Terri's Legacy, It Is Time for a Real Culture of Life Bill from Progressiv

Terri’s Legacy, It Is Time for a Real Culture of Life Bill From Progressive America; Terri's Law


By Anthony Wade

 

March 31, 2005



www.OpEdNews.com


 The circus is finally over, Terri Schiavo has gone home. The side-show has packed up their tents and will head home, learning nothing, and soon forgetting a woman that sparked such outrage. That is unless someone does not let that happen. The GOP will feign indignation and try to use Mrs. Schiavo as a weapon to reign in a judiciary they feel is out of control but all you need to know about the judge in this case is that he was a republican. There is no out of control judiciary. The true sad fact of the Schiavo case is that at every turn when someone could have intervened on behalf of life, it was a GOP decision to allow her death. The primary judge was a conservative from the GOP. The Supreme Court also refused multiple times to intervene and is controlled by the GOP. The speculation about possible executive intervention focused on two men, George and Jeb Bush, both of which stood by and did nothing while Terri died. The GOP will not do anything about this case except try and use it to their political advantage, which is all they have done for the past two weeks. No, the true legacy of Terri Schiavo needs to come from the progressives in this country. It is time to have the GOP put their money where their mouths are and pass a “Culture of Life” bill, honoring Terri Schiavo.

 

The first tenet of a Culture of Life Bill must demand healthcare for all Americans in this country. I do not want to hear any more of the right-wing talking points about socialism meant only to distract from the pitiful reality that in the richest country in the world, there are 40 million people who do not have healthcare. Because of these shortages in healthcare, there are 18,000 unnecessary deaths per year. That has to be completely unacceptable in a civilized society. Anyone who truly believes in a culture of life has to support a plan that would eliminate 18,000 unnecessary annual deaths. Without healthcare, Terri Schiavo would not have lasted the 15 years that she did and progress to the point that she became the cause celebre of a nation.

 

A nation that affirms a culture of life insures that everyone has access to healthcare.

 

The second tenet of any Terri’s Law would have to federally protect Medicaid, Medicare, and State Children’s Health Insurance Program from any federal budget cuts. Sound impossible? No, it is simply a matter of making priorities. The fact of the matter is that balancing the federal budget on the backs of the poorest people in this country is not the kind of philosophy that asserts life. If you hold tax cuts for the rich in one hand and the ensuring of healthcare and continued lives of the elderly and children in this country in the other, I would assume that believing in a culture of life demands that the tax cuts get shelved. Terri received her medications through Medicaid and just the cuts alone that Tom Delay is currently demanding would have jeopardized Terri’s medications.

 http://www.opednews.com/wade_033105_terris_law.htm

Anthony Wade, a contributing writer to opednews.com, is dedicated to educating the populace to the lies and abuses of the government. He is a 37-year-old independent writer from New York with political commentary articles seen on multiple websites.  A Christian progressive and professional Rehabilitation Counselor working with the poor and disabled, Mr. Wade believes that you can have faith and hold elected officials accountable for lies and excess.


Anthony Wade’s Archive:     http://www.opednews.com/archiveswadeanthony.htm


Email Anthony:          takebacktheus@yahoo.com

Kicked and nominated.

...of this national embarrassment, it would be a determined, continuous, firm and principled effort to pass precisely such a law.

I wish I believed it was possible.

disillusionedly,
Bright

and reverse his signing of his culture of death Texas bill that allows for the hospital to pull the plug if you don't have money to pay? Why hasn't anyone asked Bush about why he signed that bill and if he had to sign it again, he wouldn't? Finally maybe Bush will admit he makes many mistakes and is a contradiction of himself? Culture of life from someone who hasn't lived by his own words is really something that needs to be brought to the forefront. Bush needs to explain what his 'vision' of culture of life means? Only political culture of life is important to him? Only white people culture of life? Also, he needs to explain his stance on the death penalty, since that doesn't align with 'life.' I just cannot believe that not one reporter has asked the question of this irresponsible, politically motivated, arrogant, hypocritical man. It's hard to call him a man when he's never done anything manly himself, I see him as a coward who never had to fight in a war, a silver spoon baby boomer that never had to work hard for minimum wage, a spoiled brat who had the best of everything while snorting and drinking his privileged youth away. Someone in the press ask the question of him: "Mr. President, you stated you wanted to encourage a culture of life, are you going to put pressure on your own bill you signed years ago that promote a culture of death by pulling the plug on people who cannot afford the hospital bills? Can you explain your meaning and actions on how you will begin to change your legacy of a culture of death?"