A scary thought, but unlikely. Again, as cowardly as this tactic may seem, the measure passed by Congress was a private relief bill; it applies only to the Schindlers, and only in this case. It empowers no federal review of state legal determinations in any other matter whatsoever.
Well, I don’t really see how they are harming her (since there’s really no “her” left to harm anymore), but otherwise we are pretty much in agreement. I just wanted to point out that the parent’s grasping at straws is perfectly understandable from a psychological point of view.
I’d love to see what would happen if some teacher taught the Declaration of Independence with a real discussion of the “…right of the people to alter or abolish it…” clause…
Isn’t the fact that an exception was made in the first place the problem? Now everyone will go begging for personal exceptions.
This just in:
Federal Judge Denies Request to Reinstate Feeding Tube
Nothing online yet.
Next step: federal appeals court. And so it goes.
Although I am disturbed by the obvious pro-Schindler bias of msnbc, I am not surprised by it.
Oh please, pleeeeeeeeease let it be over soon…
Nah, the parents will appeal to the 11th circuit court of appeals in Atlanta, but without the injunction Terri may pass on soon.
I don’t understand the objections to letting her die. Her parents are Catholic, and argue that Terri, as a devout Catholic, would want to live. But doesn’t that just keep her out of heaven longer? Or do her parents not believe in the afterlife as much as they claim too?
Elsewhere in the news, Judge orders woman’s feeding tube to be reinserted.
I’m too tired and disgusted to make up my mind on whether to go with a “Dewey Defeats Truman!” joke or a nerdier, but perhaps more apropos, Schrodinger zinger.
(It’s just an editor’s error, by the way. Don’t scream yet.)
Hey, catch me up on this. All the news reports are starting to blend together in my mind, so I’m unclear on why a court in Atlanta has any jurisdiction in this.
I Googled Karen Ann Quinlan the other night (I was comparing her case to this, and Mr. Rilch didn’t get the reference). Good thing I did, because I’d been misremembering some key facts in the case, including that Quinlan’s parents were the ones who wanted her taken off the respirator, reasoning that it was god’s will for her to die naturally. I had to read that twice, because I can’t recall another time I’ve heard someone cite god as a reason to uncomplicate things!
The Schindler’s objections may be based on the idea that removing the feeding tube is assisted suicide. Suicide is a huge sin to Catholics (at least before Vatican II; that may have changed).
It just boggles my mind, though, when people drag god into medical issues that wouldn’t be issues if nature really took its course. Like the multiple-births mother in Texas a few years ago, who refused to have two of the fetuses aborted so the others would have a better chance at survival. It wasn’t god’s will, she said. If it was god’s will for her to get pregnant without fertility treatments, she wouldn’t have been having a multiple pregnancy.
The next level is the court of appeals; this court serves the 11th circuit, which includes Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. The appeals court is based in Atlanta. (Information is here.)
Robin
I see. Thank you.
Begging to Congress, perhaps, but not to federal court. I mean, I suppose one could argue that Congress’s actions are problematic in that they set a precedent for individuals who feel they’ve been denied constitutional protections in non-criminal matters to petition Congress for a private relief bill - but I doubt that will be a problem for Congress. Its selective attention skills have become quite honed of late.
As for the federal courts, however, again I don’t see any precedent that would set a long-term problem. The only problem I see is the possibility of a short-lived trend of a few pro-se petitioners filing motions with titles like “Motion for a Terri Schiavo Court Thingy” and winding up with a face full of courthouse door.
The reaction from the White House:
Presumable, one not based on a strict interpretation of the law, but rather one based on the emotional politics whipped up by the Republican Party to appeal to the party core.
Huh? The article said the exact opposite-that her feeding tube was NOT going to be reinserted.
Hence his “Dewey Defeats Truman” comment. 
Did the headline originally say something else?
I’m guessing it must’ve.
Yup, I cut & pasted the headline directly for the hyperlink. I guess I should have counted on it being fixed as soon as they got some sleep over there. 
Right on schedule:
from this AP article, titled “Jeb Bush Renews Call to Help Schivo”