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WSWS : News & Analysis : North America

Letters on the Terri Schiavo case

24 June 2005

Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author

On “Florida Governor Jeb Bush renews persecution of Michael Schiavo”

I am sad and angry on behalf of Michael Schiavo. The level of disgustingness on the part of Jeb Bush and his cohorts has reached new depths. Indeed, visions of frightened, huddled cave-folk trembling before the sight of fire because it’s “magic brought by the gods” dance through my head when I contemplate the stark denial of science going on in Florida. What are we coming to as a country when—even when presented with evidence after evidence—the truth is denied?

Whither science? Or, as they seem to be saying: Wither, science!

CMS
21 June 2005

As Michael Schiavo is about to discover you don’t cross the Bush family without suffering the consequences. Just ask Al Gore, John McCain and John Kerry. The autopsy report shows Bush and his flat-earth reactionaries for the fools they are and that will never do. The Bushes are God’s anointed in their minds. What would Jesus think of the way he is being used for political gain? Instead of W putting so much effort into his god image now, he should be thinking of what faces him on the other side. If Bush is as religious as he lets on, surely he knows what a hypocrite he is and what Jesus and the Bible had to say about hypocrites.

WL
Humboldt, Kansas
21 June 2005

On “The Schiavo case: Bush and Congress trample on science and the Constitution”

Although I find this difficult to believe (I’m a Republican), I agree with you completely. Three years ago a friend sent me a link to www.terrisfight.org. I read accounts of how therapy had not been provided to her, and how instead, Michael had forbidden treatment. Nothing was ever said about how he took her to California. The web site also indicated that Michael kept all of the lawsuit money for himself and refused to use the cash on Terry’s treatment. Suddenly, what’s coming out now is that the courts had control over any monetary expenditures.

Michael is not a horrible person for meeting someone else and falling in love with her while his wife was in a bed, unable to talk to him or even squeeze his hand. I don’t know why he never divorced her instead of having children out of wedlock, but that was Michael’s decision. After reading more and more about Michael, and some objective articles about Terri’s family, I can’t help but wonder if Michael didn’t divorce Terri because he was concerned about the care her family would provide to her.

I am sorry for all the hurt on both sides of this fight. I have no doubt that the Schindler family is deeply hurt by the loss of Terri. All families want for their members to be happy and healthy. But we all have to face reality and acknowledge that at some point, we all have to die. And sometimes, as difficult as the decision can be, we have to deny treatment to let our members leave this world. Even the Pope was allowed to die, even though I’m sure we could have kept him alive at least a few more months through the use of ventilators and such.

For Michael, I hope he has a wonderful life with his new wife and children. I wish his family luck in moving on from all of this, and apologize for all the people like myself who listened to the Schindlers and believed them blindly without diving further into the facts.

JH
17 June 2005