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FROM THE PRESIDENT; DEATH BY CRUEL AND UNUSUAL "JUSTICE".(Editorial)
An assistant news editor of the Lancaster Sunday Times (lancasteronline.org, 4/2/2005) had this to say: "The Schiavo case was wrenchingly complex, with no easy answers. But to the extremists, the answers are easy." In case you wondered: the "extremists" are "social conservatives" and the "cultural right" who think that an innocent person shouldn't be executed by starvation.
Where is the "complexity" in the tragic case of Terri Schindler Schiavo?
* Terri Schiavo was a disabled person, but she was not dying. To say, as the many defenders of her killing did, that "she should be allowed to die" or that we should "let her die" was not a matter of recognizing "complexity" but of misrepresenting her status.
* Terri Schiavo was guilty of no crime. Attorneys for Schiavo's parents and siblings argued before federal district judge James Whitemore that killing Terri Schiavo by starvation amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment," in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Judge Whitemore ruled that the protection of that amendment was unavailable to Mrs. Schiavo--because she was no criminal.
Had Mrs. Schiavo been a serial killer, any judicial ruling condemning her to death by starvation would have been immediately overturned on appeal. And the judge imposing such a sentence would have seen his career end in shame. But of course, there is the "complexity" of the case--where wrong is right, and the "judicial process" results in injustice.
Had a man in Pinellas County, Florida, killed his pet dog by slow starvation over 13 days, he would now be facing a prison sentence. And the papers and airwaves would be full of indignation about the sheer inhumanity of it. Terri Schiavo, however, was a human being--making her eligible for a "private" killing.
* Terri Schiavo was the victim of a shoddy legal process. Much has been made of the numerous appellate reviews and rulings in the Schiavo case. "The law was followed," we are told. How can "following the law" result in the legally sanctioned private and cruel execution of an obviously innocent person?
- Records show no evidence Terri Schiavo was abused, mistreated.
- Newspaper article from: The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service) April 15, 2005 700+ words
...caller reported that Terri Schiavo had an infection on...another instance, Terri Schiavo's parents were the...when the agency asked Judge Greer to postpone his order...authorizing the withdrawal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube on...
- 'Judicial murder' and Terri Schiavo; The American way of...
- Newspaper article from: The Washington Times July 11, 2005 700+ words
...nation agreed in chorus that at last, Terri Schiavo will rest in peace, the autopsy report...if no new information surfaces, how Terri Schiavo was put to death is causing many Americans...for a long time the attorney for Terri Schiavo's parents, said the day Terri died...
- Beyond Terri's Law.(Terri Schiavo )
- Magazine article from: National Right to Life News February 1, 2004 700+ words
...is the calm before the storm in the Terri Schiavo case. The Florida woman, who was in...powerful cultural forces are adamant that Terri Schiavo not live to see age 41. The Schiavo...at the time of the original trial, Judge Greer heard only one perspective about Terri...
- Schiavo Sentenced; Judge Orders Removal of Terri Schiavo's Feeding Tube.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire March 18, 2005 700+ words
...Pinellas Circuit Court in Florida ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed immediately...resides a conference call ordered by Judge Greer decided her fate. Tony Perkins, President...our leaders in Congress to intercept Judge Greer and demand that he honor the issued...
- Killing Terri Schiavo.
- Magazine article from: Constitutional Commentary Paulsen, Michael Stokes December 22, 2005 700+ words
...during the tragic last few weeks of Terri Schiavo's life, debating the facts and issues...1) The exceptional feature of the Terri Schiavo case is not the situation it presented...is something odd in the treatment of Terri Schiavo's case as if it were one-of-a...
- Schiavo anniversary marked by bitterness: A year after death, families still at...
- Newspaper article from: Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) Bauers, Sandy March 31, 2006 700+ words
...31--One year after the death of Terri Schiavo, her divided family members say they...Terri: The Truth. "Evil," says Terri Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, writing...A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo -- A Lesson for Us All. The release...
- The Terri Schiavo case: Providing care.
- Newspaper article from: Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) March 24, 2005 700+ words
...Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., where Terri Schiavo edges closer to death each hour, her...a normal life span. After costs, Terri Schiavo's guardianship account netted $700...But even if all the money had gone to Terri Schiavo's care, it wouldn't have been...
- Terri Schiavo's case offers a scary lesson to us all.(Reprint)
- Magazine article from: National Right to Life News Olevitch, Barbara A. October 1, 2003 700+ words
...s permission. In 1990, at 26, Terri Schiavo suffered a heart attack, and her brain...rehabilitation. How can it be said that Terri Schiavo would not want to live in her condition...feeding tube removed as of October 15. Terri Schiavo's parents have argued before U...
Source: HighBeam Research, FROM THE PRESIDENT; DEATH BY CRUEL AND UNUSUAL "JUSTICE".(Editorial)