Well, Sciavo’s parents appealed to the full Federal Court of Appeals in Atlanta, and the court declined an expedited rehearing of the case.
Now, of course, the accusations will fly: “they’re just being activist judges,” “they don’t value life,” etc. Not that the judges that have heard the case over the past few days are “liberal activists.” In fact, the first Florida judge to deny the Schindler appeal is known more for denying capital punishment appeals than for pursuing any “liberal agenda.”
But this whole things just sickens me: it’s a family issue that should be in the husband’s hands (“in sickness and in health,” etc.). And to any politician who is pursuing a “culture of life” agenda and using the Schiavo case as a weapon: try expending your energies on those who are alive and have functional higher motor and comprehension skills. Our nation’s schools, social services and healthcare systems need much more help than you’ve given them in the past 10 years. If you truly are pushing a “culture of life,” then put your damn money where your mouths are and
adam
27 March 2005 — 00:34
I just finished a long and hopefully intelligent post on this same topic. I made the mistake fo then doing a google search on Terry’s name and found, among the first few links, a very conservative blog that started bashing the liberals for… well, to be honest, I don’t even know. I was tempted to wade into the battle, but then I remembered: I don’t care what they think ;).
I find it very interesting that money seems to be a central theme to this whole case – for reasons that aren’t clear to me.
My view: she’s essentially had no brain activity for 15 years, so it’s not like they haven’t given her a chance. From what I understand, people in a persistent vegetative state don’t usually reover, especially since it indicates that the cerebral cortex is not functioning – her body is on auto-pilot, and “Terry” as they might know her has left the building.
So sad that such a personal tragedy has been drawn out for so long and all over so many courts.