NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story
Friday, May 7, 2004
Gov. Jeb Bush’s Attorney: ‘Schiavo Gets to Kill His Wife,’ if …A Florida judge’s decree that Michael Schiavo may have his disabled wife killed does not mean her life is in imminent danger. Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube will remain in place while Gov. Jeb Bush pursues his appeal.
“It is profoundly disappointing that the mere bald and naked assertions Mr. Schiavo makes go untested in this proceeding,” said Ken Connor, Bush’s attorney. “The effect of all of this is that Mr. Schiavo gets to kill his wife through starvation and dehydration if this order is upheld.”
Circuit Judge W. Douglas Baird ruled Terri’s Law unconstitutional for two reasons:
because it delegates legislative power to the governor, which might be a legitimate issue.
and because, the judge contends, it violates Terri Schiavo’s right to privacy.
The second assertion is utterly baffling. Mrs. Schiavo left no living will or other document showing she would want to be put to death if disabled. If her “right to privacy” trumps her right to live, she’ll have no privacy … because she’ll be dead.Baird claims that Terri’s Law interferes with Mrs. Schiavo’s right to make her own medical decisions, even though she never made the decision to have herself killed and is unable now to make medical decisions.
‘Right’ to Be Killed for No Crime
Michael Schiavo’s attorney, George Felos, said his client, who controls his wife’s trust fund even though he lives with another woman, was “pleased and grateful.” Felos insisted, “This is a very big day for Terri, for the enforcement of Terri’s rights.”
Mrs. Schiavo’s father, Bob Schindler, lashed out at the judge for showing “an utterly cavalier attitude and a complete disregard for the rule of law.”
Connor said: “The governor believes very strongly that this statute is constitutional and there are a variety of compelling state interests here. The first is the protection of innocent life.”
Both sides expect the case to end up in the Democrat-dominated Florida Supreme Court, the same bunch that abetted Al Gore in his failed coup attempt of 2000.
I don’t know what to say besides this is frigging sad.