Fla. House OKs Bill to Keep Schiavo Alive

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The state House passed a bill Thursday that could keep Terri Schiavo alive, less than 24 hours before the severely brain-damaged woman's feeding tube is scheduled to be removed."

More:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20050317/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman

ruled that the lefgislature has no authority over this?

how many fucking times are they going to meddLe, and have the SJC throw it out?

i think they pLan on dragging this out untiL the 2006 midterms.

I have got to go and lay down, relax, watch some Michael Jackson, or steroid talk. Way too much reality for me on DU today. And to think it was not so long ago.......nevermind.

I feel terrible for her husband and really badly for Terri Schiavo who now has to remain in a vegetative state for even more time. How unfair for her.

and the way it became so is the same way that Gore, McBride, and Kerry lost the state in previous elections. Election fraud.

They're merely keeping her body functioning.

I think everyone who has had a hand in prolonging the inevitable in this case should have to sign papers agreeing to have hospitals keep their bodies functioning no matter what.

It is my understanding that she hasn't even had an MRI done on her, which is one of the most basic tests to determine whether she is truly brain-dead, or "merely" severely mentally handicapped. There are apparently other tests that could be run, but the husband refuses to allow it.

Later,

There are plenty of reports out there that detail the many, many tests and exams that Terri has undergone to date. A simple Google search will point you in the right direction.

their own business...it is the same crap they pulled when poor elian gonzalez was here ... the wanted to separate him from his father no matter what...(of course, they wouldn't have wanted their child to be kept hostage by any foreign government)...and now they want to keep terry schiavo alive, no matter what...something they wouldn't want for themselves nor any of their family members.

sentenced to a (non) living hell

The Florida Legislature passed a law a few years ago called something like Terry's Law that did exactly the same thing. The constitutionality of that law was challenged through the Florida state court system and ultimately the State Supreme Court ruled the law was an unconstitutional intrusion into the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari and the decision of the State Supreme Court stands.

So I don't know what the legislature is thinking. I guess they figure if they keep passing laws the whole process has to once again run its course. I don't know if under Florida law her husband could ask for declaratory judgment relief under which the State Supreme Court would rule on this without having to go through the entire judicial process.

Wow! This should get me a few more votes at re-election time!!

I was just speaking with a doctor friend of mine here in Florida today about this. It seems they want to make the feeding tube something that is mandated by law. No matter what a person's family or even their doctors say. It seems many doctors here are quite worried about it.
Wish these Bushes would go away already :scared:
Denese

Whose going to pay to keep feeding dead people year after year after year?

:hi:

Thanks for welcoming me.
I love DU :-)
Denese

act that could alter the outcome of the courts in this case, but the Repugnant assholes who want to keep a brainless body alive cannot accept that fact!

See my previous post...

Later,

I'd say yeah, she's in a persistent vegetative state.

What tests have been performed on her to determine whether she is truly brain dead? It is my understanding she hasn't even had an MRI performed on her, which would be one of the most basic of tests to determine that. That, plus the family has stated Terri does react to them in some small ways (when they were still allowed to interact with her, that is).

Later,

MRI's have been performed. Extensive testimony as to how her entire cerebral cortex has been replaced buy spinal fluid is spread throughout the court documents based upon MRI results. All that is left is a Cerebellum which only controls autonomic responses which, when spliced together in the videos, gives the appearance of reaction to stimuli where no actual reaction exists.

I suggest you read this case. She's dead, Jim.

Excerpt follows:

An MRI was never recommended because, in this case and other patients in a permanent vegetative state, the CT scans were more than adequate to demonstrate the extremely severe atrophy of the cerebral hemispheres, and an MRI would add nothing of significance to what we see on the CT scans.

http://pekinprattles.blogspot.com/2005/03/schiavo-dr-cranford-offers-reply.html

Apparently other members of the neurological medical community are convinced that Terri was never correctly diagnosed. From a different story:

David Gibbs, attorney for the Schindlers, submitted 33 affidavits from doctors and other medical professionals contending that Terri’s condition should be reevaluated. About 15 of these affidavits are from board-certified neurologists.

...

Almost 50 neurologists all say the same thing: Terri should be reevaluated, Terri should be reexamined, and there are grave doubts as to the accuracy of Terri’s diagnosis of PVS. All of these neurologists are board-certified; a number of them are fellows of the prestigious American Academy of Neurology; several are professors of neurology at major medical schools.

...

Dr. Morin explained that he would feel obligated to obtain the information in these tests before making a diagnosis with life and death consequences. I told him that CT (Computer-Aided Tomography) scans had been done, and were partly the basis for the finding of PVS. The doctor retorted, “Spare no expense, eh?” I asked him to explain the comment; he said that a CT scan is a much less expensive test than an MRI, but it “only gives you a tenth of the information an MRI does.” He added, “A CT scan is useful only in pretty severe cases, such as trauma, and also during the few days after an anoxic (lack of oxygen) brain injury. It’s useful in an emergency-room setting. But if the question is ischemic injury (brain damage caused by lack of blood/oxygen to part of the brain) you want an MRI and PET. For subsequent evaluation of brain injury, the CT is pretty useless unless there has been a massive stroke.”

Other neurologists have concurred with Dr. Morin’s opinion. Dr. Thomas Zabiega, who trained at the University of Chicago, said, “Any neurologist who is objective would say ‘Yes’” to the question, “Should Terri be given an MRI?”


http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/johansen200503160848.asp


I admit my interest in this case has only come about recently, and that I still have a ways to go before I've researched everything about it. But I must admit, everything I have seen so far disinclines me to believe that Terri is PVS.

One thing though, is that I'm definately going to be drawing up a Living Will for myself, so that if the unthinkable happens to me, my wishes on my medical treatment will be carried out.

Later,

tissue has been replaced with spinal fluid at post 51 on this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3284818

and read the court documents at www.abstractappeal.com

She has no upper brain, just a stem that keeps her breathing.

...and quit demonstrating your ignorance on this subject.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1320431#1323546

Later,

The black area is where her cerbral cortex used to be.

It's now spinal fluid.

SHE'S FUCKING GONE. Deal with it.

:spank:

But we can't have 2 brain-dead Presidents in a row...

:hi:

RL

Don't do that!

No?

She expressed her preference to her husband, her legal next of kin. Since that was established, the religious right took over, obliterating her state's rights.

Now we all have to file papers in order to conform to the Federal Government as to the right to live as a vegetable or die.