There is a story about this on Yahoo (I seem to be having problems with "cut and paste" so maybe a kind person will post it as a link).

I am putting this as a new thread because there will undoubtedly be a new court battle over who has an interest in her welfare, and I think this will probably spill over into issues such as child custody disputes, especially those where grandparents also want to see children. It is not uncommon for children of divorced parents to lose contact with their grandparents as well.

So the question is should the primary guardian(s) have all the right to make all the decisions? When does the "family unit" begin and end?

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 22, 2003

Answers

GT, the sickest comment in that article is from the murderous husband's lawyer, George Felos:
"It is simply inhumane and barbaric to interrupt her death process. Just because Terri Schiavo is not conscious doesn't mean she doesn't have dignity."

Here is a link to the story.
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 22, 2003.

From the news - The husband also answered criticism that he has abandoned his wife for a longtime girlfriend with whom he has one child and another on the way. What is happening to us?

-- Abraham T (lijothengil@yahoo.com), October 27, 2003.

I understand that the husband appeared on Larry King Live last night. Thankfully, I don't have cable, as he probably would have turned my stomach.

As I understand it, he was going to answer live calls. I suppose they were screened very rigorously.

I've heard reports that a priest is now able to visit Terri in the hospital, yet her "guards" still won't allow him to administer Holy Viaticum.

I believe her parents have also been permitted limited visits, but I'm not sure.

Tomorrow, Wednesday Oct. 29th, is the deadline for Terri's husband (and lawyer and the ACLU) to challenge "Terri's Law."

Please, all, continue to pray and fast for Terri and her family.

May Blessed Mother Teresa intercede and obtain a great favor; that Terri's parents be appointed as her legal guardians.

If you haven't watched the videos of Terri responding to her family, it is so very moving. Surely, this isn't the behavior of one in a "permanently vegetative state."

Look at the audio visual downloads at her site: http://www.terrisfight.org/downloads/index.html

No one can claim that Terri is "comatose," or "vegetative."

Pax Christi. <><

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), October 28, 2003.

There was a follow up article on Yahoo that addressed the Larry King interview.

Apparently the husband says that the parents' tape was spliced from several tapes, and was not a true picture of her condition--although as far as I know he didn't "prove" it on the interview. He also says that things went bad after the parents found out they weren't getting any of the settlement. And, he says that he tried several therapies, including an electrical brain stimulator, but that none worked, and that there was only about $50,000 left of the settlement. According to the article he is a registered nurse, so presumably he knows more about medical treatments than the parents do....

All of the above may be true, but the fact that he couldn't wait to get another love, and have children with her, while his wife is still alive, certainly does nothing to enhance his credibility.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 28, 2003.

From what I saw on the tele, Terry Shiavo is brain dead with no chance of recovery. There is no significant cerebral tissue remaining. Were her brain to reappear it would be a miracle.

Stopping feeding is another story altogether and is in itself reprehensible if the means are available for it.

Karl

-- Karl (Parkerkajwen@hotmail.com), October 28, 2003.

MR SHIAVO STATES THE PARENTS ARE MOTIVATED BY MONEY, MY QUESTION IS WHAT IS HIS MOTIVATION TO STARVE HIS WIFE TO DEATH? COULD IT BE HIS NEW FOUND FAMILY OR IS IT ALSO MONEY? HE ALSO STATES HE IS A NURSE. IF SO HOW IS IT HE CAN'T SEE SHE IS RESPONSIVE ALTHOUGH HER BODY IS IN A CONTRACTIVE STATE, DOES NOT MEAN SHE IS NOT ALIVE. I WAS IN THE MEDICAL FEILD FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS AND WORKED WITH PATIENTS WITH LESS RESPONSIVENESS THAN TERRI AND KNEW THEY WERE STILL HUMAN AND DESERVE LOVE AND RESPECT ALSO. IF MR. SHIAVO IS NO LONGER INTERESTED IN TAKING CARE OF HIS WIFE, WHY NOT JUST DIVORCE HER INSTEAD OF KILLING HER. BUT THAT WOULD MEAN HE HAS TO GIVE BACK THE MONEY, AND WE ALL KNOW HE HAS BLOWN THAT ON HIS GIRL FRIEND AND HIS CHILDREN. TERRI SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO LIVE OUT HER DAYS, AND NOT BE KILLED BECAUSE THAT HUSBAND OF HERS WANT TO BE RELEASED FROM RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF HER. HE PROMISED THE COURT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF HER FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE WHICH WAS DETERMINED TO BE FIFTY-ONE YEARS, BUT HE SAID NOTHING ABOUT HER WISHES THEN. IT HAS ONLY BEEN TEN YEARS. THAT KIND OF MAKE YOU WONDER, WHAT IS HIS TRUE MOTIVE? HE IS NOT A TRUE GUARDIAN BUT A MAN THAT WANTS TO GET RID OF HIS WIFE. HER PARENTS LOVE HER AND ONLY WANTS THE BEST FOR HER.

-- Tina Harvey (tharvey@gardco.com), October 28, 2003.

The day that the husband denied the parents the right to see their daughter, should have been a clear sign of a money hungry, controlling, self centered, uncaring man who is saying to the public, the family and the governor that this is how I am going to play the game of life and death... It is obvious that the husband was angry because of the overturn of the feeding and lashed out at her parents... Is it not obvious that he is hiding something, that he is guilty and that not only his sudden haste of his own actions clearly says that to all who has doubt about his true intentions... The husband should save face and step down from being her guardian and show compassion to her parents and see that this is their daughter, that they brought her into this world and let them take care of her... I personally think the husband is greedy and now has no money left because most of it went to his "lets kill her" attorney or attorney's!!! Speaking of the attorney or attorney's in this case, and the hospice center should be under investigation, because something doesn't smell right...

-- lacey nicole (taintedlove811@hotmail.com), October 31, 2003.

With no hope of ever having a functioning brain Terri Shiavo has only two options. 1) go back to God and live in everlasting joy and victory, or 2) continue to suffer without dignity, functioning as a human vegetable and finally be institutionalized as an indigent ward of the state. Which would YOU choose? It's tragic she didn't have a Living Will. Michael Shiavo may be a monster or he may be a saint. It doesn't matter. The issue is showing the same compassion for Terri that we'd want for ourselves and not using her to further an agenda.

-- Jean Hale (mama2bear@aol.com), November 01, 2003.

Karl and Jean, you were made for each other. You both don't know what the heck you're talking about.
Thank you, Tina and Lacy, for KNOWING what you are talking about.

GT, a friend of mine is deeply involved in the fight for Terrie. Last week, she sent me the URL of an interesting 10/28 article about the Michael Schiavo appearance on CNN.

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), November 02, 2003.