What do u guys think?, Keep her alive or let it go? Options

[BlackCelicaGT94]

I hope all of you have heard of the case of the lady who is brain dead and her family is fighting to keep her alive where as her husband says that his wife said she would never wanna be kept alive artificially.

What do you guys think?

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Heres a news story about it



PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — The presiding judge in the case of Terri Schiavo ruled Friday that the feeding tube keeping the brain-damaged woman alive can be removed despite efforts by congressional Republicans to block the move by seeking her appearance at hearings.


AP Photo

Terri Schiavo, right, gets a kiss from her mother, Mary Schindler, in this Aug. 11, 2001, image taken from videotape and released by the Schindler family on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003, in Pinellas Park, Fla.
Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer refused a request from U.S. House attorneys to delay the removal, which he had previously ordered to take place at 10 a.m. PDT. Greer determined that removal must go forward about an hour after another judge issued a temporary delay blocking it.

"I have had no cogent reason why the (congressional) committee should intervene," Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer told attorneys in a conference call, adding that last-minute action by Congress does not invalidate years of court rulings.

There was no immediate word on when the tube might be removed. House attorneys said they would immediately appeal the decision.

Outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo lives, about 30 people keeping vigil dropped to their knees in prayer when word spread of Greer's ruling.

U.S. Senate and House committees in the Republican-controlled Congress issued subpoenas for Schiavo, her husband Michael Schiavo and her caregivers to appear at hearings later in March, with the House Government Reform Committee planning its for March 25 at the hospice.

The Senate Health Committee set its hearing for March 28 in Washington.

There was no immediate comment from Michael Schiavo or his attorneys.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, told reporters in Washington that removal of the tube amounted to "barbarism" that the hearings would at least temporarily prevent. House and Senate lawyers contend that Terri Schiavo would be protected by the subpoenas from anyone attempting to prevent her appearance.

"Terry Schiavo is alive. She's as alive as you and I. As such, we have a moral obligation to protect and defend her," DeLay said . "This is not over."

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, senior Democrat on the Government Reform Committee, called the subpoenas a "flagrant abuse of power" and amounted to Congress dictating the medical care Terri Schiavo should receive.

"Congress is turning the Schiavo family's personal tragedy into a national political farce," Waxman said.

The hospice where Terri Schiavo lives received subpoenas late Friday morning, spokeswoman Louise Cleary said. Officials there did not disclose their next steps.

"At this time, we are monitoring developments and consulting with legal and ethical advisers to determine what to do," she said.

Michael Schiavo has waged a yearslong court battle with his parents-in-law, contending his wife, who has been in a persistent vegetative state since 1990, would not want to live that way. The tube has been removed twice in the past and then reinserted as the battle continued.

"It is a contempt of Congress to prevent or discourage someone from following the subpoena that's been issued," David Gibbs, the attorney for her parents, said. "What the U.S. Congress is saying is, `We want to see Terri Schiavo.'"

"The family is prayerfully excited about their daughter going before the United States Congress for the whole world to see how alive she is."

He said that despite her brain damage, she would be able to travel. A statement from the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., on Friday said the purpose of the hearing was to review health care policies and practices relevant to the care of non-ambulatory people.

Frist's statement noted that it is a federal crime to harm or obstruct a person called to testify before Congress.

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Florida office, said his group's attorneys were working with Michael Schiavo's attorneys to determine if the subpoenas would block the scheduled removal of the tube.

"This is clearly an effort to circumvent a lawful court order by a state judge," Simon said. "I am not sure how a subpoena, which is ordinarily done to produce records or somebody to testify, can essentially have the effect of an injunction overriding the orders of a court."

Terri Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler, went into the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park at about 9:30 a.m. to visit his daughter. Outside, about three dozen people prayed and wept.

"What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus," they sang. Messages on protest signs included "Impeach Greer.com," a reference to a judge in the case, and "Execution - It's Not Just for the Guilty Anymore."

In Tallahassee, the Florida House on Thursday passed a bill 78-37 to block the withholding of food and water from patients in a persistent vegetative state who did not leave specific instructions regarding their care. But hours later, the Senate defeated a different measure 21-16. The sponsor of another state Senate didn't bring it for a vote because it didn't have enough support.

Gibbs also has said he would ask a federal judge in Tampa to block the removal and review the actions of state courts. Such habeas corpus appeals seek to require the government to justify its actions.

At the White House, President Bush left little doubt where he stands, saying, "those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern." His brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, long has supported the parents' efforts and urged lawmakers to act before it was too late.

Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped because of a chemical imbalance, and court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband says she told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents dispute that, and say she could get better.