Terri Schiavo Update

First, a quick update: a Federal Judge will rule at 3:00 PM today whether to reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Let's pray that he does.

Another question that you may be able to help with: Why should a spouse ever be able to starve the other spouse to death? I understand the argument where a patient can be taken off of life support (brain dead, etc). But this isn't that type of case. Mr. Schiavo has been given permission by judges to starve his wife to death because she has been disable. To make matters worse, her parents are simply asking that he turn her over to them and not worry about it. But no, Mr. Schiavo is determined to kill his wife - I just don't understand why that is ever legal.

Any person would die without food or water (and it's a horrible way to die), so where did Terri Schiavo lose her Constitutional right to life. And what does this say about those disabled people who need help on a daily basis. In other words, if we can simply kill another by starving them to death, where do we draw the line? What if Terri Schiavo could swallow and thus only needed someone to help feed her by mouth, rather than a tube. Would she still deserve to die? This is terribly slippery slope.

And for the record, I think it's important to note what the newscasters are glossing over:

• 1st Michael Schiavo sued and won over a million dollars so that he could give her the rehabilitation she needed. In the case, doctors testified that this would help her.
  
• Next, Michael Schiavo decided (after getting this money) that she really didn't need the rehabilitation, so she has never gotten it (just a tiny bit at first from my understanding of the case).
  
• Then a few years later, Michael Schiavo meets his current live in "fiance" with whom he has two children
  
• Seven years after the accident that left Terri disabled (and after he had proposed to his new fiance), Michael Schiavo and his brother remember conveniently that Terri wanted to die if left in this condition. There is no other evidence other than the oral testimony of these two and Michael's sister-in-law that Terri wanted to be starved to death.
  
• Michael begins a long court process to kill his wife. When he begins there is a significant amount of money left from the settlement that will become Michael's only if Terri dies. I have seen nothing that explains how much of that money is left, but I'm betting little.
  
• Terri's parents - the Schindler's - repeatedly ask that Michael simply turn Terri over to them for care and go on with his new life. He refuses and they are the ones fighting for Terri's life.
  

Last night someone made the comment that according to Florida law, a contract for over $500 was only valid if in writing, but this husband can starve his wife to death on nothing but hearsay. And Governor Bush also pointed out that if Terri had committed a terrible crime he could pardon her, but the courts won't allow him to save an innocent woman.

Personally, it's very sad to me that our culture had declined to this point. Much prayer is needed.

God bless,
Jay