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Florida begins starvation of disabled woman

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  #1  
Old 03-18-2005, 01:55 PM
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Default Florida begins starvation of disabled woman

If you haven't been following this:

A lady collapsed in her home under questionable circumstances, causing severe brain damage. A few months after this happened her husband moved in with his pregnant girlfriend.
Because her husband claims that she said that she wouldn't want to live in such a state, has petitioned the courts to starve her to death.
Friends and family dispute the death wish.

This woman is still able to smile, recognize family members and responds to her environment. Because she can't chew or swallow she is fed through a tube, otherwise lives independent of any other life support.

For the past 15 years her husband has spent the money allotted for her rehabilitation to fight her parents in court, as her parents want him to divorce her so they can provide the proper retraining and care she needs, which he is not willing to give.

For 14 years a single Florida State court judge has presided over the case, and ruled in favor of the husband almost every time.

This man is truly an evil and sinister man.
Last year her feeding tube was removed under court order.
The husband does not allow Terry any visitors as she slowly dies, especially her family. He has even denied the family priest to give her last rights.
He just wants her to die a slow, painful agonizing death and do it all alone.
Florida courts agree this is the right thing to do.

Thankfully the Florida Governor intervened and gave Terry more time, which as ran out today.

This is what happens to a person who is slowly starved over 10 days:
_Day One: The percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy tube, which is placed through the skin and into the stomach, is removed.

_ Days Three to Four: Urine output decreases and patients begin to lose normal body secretions. The mouth begins to look dry and the eyes appear sunken. Patients will look thinner because the body tissues have lost fluid. Their heart rate gradually goes up and their blood pressure goes down.

_ Days Five to 10: Respiration becomes irregular with periods of very fast and then very slow breathing. Some patients will become restless, while others will be less active.

_ Days 10 to Death: Patients do not appear to respond to their environment at all and may appear to be in a coma. Length of death process is determined by how well-nourished patient was and how much body fat and fluid they had when procedure began. May be outward signs of dehydration, such as extremely dry skin. Kidney function declines and toxins begin accumulating in the body. Toxins cause respiratory muscles to fail. Multiple organ systems begin to fail from lack of nutrition.

Source: LifePath Hospice.
I thought there were checks and balances between the judicial, legislative and executive branches.
How can we allow the Judicial branch to assume power over all and starve this woman to death?
Congress & Senate are even wishy-washy about this.

What would we say if a state carried out a death sentence on a prisoner by simply denying food under the order of a judge?

Sarvation begins again today. She dies alone.
This is insanity.

http://www.helpterri.com
 

Last edited by Hot_Georgia_2004; 03-18-2005 at 02:11 PM.
  #2  
Old 03-18-2005, 02:32 PM
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Wait, a minute. From what I recall about the situation (being a Floridian), Terry was in an auto accident... she didn't just collapse. And, legally, her husband assumed responsibility and power of attorney since she is incapacitated. Now, I don't necessarily agree or disagree with how things have played out, but her husband does have a right to dictate her medical treatments, or lack of.
 
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Old 03-18-2005, 02:39 PM
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I heard there was suspicion her husband may have been responsible for her heart stopping. I don't know if this is true or not.
 
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Old 03-18-2005, 02:50 PM
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I just heard she will die of dehydration before she starves, anyway if she does those two bastards should be next.
 
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Old 03-18-2005, 03:49 PM
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Default Reason for Terri's situation...

Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when a chemical imbalance apparently brought on by an eating disorder caused her heart to stop beating for a few minutes. She can breathe on her own, but has relied on the feeding and hydration tube to keep her alive.

Doctors failed to diagnose the chemical imbalance.
 
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Old 03-18-2005, 04:30 PM
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Regardless of what caused the issue, the state of Florida is starving to death a severely disabled woman.

Yes, her husband has legal custody and guardianship and wants her to die a prolonged, painful death, and do it alone.
Her loving family wants her to live, and has the means to give her all the care she could ever need or want.

Terri is aware of what is going on around her.
She's starving for food and water right now.
 

Last edited by Hot_Georgia_2004; 03-18-2005 at 04:59 PM.
  #7  
Old 03-18-2005, 05:10 PM
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I can't see why this is surprising to anyone. There is a general disregard for human life in the world. It's not exclusive to one nation, one religion, or one of anything. It's just a fact of nature. People seem to be built to cope with death by having indifference as a means of continuing the species anyway.
 
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Old 03-18-2005, 06:30 PM
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Default It seems that she doesn't want to die:

An attorney for Terri Schiavo said the severely brain-damaged woman cried and yelled out that she wants to live after being told today her life-sustaining feeding tube was about to be removed by court order.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=43383
Terri is not soul-less human shell maintainted by life support machines.
Terri is still in there!

It's a travesty that the residing judge over this case is so bent on killing this woman.
Wonder what his motive is?
Is it pride because he was originally wrong and is too stubborn to admit it?
What else could it be? If so, this woman will die to save his pride.
The judge has even forbid letting anyone put tiny ice chips in her mouth to ease the pain of dehydration and starvation.

This single judge needs to be put into contempt of court and jailed.
 

Last edited by Hot_Georgia_2004; 03-18-2005 at 07:05 PM.
  #9  
Old 03-21-2005, 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Hot_Georgia_2004
Terri is aware of what is going on around her.
She's starving for food and water right now.
You state facts such as she smiles and interacts and has awareness as if you are a neurologist who has directly examined the patient.

If that is, indeed, the case then I'll defer to your determination of such as your expertise and first hand knowledge of the case are clearly superior to mine.

If, OTOH, you're just quoting something you heard her right wing ill wishing parents who want her to continue to linger in the persistant vegetative state (PVS) with absolute lack of any awareness of her surroundings as has been testified to by multiple physicians over these many years and who've endlessly tried to trump her husband's legal right to make the decisions as to his wife's wishes to live in a PVS or not and thus carry this over into a precedent that could affect all of our abilities to make such decisions for our loved ones and put those decisions into the hands of politicians who are trying to appeal to their ultra-conservative right-wing contingencies for votes then you really have no business making such sweeping statements. (sorry about the hideously long run-on there)

This is a very important issue to me...and should be to many of you. I deal with life and death decisions daily. I deal with determining who's "alive" (in an awareness quality of life sense) and who isn't with some regularity.

You make pointed accusations at the husband as if he's got some evil intent. I do not see him that way in the least. If he did not love this woman he could have walked away from this situation years ago. He could have married this 'other woman' and given up his rights to be involved. That's what someone who wasn't in love or didn't care about right and wrong would do...he's done the opposite. Think of the stress on his life and relationship involved in pursuing this.

And for goodness sakes people, go fill out a living will so just this situation will never splinter your family and your desires are clear should you ever be in a similar condition.
 
  #10  
Old 03-21-2005, 08:40 AM
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I find it interesting that he has gone on to have a relationship with another woman yet he "loves his wife so much that he is fighting tooth and nail to kill her". He obviously has something to gain by her death. I find it hard to believe that he loves her more than her parents.

My opinion and yes it is only opinion with no facts whatsoever to back it up is that her husband has something to hide and fears her gaining conciousness. If she is in fact brain dead how much is she suffering to stay alive?
 


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