F'n yes it is political. Same as the other side of the political spectrum
politician's stance. They are politicians catering to there power bases.
Bill

"Jim," wrote in message
...
Calif Bill wrote:
Sounds like a great law. Why should the public pay to keep a vegetable
alive for ever when there is no hope of any recovery. It may sound
cruel,
but I would much rather see the public's money, which is a limited item,
be
used to help the young lady with breast cancer, who has a chance to
recover,
or other illnesses that are very expensive, but curable. As opposed to
keeping a comotose, brain dead person on life support for years and
years.
Bill

Can you explain Bush and DeLays sudden change of heart when it comes to
Terri Schiavo? Could it be political? ---- Naaaaa

"Jim," wrote in message
...

JimH wrote:

wrote in message
egroups.com...


How many perspectives can there be when all the brain above the stem
is
gone?

Sciavo's injury deprived the brain of oxygen. For 15 years! The stem,
at the base of the brain, controls heart and respiratory functions and
can initiate some reflexive motions. There is no capacity for thought,
for emotion, or for learning. Few people would ever look at Terri S
and
say, "Please leave me in that condition for as long as I can hang on
if
I ever suffer the same fate." There has been testimony from several
people that before the accident Terri had expressed a preference for
death vs. life as a vegetable if she was ever in the state that she is
in now.

Sciavo's parents may be like the retired folks we all know who turn a
household pet into a surrogate child or grandchild. Referrring to
thenselves as the dog's "Mom" or "Dad", dressing it up in goofy
clothes, and organizing daily life around its every need doesn't
change
the basic fact that the dog is a dog. A dog has far more cognitive
ability than Terri Sciavo's breathing corpse has now, or will ever
have
in the future.

If a miracle worker walked into her hospital room, healed her severed
spine, and turned the fluid in her skull back into functioning brain
cells she'd recover. Short of that, nothing could be done. Couldn't
the
same thing be said about every one of he hundreds of thousands of
people in the same or similar situation every year? Should we keep
everybody in a persistant vegetative state and with no (reasonable)
hope of recovery alive forever, wishing and hoping for a miracle?



Did you listen to the interviews?

No one can say for sure what her mental condition is. And there are
now
many questions about Michael Shiavo's past treatment of Terri.

One has to err on the side of life when dealing with human life.



That's why Bush and DeLay passed a law in Texas giving hospitals the
right to "pull the plug" when things look hopeless (and parents have run
out of money)

"Texas law allows hospitals to discontinue life-sustaining treatment,
even if a patient's family members disagree, under certain
circumstances.

Under the statute, "Life-sustaining treatment" means treatment that,
based on reasonable medical judgment, sustains the life of a patient and
without which the patient will die. The term includes both
life-sustaining medications and artificial life support, such as
mechanical breathing machines, kidney dialysis treatment, and artificial
nutrition and hydration. [V.T.C.A., Health & Safety Code § 166.002]

Under the law, "A patient's inability to pay for medical care combined
with a prognosis that renders further care futile are two reasons a
hospital might suggest cutting off life support". Chief medical officer
at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston.

Last week, Sun, the 17-pound, nearly 6-month-old son of Wanda Hudson was
allowed to die in Houston's Texas Children's Hospital. Sun's death marks
the first time a U.S. judge has allowed a hospital to discontinue an
infant's life-sustaining care against a parent's wishes, according to
bioethical experts.

Another case involving a patient on life support — a 68-year-old man in
a chronic vegetative state whose family wants to stop St. Luke's
Episcopal Hospital from turning off his ventilator — is pending in

Houston.

This statute was signed into law by then-governor George W. Bush.
Houston is in the Congressional District of GOP Whip Tom Delay. The same
Tom Delay who was the point man for the special law passed on behalf of
Terri Schiavo."

And I think both side agree here - that this sad case should not be a
political issue. Don't they have enough to squabble about already?

-W

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...
F'n yes it is political. Same as the other side of the political spectrum
politician's stance. They are politicians catering to there power bases.
Bill

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 19:49:26 GMT, "Clams Canino"
wrote:

And I think both side agree here - that this sad case should not be a
political issue. Don't they have enough to squabble about already?

Heh - just check out the headers on the posts.

Later,

Tom