Her Body, My Self

I feel a profound sense of sadness on this Good Friday. At this hour, Terri Schiavo is slipping closer to death, after a legion of state and federal judges have turned down appeals to reinstate her feeding tube, and consider petitions that might extend her life.

I'm not a lawyer, but I cannot comprehend the legal logic behind the Judge Greer's decision that set this ghastly process in motion. Yes, Michael Schiavo is still Terri's husband (in the loosest possible definition of that word), and has a voice in her care. But in siding with Schiavo's wishes, the Judge Greer--and the jurists who have reviewed his decision--have ignored compelling testimony and affidavits, suggesting that Michael Schiavo has other motives for allowing his wife to die. If Terri is allowed to expire, we can only hope that Florida police resume their investigation that began when she collapsed in 1990.

Why is Mr. Schiavo so insistent in this matter? The American Digest has an interesting run-down on Michael's potential profit from his wife's death. Remove the feeding tube, make a few million. Scott Peterson must be green with envy.

One final thought: the MSM is running ad nauseum stories about the need for a living will, to avoid this type of tragedy. But that's not the lesson of the Terri Schiavo case. Instead, this situation speaks volumes about the Culture of Death of today's America; in a society that aborts one million babies a year, it's relatively simple to kill a single, disabled woman who can't defend herself. These days, you don't need a gun or knife to kill an unwanted family member. All you need is a diagnosis of a "permanent vegitative state, a realitive professing to know your wishes, and a willing lawyer and judge.