, 2005 01:28 AM

Government Reform?
Our elected leaders are out of control. Twice in one week, we see two instances in which Congress, specifically, the so-called “Government Reform Committee,” has overstepped its boundaries. Instead of fighting for our nation’s first responders, ensuring health care for…
Posted to Politics by Stone on March 18, 2005 11:18 AM

Revisiting the Terri Schiavo case
The fight over Terry Shiavo’s life has caused me to have a bit of a rethink with regard to euthanasia. I am now in agreement with Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s decision to reinstate fluids in order to keep her alive….
Posted to Politics by Mark Edward Manning on October 1, 2004

Florida court rejects Bush’s bumbling
The Supreme Court of Florida has struck a blow for separation of powers. The name Terry Schiavo probably rings a bell. She is the Florida woman who has been breathing, but not living, for…
Posted to Politics by Mac Diva on September 25, 2004

Life and Death, Rights and Wrongs
The Terri Schiavo case is back in the news. Schiavo is the 40-year-old woman in Florida whose right to live and die is being fought over in the courts. She has been in a vegetative-like state for 13 years….
Posted to Culture by bhw on May 7, 2004 07:37 PM

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

Check Also

SXSW

SXSW 2023: Connecting Your Brain to Computers

Brain Computer Interface technology will allow you to control the world with just your thoughts and bluetooth.