Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who spent 15 years connected to a feeding tube in an epic legal and medical battle that went all the way to the White House and Congress, died Thursday, 13 days after the tube was removed. She was 41.

My question is this:

What do you think will come out of this? Will there be any lasting changes in our government or how it works?

ya, it shows the president and both houses of congress dont have the power of one judge in the middle of florida who can just crumple up and toss the legislation signed by the before mentioned entities. it shows where the real power in this country lies, that being with the judiciary, who have been made more then interrpreters of the law, now they design it. They are also above any criticism, as anyone who dare try and use their constitutional powers to reign them in will be bashed over the head with a thousand polls telling them they are out of line. And we all know the cowardly politicians live and die by the polls. the judicairy is unstoppable, except for some impossible actions that will never happen, they have no checks and balances against them.

I don't think ANYTHING good will come out of this. Michael Schiavo's a LYING scumbag who only wanted his wife dead so he can be with his other family. He kept her parents from being with her when she died. I believe the reason for that is because he did something to her while they were alone to cause her to die. She was already dying, but he sped her death up somehow. I believe there's more to her death that the media's reporting. I believe Michael Schiavo killed his wife somehow this morning, & the media's covering it up.

I think it will make people to write a living will about how to be treated in those conditions and who would be in charge of their medical decisions.

Trav, I don't agree with you. The Florida judge ruled according to the law...the husband is the legal guardian.
However in this case the mistake (from my point of view) was to rely only in his word about Terri's wishes and the way they have terminated her life, a human being has to be treated with respect whether there is full, little or no brain function.

nothing will change because the politicians only care about one thing, the opinion of the consituants, and fear taking a stand on this issue in preparation of an upcoming election.

Heres another question that has left me puzzled throughout.

When Michael Schiavo decided to move on, and begin a new family, how or why did he retain gaurdianship over his wife? I dont understand the reasonsing behind it.

Originally posted by jerejerebinks
Heres another question that has left me puzzled throughout.

When Michael Schiavo decided to move on, and begin a new family, how or why did he retain gaurdianship over his wife? I dont understand the reasonsing behind it.

How is because he was her husband...why, you'd have to ask him....

Originally posted by jerejerebinks
Heres another question that has left me puzzled throughout.

When Michael Schiavo decided to move on, and begin a new family, how or why did he retain gaurdianship over his wife? I dont understand the reasonsing behind it.

A one million dollar malpractice suit. Greed drives people to do all sorts of things.

If he were to divorce her, the money would have went to the next living relative, her parents.

Originally posted by Travh20
the judicairy is unstoppable, except for some impossible actions that will never happen, they have no checks and balances against them.

Most state judges are elected.

Originally posted by cheerios
A one million dollar malpractice suit. Greed drives people to do all sorts of things.

If he were to divorce her, the money would have went to the next living relative, her parents.

The money is gone. It was spent on her care.

Originally posted by Travh20
ya, it shows the president and both houses of congress dont have the power of one judge in the middle of florida who can just crumple up and toss the legislation signed by the before mentioned entities.
Uh, WHAT? All the federal legislation did was extend the federal courts' jurisdiction to this case. The federal courts all refused to accept the case.

Originally posted by LionelHutz
The money is gone. It was spent on her care.

The following was taken from the Terri Shiavo website:

MYTH: Michael Schiavo volunteered to donate the balance of the inheritance to charity.
FACT: In October, 1998, Schiavo’s attorney proposed that, if Terri’s parents would agree to her death by starvation, Schiavo would donate his inheritance to charity. The proposal came after a court-appointed Guardian Ad Litem cited Schiavo’s conflict of interest since he stood to inherit the balance of Terri’s medical fund upon her death. This one and only offer stated “if the proposal is not fully accepted within 10 days, it shall automatically be withdrawn”. Naturally, Terri’s parents immediately rejected the offer.

MYTH: Terri's Medical Trust fund has been used to care for her.
FACT: The following expenditures have been paid directly from Terri's Medical Trust fund, with the approval of Judge George Greer:
Summary of expenses paid from Terri’s 1.2 Million Dollar medical trust fund (jury awarded 1992)
NOTE: In his November 1993 Petition Schiavo alleges the 1993 guardianship asset balance as $761,507.50

Atty Gwyneth Stanley
Atty Deborah Bushnell
Atty Steve Nilson
Atty Pacarek
Atty Richard Pearse (GAL)
Atty George Felos
$10,668.05
$65,607.00
$7,404.95
$1,500.00
$4,511.95
$397,249.99

Other

1st Union/South Trust Bank
$55,459.85

Michael Schiavo
$10,929.95

Total $545,852.34

Originally posted by cheerios
The following was taken from the Terri Shiavo website:

MYTH: Michael Schiavo volunteered to donate the balance of the inheritance to charity.
FACT: In October, 1998, Schiavo’s attorney proposed that, if Terri’s parents would agree to her death by starvation, Schiavo would donate his inheritance to charity. The proposal came after a court-appointed Guardian Ad Litem cited Schiavo’s conflict of interest since he stood to inherit the balance of Terri’s medical fund upon her death. This one and only offer stated “if the proposal is not fully accepted within 10 days, it shall automatically be withdrawn”. Naturally, Terri’s parents immediately rejected the offer.

MYTH: Terri's Medical Trust fund has been used to care for her.
FACT: The following expenditures have been paid directly from Terri's Medical Trust fund, with the approval of Judge George Greer:
Summary of expenses paid from Terri’s 1.2 Million Dollar medical trust fund (jury awarded 1992)
NOTE: In his November 1993 Petition Schiavo alleges the 1993 guardianship asset balance as $761,507.50

Atty Gwyneth Stanley
Atty Deborah Bushnell
Atty Steve Nilson
Atty Pacarek
Atty Richard Pearse (GAL)
Atty George Felos
$10,668.05
$65,607.00
$7,404.95
$1,500.00
$4,511.95
$397,249.99

Other

1st Union/South Trust Bank
$55,459.85

Michael Schiavo
$10,929.95

Total $545,852.34

I'm sure this info is not as truthful and unbiased as that presented on the Terry Schiavo website, but here it is anyway from about.com...
February 25, 1990: At approximately 5:30 AM, Terri Schiavo, 26, collasped in her home. Interruption of oxygen flow to her brain caused permanent brain damage. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, was appointed by a court as her legal guardian.

1992: Robert Schindler stated that he believed Michael was involved in Terri's collapse. Michael was awarded $1 million in a malpractice judgement by a jury in Pinellas County, Florida. $700,000 was placed into a trust fund for Terri's medical expenses. It has been reported that the money is gone. Most of the funds were spent on legal bills.

1993: The Schindlers tried to have Michael removed as Terri's guardian stating that he was not doing what was needed to be done to rehabilitate Terri.

1998: Michael Schiavo petitioned a court to have the feeding and hydration tube removed from Terri. Terri Schiavo had not signed an advanced directive or a living will.

February, 2000: Judge George W. Greer of the Florida Circuit Court ruled that the feeding tube could be removed.

April 24, 2001: Terri's feeding tube was removed. It was reinserted by Circuit Court Judge Frank Quesada two days later.

October 2, 2001: An indefinite stay is ordered by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

November, 2002: Three doctors testified that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state without hope of recovery. Two other doctors reported that they believe Terri could recover. Judge Greer ruled that the feeding tube could be removed in January, 2003.

October 15, 2003: The feeding tube was removed.

October 21, 2003: "Terri's Law" was passed by the Florida legislature which allowed Gov. Jeb Bush to stay the judge's order and to have the feeding tube reinserted.

2004: "Terri's Law" was declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court. Gov. Jeb Bush appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

January 24, 2005: The appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

March 1, 2005: The animosity between Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers became more apparent when they asked that any photos taken of Terri not become part of Michael's property and that they have the right to bury her rather than have her cremated as planned by Michael. The Schindlers also asked the Second District Court of Appeals to grant Terri a divorce based on his alleged adultery.

March 10, 2005: An offer of $1 million to give up his role as guardian for Terri was rejected by Michael Schiavo. He apparently also rejected other such offers including one reportedly for $10 million.

March 18, 2005: The feeding tube was once again removed. Another appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was rejected.

March 21, 2005: A bill was passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Bush that transferred jurisdiction of Terri's case to Judge James Whittemore of the U.S. District Court.

March 23, 2005: After, U.S. District Court Judge James Whittermore refused to grant a restraining order, Robert and Mary Schindler filed an appeal. The three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the request of Terri's parents to reinsert the feeding tube.

News Update: 3/23/05: Michael reported staying by Terri's side until she died.

3/31/05: Terri Schiavo died, at the age of 41. Connected to a feeding tube for 15 years, Terri had been the center of a lengthy, and intensely emotional legal battle between her parents and her husband, Michael.

If this information is correct it doesn't seem likely that he's in it for the money...and another point...of all the players in this tawdry melodrama, he's the only one I don't remember ever seeing on TV...it would seem he's not in it for the "15 minutes of fame" either...

If he really loves her, why did he go on to start a new family? He has kids with another woman. Perhaps he wanted Terri dead so he could marry her. Terri was catholic which in more cases than not shuns divorce. But her parents asked him to do so anyways, tossing their beliefs out the window for their daughter.

Originally posted by cheerios
If he really loves her, why did he go on to start a new family? He has kids with another woman. Perhaps he wanted Terri dead so he could marry her. Terri was catholic which in more cases than not shuns divorce. But her parents asked him to do so anyways, tossing their beliefs out the window for their daughter.

Terri was Catholic, Michael is not. I see no religious impediment for him to simply divorce her if that's what he wanted to do. Also I'd like to point out that you are suggesting that he might not have wanted to divorce her for religious reasons, but that murdering her would have been ok...doesn't really make a lot of sense from a religious standpoint.

From the about.com article I quoted in my earlier post, he're's a quote from Michael Schiavo:

Michael, on why he won't divorce Terri: "This is Terri's wish, this is Terri's choice. And I'm going to follow that wish if it's the last thing I can do for Terri."

I suppose he could be lying, but in the absence of any evidence that he is, I see no reason to conclude that's the case.

I don't know why he started a new family, but by all accounts he was encouraged to do so by Terri's parents.

Here is a question. If Terri Schiavo were an African American female would anyone even care? Would this story dominate the news and the political forum for nearly as long as it has already? Would thousands of people line up to grieve the loss? What do you honestly think?

What made me think of this is that millions have died in the Sudan and we Americans hardly bat an eye. One caucasian woman in a vegetative state passes and it is portrayed as a national tragedy. I just don't get it. Maybe I do.

Jere maybe you can explain this to me.
I do not understand the Christian outlook on her situation.
Many Christians prayed, thought taking the feeding tube out was wrong. Talked about how her husband was showing the wrong attitude.
I thought the Christian attitude was that God could do anything.
Did they never stop and think that if God did not give his blessing to this that he would intervene and bring Terri out of her comma, heal her and show the wrongness of the human decisions if they were wrong?
A lot of praying went on. No changes occured. Where was the Christian faith that God's will would be done without man's intervention? Where was the faith?