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Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990, at age 26, following an incident that cut off oxygen flow to her brain for several minutes. Upon admission to the hospital a neck injury was noted. This can be found in court documents. Terri also had an eating disorder, bulimia. Terri left no written directive and appointed no health care proxy to speak for her in such a situation.
Three months after her collapse Terri was taken from the hospital to a rehabilitation center where she began aggresive therapy. Over the course of two years Terri was placed in other facilities to further her therapy as well as being taken home to live with her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and her husband, Michael Schiavo. During her therapy it has been shown that Terri was able to say "no," according to nurses' notes. She would also say, "yes" and "stop that," according to the Schindlers. Terri's therapy lasted only two years.
In early 1993 Michael Schiavo was awarded upwards of $1 million in a settlement on a claim that doctors failed to diagnose Terri's eating disorder which, he contends, lead to her collapse and subsequent brain damage. During that court case Michael Schiavo made no mention of his wife's alleged wish to die. Instead he begged for the opportunity to personally take care of his wife at home for the rest of his life. Schiavo testified he was studying nursing because he wanted "to learn more how to take care of Terri." According to testimony, Michael was asked how he felt about being married to Terri given her condition. "I feel wonderful. She's my life and I wouldn't trade her for the world," he replied. "I believe in my wedding vows. ... I believe in the vows I took with my wife, through sickness, in health, for richer or poor. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm going to do that."
Michael Schiavo apparently forgot those statements. He moved on to another relationship. He is engaged to this person, has fathered two children with this individual, and is "proud" of these children. He has refused to divorce Terri or allow the Schindlers guardianship of their daughter. Also in an interview with Larry King, Michael Schiavo stated "My girlfriend has done more for Terri than her own mother has." 1997-1998 was when Michael Schiavo started mentioning Terri's alleged end-of-life wishes. In the spring of 1998 Michael petitioned the court to determine whether or not Terri's feeding tube should be removed. The feeding tube administered nutrients and fluids. Michael asserted Terri would choose to remove the tube. Terri's parents believed that Terri would choose not to remove the tube. Cindy Shook, who dated Michael Schivao between 1992 and 1993, testified in 2001 that Schiavo said "How the hell should I know? We never spoke about this. My God, I was only 25 years old. How the hell should I know? We were young. We never spoke of this" when asked about Terri's treatments. In February of 2000 Judge George Greer pronounced that Terri Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) and allowed her feeding tube removed. (*Note: PVS is misdiagnosed between 40 and 60 percent of the time.) Based on evidence including Cindy Shook's testimony, Frank Quesada (Civil Court Judge) ordered the reinsertion of Terri's feeding tube three days into her starvation and dehydration. Also part of that court case, William Maxfield, a radiologist, testified Terri had shown improvements in brain tissue and would benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment that increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain. William Hammesfahr, another neurologist, testified that Terri showed cognitive function and would benefit from a treatment called vasodilatation, which is similar to that proposed by Maxfield. Hammesfahr asserted that Terri was NOT in a PVS and stated she was aware of her surroundings. "With proper therapy, she will have a tremendous improvement. I think, personally, that she'll be able to walk, eventually, and she will be able to use at least one of her arms" Hammesfahr commented. Portions of a four-hour videotaped examination of Terri by Hammesfahr were shown during a hearing. In the video Terri interacted with her mother, showed happiness and also followed commands to open and shut her eyes and lift limbs. These doctors saw the state Terri Schiavo was in and belived in time, with therapy, she could show remarkable improvement.
Ignoring these affidavits, Judge Greer sided with Michael Schiavo in November 2002 and reaffirmed his original ruling that Terri Schiavo was in a PVS. He again ordered the feeding tube removed January 3, 2003. Numerous appellate court and federal court motions delayed this second removal until Oct. 15, 2003. After six days of being starved and dehydrated, public support swelled and the Florida state legislature passed "Terri's Law." This allowed Governor Jeb Bush to demand the reinsertion of Schiavo's feeding tube. This action sparked a more flurried debate and brought the ACLU into the picture.
So far the ACLU, Michael Schiavo, his attorney George Felos, and Michael Schiavo supporters continue to steam over Terri Schiavo and Schindler supporters, and government involvement (ranging from Governor Jeb Bush straight up to President George W. Bush) over Terri's "wish to die." In my opinion and in the realm of common sense and morality, Michael Schiavo should shoulder the heavy burden of proof to show that Terri's wish was to not be fed via a tube. The courts and other entities have failed to set life as a default thereby requiring extraordinary proof to terminate life. This proof has not been given throughout the long saga of this case. Several entities, by their flaws, have failed and we as a society cannot sit back and think to ourselves "Hmmmm, the system has failed. Oh well.....movin' on." We should make the necessary votes and changes to these systems.
Sadly, it is too late for Terri Schiavo. She passed away on the morning of March 31, 2005 as a result of starvation and dehydration over 13 days. An autopsy is planned to examine Terri Schiavo's body and the results will reveal another portion of the truth.
So what do we have here? We have a case plagued with mystery from the very beginning. Michael Schiavo's account of Terri's collapse has changed and differs from that of Bobby Schindler (who was called to the scene before police). The hospital reports show various injuries to Terri that are inconsistant with a simple fall to the floor. Immediately after her admission to the hospital on the night of her collapse a neck injury was noted. Also, world-renowned forensic pathologist Michael Baden (co-director of the Investigative Unit of New York State Police in Albany and former chief medical examiner for New York City), ruled out a potassium imbalance and a heart attack as factors in Terri's mysterious collapse and pointed to head trauma and bone injuries as a more likely cause. Thankfully, an autopsy will be performed and within a matter of weeks we may have more answers.
Michael Schiavo, as noted earlier, testified that he wanted to take care of Terri for the rest of his life because he loved his wife and wished to be with her forever. This testimony resulted in the $1+ million settlement he was awarded in a malpractice suit. Did Michael really mean what he said? Or did he play the role of loving and long suffering husband to rake in the money? It was no secret that Michael Schiavo was dating other women at this time. And in 1997/1998 he became engaged to another woman (with whom he has children). It was at this time Michael Schiavo petitioned the courts and started the attempts to remove Terri's food and water. It amazes me that so many people have been dooped into believing a feeding tube is some kind of heroic means to be kept alive. Terri Schiavo was not terminally ill. She had no ailment that was killing her. She was not hooked to a respirator or any machine that kept her heart pumping or lungs working. She was brain damaged. She received fluids and nutrients through a tube. She was labeled as being in a PVS. The definition of a PVS is "A condition in which the patient is unable to speak or follow simple commands and does not respond in any meaningful way. The transition from coma to a vegetative condition reflects changes from a period of no response to the internal or external environment to a state of wakefulness but with no indication of awareness." Terri did not show all signs of being in a PVS. She visibily reacted to people around her with happiness, sadness, confusion, and also joy and frustration of things happening around her and to her. Michael Schiavo and his family contend that Terri did not react to anything in their presense. That would not surprise me in the least. How many people would react with happiness around someone who is trying to cut off their food and water supply? Her only defense to him was to lay still and ignore him. That does not indicate a PVS, rather it is proof she was able to show emotion and distrust/dislike by not reacting or interacting with him. Also, as stated earlier, a PVS is misdiagnosed about 40-60 percent of the time. A feeding tube may not even have been necessary throughout her entire treatment. The last 'swallow test' and 'swallow therapy' performed was in 1993. She could have very well been trained to drink and eat, with assistance, orally. Amazingly, food and water given orally was deemed illegal in her case. That should alarm each and every citizen in this country, nay, the world. Receiving food and hydration via a tube is no more of a heroic means to sustain life than grabbing a cheeseburger at a fast-food restaurant. Michael Schiavo was successful in labeling Terri's feeding tube "artificial means of life." Why? At what point is the line drawn seperating natural and unnatural? Is it unnatural for someone who had received dental work and is unable to chew their own food to recieve their dinner blended and through a straw? Is it unnatural to heat our food in a microwave before eating it? Isn't it more natural to go out and hunt for our own food, slaughter then cook it in a fire built with our own hands? Is it unnatural for an unborn child to receive its nutrients through the umbilical cord from its mother? Is it unnatural for a born baby to receive its milk from its mother's breast or from a bottle? Is it unnatural for that baby to then progress to take foods from a spoon? Is it unnatural for that child to then learn to spoon feed him/herself? If you have any common sense at all, your answer would be "no." Any liberal reading this piece would disregard this illustration as garbage and outrageous. This is because liberals are famous for not seeing the real life, big picture, end result implications of cases such as this one.
And what about this person with whom Michael Schiavo is engaged and shares children? Heaven forbid she be struck incapacitated in any way or she may meet the same fate as Terri at Michael Schiavo's hands. As a piece of advice, she should be sure to leave a written directive covering all of the bases in regards to her own health care. I also wonder about someone who accepts the continuing relationship with someone who is married to another and watches that person legally wrangle for their healthy spouses removal of food and water. Doesn't that send a red flag? And what of Michael's children? I of course wish no ill will toward that family, but what would Michael's reaction be if one of his children was struck with a similar affliction as Terri's? Would he fight tooth and nail for his child or allow them to starve for 13 days, allowing them to die a painful unnecessary death?
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