Schiavo Fight Hits Home for 2 Congressmen

Schiavo Fight Hits Home for 2 Congressmen

By DONNA DE LA CRUZ, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The fight for Terri Schiavo's life hit home for two congressmen from New Jersey. Republican Chris Smith and Democrat Rush Holt both have confronted a decision to remove a loved one from life support, and now find themselves on opposite sides of the issue in the Schiavo case.


Smith voted for — and Holt against — a bill that allows Schiavo's parents the right to sue in federal court over the withdrawal of nourishment and medical treatment needed to sustain their daughter, who suffered severe brain damage 15 years ago.


On Monday, the congressmen spoke of the pain involved in such a decision.


"It was one of the hardest moments of my life," Smith said of the day his cancer-stricken father was removed from a respirator in 1996. Bernard Smith died within minutes, Smith said. "It got to the point where the cancer was everywhere, he had no hope, as we were told by a number of doctors," Smith said.

<SNIP>

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&u=/ap/20050321/ap_on_go_co/schiavo_lawmakers&printer=1

Are those HIRED by her parents.

All the other doctors who tested her, including a court appointed doctor, concluded her brain had liquified in the higher function areas and there is no chance of rehabilitation.

the government had stepped in and denied him the decision re: his father? And where are the catcalls of "Murderer!" directed at Smith from the right?

I don't have a dog in this fight. I think that both sides make poignant points. But to me, the bottom line is, WHO DETERMINES YOUR MEDICAL DECISIONS FOR YOU?

clearly he has no morals if he will vote to prevent another from doing exactly what he was able to do....but then i guess that's the mantra of the repukes

He may be a conservative Christian 'Publican, but he's also been a major force against human rights abuses.

I usually disagree with him. But he's not a moral hypocrite to the degree most of his fellow partisans are.

--p!

bush was once god of TX
Cons fear this question!
by: bush_hurts_america 03/21/05 06:55 pm
Msg: 117591
As Texas governor in 1999, Bush signed SB 1260, which permits a doctor to yank all life support (including food and water) from an incommunicado patient even if the patient's advance directive requests all available care. That's right cons: EVEN IF THE PATIENT WANTS TO LIVE!

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/tlo/textframe.cmd?LEG=76&SESS=R&CHAMBER=S &BILLTYPE=B&BILLSUFFIX=01260&VERSION=5&TYPE=B

That is, if Terri Schiavo had lived in Texas during Bush's reign, her doctor could have yanked her stomach tube EVEN IF she explicitly had asked for her care to be continued.

And, lest you think I'm making stuff up (as the GOP loves to do), here's an article about a patient caught by this very law; they want to yank his life support because they think it's futile, and he can't pay. His wife wants the care to continue:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3073295

And they just did it to a baby!

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3087387

'Splain that, cons. If you can.