Presidents statement on Terri Schiavo

"It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed, and protected - and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities."

I agree, but I also think there is a difference between disability and incapacity and loss of brain activity, as in Terri's case.

except in Texas I guess.

to provide funds to pay for the care and feeding of many thousands of people in similar circumstances.

This of course has nothing to do with Terri Schiavo, it's all about
"our courts should have a presumption in favor of life". 'Life' of course is conservative code for fetus.

The last time I brought my mother into the ER, both her physician and the ER doctor told me I should take her home and let her die of dehydration. She's 85 yrs. old and has Alzheimer's. (Old people are expensive to treat, y'know)

It's very dehumanizing of your mother. You are a good person to take care of her in her old age, however.

My grandma is in a nursing home with stroke-related senility. It is the nicest nursing home I have ever seen. She is treated well and is as happy as she can be outside of her own home. Unfortunately, it costs my grandpa a fortune to keep her there (5-6 gs a month).

of this administration never ceases to amaze and sadden me...

deserve our care and concern. Does that mean that bush is siding with homosexuals who are at the mercy of religious zealots who intimidate and manipulate activist judges? Yes, keep those who have suffered with Alzheimers for years alive so their families can be financially ruined with no hope of a quality life of their own because religious zealots "value" life. Yes, let us all value a person's inability to feed themselves or clean their bodies or read a paper or carry on a conversation or sit up straight. All they do is suck the livelihood out of those who love them. I choose not to be callous. I have been there and done part of that.

...that neither we, or our advocates, have the right to accept or reject medical care --- the government gets to make this decision?

Please reconcile this with the position that the poor and uninsured are not deserving of medical care (this appears to be the position of our government, also)

The ONLY thing conservatives want is for all of us to have personal liberties. Just ask them. Ergo, the government should decide your medical care for you, because conservatives want you to have personal liberties. And if you are too poor, thats your fault because you had the liberty not to be poor, its here somewhere in the bible, let me show you.

"life" as we all know is newspeak for fetus. This is part of the game plan to take away choice.

Whether you live or die is now up to one of the Bushes or the people he owns (Repugs in Congress). They have almost completed the destruction of our country and our lives. Now you can't even die when you are ready.

was asking for a "presidential pardon" for Schiavo on his web page the other day.
Their stupidity knows no bounds, and they aren't afraid to show it.

due to strokes and did not have a "gag reflex", the nursing home wanted to insert a feeding tube. She was in her 80's and of sound mind. She did not want a feeding tube and neither did we, her daughters, because we knew that once it was inserted, it would never be taken out. We had to meet with the administration of the nursing home and they questioned whether our mother was suicidal or depressed--(of course, she was depressed---her husband had died and she was in a farking nursing home!)But our wishes prevailed and we had to sign papers. They told us that she would aspirate her food and get pneumonia. She never got pneumonia and died 18 months later. We are still glad she and we made that decision about the feeding tube.

where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern.

so mr bush does this mean those on death row also????

"The case of Terri Schiavo raises complex issues. Yet in instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern. It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed, and protected - and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities."

Since Bush and his ilk consider Democrats to be "individuals with disabilities", the "special care and concern" they exhibit is appalling.

But as to Terri Schaivo, I just don't get it. It is a family matter that the government should stay the hell out of, IMO. Crafting laws to intentionally narrow the focus for one individual is just wrong, wrong, wrong!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45497-2005Mar17.html
"On Wednesday night the House of Representatives passed a bill to let "an incapacitated person" -- or someone who cares about him or her -- go to federal court whenever a state court "authorizes or directs the withholding or withdrawal of food" and when there is no undisputed living will. The Senate passed a narrower bill yesterday that would deal with Ms. Schiavo's case alone -- allowing her parents, who wish to keep her alive, a shot at the federal courts. "