It’s been three years since Terri Schiavo died. She died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order.

Here’s the post I did the day she died.

Today was a very sad day.

No matter which “side” of the debate you found yourself on, you must realize what a sad day this was for America. The death of Terri Schiavo was the longest execution in American history, and we, as a society, should be ashamed that it happened.

Even if we entertain the thought that Terri Schiavo told her husband, many years ago, that she did not want to be kept alive artificially, I highly doubt she told him that she would want to be starved and dehydrated to death. But that’s the point. We don’t know, and never will know, if she truly wanted to die.

Many of the “arguments” I have heard involved the words “I would not want to live like that”, and “No amount of therapy would have improved her condition”. Those arguments, in this case, don’t mean shit. Of course you would not want to live like that, I bet you would be hard pressed to find even one person that would knowingly WANT to live like that, but sometimes we don’t have a choice. In reality, we live the life we are dealt. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. As far as her recovery, there are thousands of people in this country with health conditions that will never improve. Never. These people include quadriplegics, stroke victims, and war heroes. Many of these people will require constant care and will NEVER experience any improvement in their condition. Does that mean we have the right to kill them even if they do not want to die? No.

My sister-in-law suffered from a lack of oxygen, much like Terri Schiavo. For the most part, her brain is mush as well, yet, if my in-laws decided she didn’t want to live that way, and starved her to death, they would be charged with murder. Period. Who are they, or anyone else for that matter, to decide if she “wanted to live like that”? She has severe brain damage. She has seizures. She needs constant care. She lights up the room with her beautiful blue eyes. She loves life. Did she choose her condition? No. Will therapy ever improve her condition? No. Should she be forced to die simply because someone else might not want to live like that? Hell no.

While I fully support the “right to die” whether you are incapacitated and do not wish to have artificial life support, or you have a terminal illness and truly wish to end your pain, I do NOT support killing someone when there is no concrete evidence one way or the other as to whether or not that person truly wanted to die. But… Even if someone wants to die, and they want to die with dignity, should we starve and dehydrate them? Is starvation the dignified way to let someone die? I think not. Terri Schiavo died today, not because the feeding tube was removed, but because no one was allowed (by court order) to see if Terri could eat food and drink fluids orally. For this reason, we, as a society, should be ashamed.

Some of you may be thinking that the death of this one person is nothing to get worked up about because people, including disabled people, die everyday. And while this is true, we must remember this one thing.

While thousands of people in America may die each day, they usually do not die due to court ordered starvation (and this has nothing to do with the removal of her feeding tube).

Many people, over the course of the past 13 days, have said many things, and I have received some of the nastiest comments and e-mails I have seen in my entire life. What did I say that made people react this way? What did I do that would warrant being treated the way I have been treated? I simply stood up for the life of Terri Schiavo. That’s it. Not once did I “attack” anyone, not once did I incite violence or negativity in any way. I, as a healthy member of society, decided to speak for someone who could not speak for herself. I did so because I answered a call from her family to help in any way I could. And you know what? I would do it all over again. And again… And again…

I want to take a moment to thank those bloggers who joined the “Blogger’s Strike for Terri”. It’s people like Vinny, Bridget, Janette, Greg, Janna, SoCalAngel, and Jo, who re-assure me that society indeed has not quite yet gone to hell in a handbasket. I know that there were many people out there blogging for Terri, but it makes me proud to have stood with such fine people who all had one thing in common. We all took a stand for a disabled woman who could not speak for herself. Thanks again for devoting your blogs, and all of your blogging time to speaking out for Terri Schiavo. While our efforts may not have saved Terri, my hope is that we have helped inform people, so no one else (or their family) has to suffer such a horrible experience.

The strong in our society have a duty to protect the weak, and I for one would rather be called a “Jesus Freak” any day than be an apathetic fool with no empathy for others. How sad would that be?

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.

Rest In Peace, Terri.

– Powered By Stuffr! –

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven;

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Rest In Peace, Terri. Again, please forgive us.

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.

Did Terri Schindler Schiavo want to live? Did she want her feeding tube removed? No matter what you believe, do you really think she would have wanted this?

A year after the death of Terri Schiavo, her parents and husband release books this week attacking each other over the decision to let the brain-damaged Florida woman die by removing her feeding tube.

…

In their book, “A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo - A Lesson for Us All,” the Schindlers again accuse Michael Schiavo of abusing Terri and say she wouldn’t have wanted her feeding tube removed.

…

In his book, “Terri: The Truth,” Michael Schiavo said he was determined to carry out his wife’s wishes despite death threats and other pressures.

Then again, Terri can’t tell us what she would have wanted now, can she?

One year ago today, Terri Schindler-Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed. It was a sad day. I thought I would post something today, to remember Terri.

Last year I fought for Terri, because no one knew her wishes. Her family knew she wanted to live, but her husband said she didn’t want to live. Because there was no proof of either claim, I chose the side of life. Terri’s life.

My first post about Terri Schindler-Schiavo was on October 24, 2003, almost a year and a half before most Americans ever heard her name. Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature had just passed Terri’s Law.

The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday that it will aid Michael Schiavo in his fight against Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature, which earlier this week took the remarkable step of passing a law to prevent the Pinellas County man from disconnecting his brain-injured wife from a feeding tube.

With all the questions surrounding her wishes, and the questions regarding the true nature of her condition I felt then, as I do now, that Terri Schindler-Schiavo deserved better.

The purpose of this post is to remember Terri. To remember her parents and their unwavering support of their daughter. To remember her brother and sister, and their diligent fight to save the life of their sister. To remember the pain Terri must have felt as she slowly starved to death.

I still think Michael Schiavo and Judge Greer were wrong. I still think Terri Schindler-Schiavo was murdered. Had there been clear evidence showing her desire to die, maybe I would feel differently, but there wasn’t, and I don’t.

I do, however, have a problem with this whole “Culture of Life” theme that seems to be permeating the air. If someone has not made their wishes known, then yes, I feel we should always err on the side of life, but I, for one, have no problem with assisted suicide, or with terminating life-saving procedures, if the person has made it clear they no longer wish to live. I think allowing people to die with dignity is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. If someone has a terminal illness and they would rather enjoy the quality of life at their end of days, who are we to demand quantity from them?

I don’t want to hear the whole “we should leave it in God’s hands” argument either, because none of us really know what God wants in these specific cases. Would God want them to suffer? Would He want their death to be quick? The truth is, we don’t know. If we did, our name would be… God. Then, there would be no question.

But, getting back to Terri’s fight.

She did not have a choice. She did not choose to have the feeding tube removed. She did not choose to die. She was forced to die.

Without evidence to the contrary, no one should ever use her name when taking a stand for, or against, euthanasia, assisted-suicide, or the so-called “right to die”.

What happened to Terri Schindler-Schiavo was none of those things. She was murdered, plain and simple. The people attaching her name to those causes are doing no better to help those like Terri, than those who “allowed” Terri to die in the first place.

Terri Schiavo would have been 42 today… You know… If she hadn’t been killed and all…

We miss you Terri.

It’s hard to believe that it has been six months since Terri’s tragic death. At this juncture, my family and I want to take this opportunity to thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all of the support that you provided in trying to save Terri’s life. This was so meaningful to my wife, Mary, my son Bobby, my daughter Suzanne and in particular, to Terri.

Watching someone being starved and dehydrated to death, let alone your own daughter, is something so cruel that it can never be forgotten. Terri’s dying face was skeletal. Her skin was blotchy, parched and peeling. Terri’s lips and tongue were cracked and dry. Witnessing her life ebbing away as she desperately struggled for a breath of air is beyond the realm of human comprehension. Yet, the euthanasia death merchants, who were responsible for inflicting Terri’s suffering, had the audacity to say she died a peaceful death with dignity.

You can read the rest at The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation website.

Kelly Taylor, a 28-year-old woman who is not terminally ill, has ended her attempt to starve herself to death after 19 days because of the pain of the effects of starvation.

Mrs. Taylor claimed that she had chosen self-starvation as the only method of suicide that would not leave her husband Richard liable for prosecution. Nevertheless, after 19 days, she said, “It has become too uncomfortable and I would not wish what I have been going through on my worst enemy.”

She wouldn’t wish starvation on her worst enemy, yet Michael Schiavo forced it on his own wife.

At a press conference, Mrs. Taylor said, “I feel disappointed in myself. I really wanted to die and that seemed to be my only option. I regret that I have to stop what I am doing because I still want to die. But starvation, as it turns out, is very undignified.”

The painful and “undignified” death rejected by Mrs. Taylor, however, was inflicted successfully by Michael Schiavo and his euthanasia activist lawyer, George Felos, on Schiavo’s estranged wife, Terri, both of whom insisted that Terri’s death by starvation and dehydration was painless and easy. Terri was also not suffering from any terminal illness and apart from her cognitive disability, was in good health.

Then again, not only do we have Mrs. Taylor’s first hand account, but we also have Dr. Stevens’ many years of experience in Africa.

Earlier this year, in comments on the Schiavo case, Dr. David Stevens, spokesman for the Christian Medical Association said that death by dehydration is horrific.

Dr. Stevens, speaking from his 13 years experience in Africa, where the most common cause of death in children is dehydration from gastroenteritis, said, “Contrary to those that try to paint a picture of a gentle process, death by dehydration is a cruel, inhumane and often agonizing death.”

So, who do we believe? Mrs. Taylor and Dr. Stevens or the “ethical” Michael Schiavo and the “ethical” George Felos?

I just don’t know which is more ethical… Attempting your own suicide by starvation? Or forcing it upon a loved one?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation has a new look. They’re not quite operational yet, but you should head over and check it out.

We are currently in the process of redesigning Terri’s Fight to be an educational resource for those seeking information on their medical treatment rights.

[Source: BlogsForTerri]

The cremated remains of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who died after her feeding tube was removed in March, were buried Monday in a Clearwater cemetery.

The burial failed, however, to bring a close to the Schiavo saga. Instead, acrimony flared anew, with her parents complaining that they were not notified beforehand about the service.

Michael Schiavo, who said he promised his wife he would not keep her alive artificially and waged a long legal battle to remove her feeding tube, had the words “I kept my promise” inscribed on her bronze grave marker.

He kept his promise? On her grave marker? So twenty years from know someone will walk by Terri Schiavo’s grave and think, “I wonder what promise she kept?”

Having his own words inscribed on Terri’s grave marker is nothing more than another slap in the face of her parents and her friends.

What else is there to say?

Michael Schiavo must live with himself and the choices he has made for the rest of his life, for eternity.

Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who died in March after a fierce right-to-die battle that involved the U.S. Congress, was severely brain damaged and had no hope of recovery, said a medical examiner who gave the results of an autopsy on Wednesday.

“Her brain was profoundly atrophied,” Pinellas County medical examiner Jon Thogmartin told a news conference, adding that her brain weighed about half what a healthy human brain weighs. “This damage was irreversible.”

Schiavo, who suffered a cardiac arrest in 1990 that deprived her brain of oxygen, died at a Florida hospice on March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order. She was 41.

She was severly brain damaged… We all knew that…

There was no hope of recovery… We all knew that…

She died of dehydration… We all knew that…

So… What now?