Terri Schiavo is dead.  Her death occurred after 13 days of starvation and dehydration demanded by her husband and guardian and facilitated by Judge George Greer, despite the courageous efforts of her parents who appealed to courts at every level all the way to the Supreme Court. 

In 1990, Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home under questionable circumstances, suffering a loss of oxygen and brain damage.  Two years later, her husband and guardian, Michael Schiavo, won a malpractice suit claiming that she had been misdiagnosed and untreated for an eating disorder.  The settlement was $1.3 million that he stated he would use to care for her for the rest of her life.  Only a few months later, Michael began to deny recommended treatment and continued to deny any therapy for the last ten years of her life.  He suddenly remembered that she had said that she would not wish to live in a disabled condition.  He has been living with another woman and has fathered two children.  On Michael’s order, Terri had been a prisoner in her room, with blinds drawn, music and flowers denied and only visitors approved by him. 

The “expert” who diagnosed Terri as being in a “persistent vegetative state” was Dr. Ronald Cranford, a major voice in the right to die movement and a member of the board of directors of Choice in Dying.  He has been the principal voice calling for the starvation/dehydration deaths of other disabled people.  Michael Schiavo’s lawyer, George Felos, has a long history of fighting for the right to kill patients.   He served as the chairman of the board of The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast when Michael contacted him and he arranged to have Terri admitted to his facility and to stay there free of charge as part of an “exit protocol,” even though hospice is licensed to care for the terminally ill, not the disabled, non-terminal patient.  For the sake of appearances, he stepped down from the board until the legal battle to kill Terri was over. 

Felos was a founding member of the National Legal Advisors Committee on Choice in Dying, which merged into Partnership in Caring.  (The original organization was the Euthanasia Society of America.)   Mary Labyak, corporate secretary and treasurer for Choice in Dying, also served as a director of the Hospice where Terri was admitted.  George Felos’ law firm, Felos & Felos contributed to Judge Greer’s re-election campaign, as did Michael Schiavo.

Despite a law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush that would give the Schindlers (Terri’s parents) the right to be heard in Federal court on whether Terri’s rights have been violated and to present all new evidence, Judge Greer refused and, in fact, berated Congress for interfering in the judiciary.  The Florida Department of Children & Family presented Judge Greer with a 34-page document listing charges of neglect and exploitation of Terri by her husband, asking for 60 days to investigate.  Judge Greer rejected the extension.

Speech therapists and neurologists have stated that she was not in a persistent vegetative state, but rather minimally conscious and could be taught to speak and to eat with therapy.  The Schindlers asked if she could be spoon fed after the feeding tube was removed.  Judge Greer denied the petition.  The Schindlers asked to be able to take Terri home to die.  Judge Greer refused.  They requested burial instead of cremation.   Judge Greer refused. 

In the months and years since Michael Schiavo’s efforts to end her life began, the Schindlers have asked Judge Greer to require updated evaluations, submitted a motion to require Michael to submit to a deposition, requested a petition for divorce, submitted a motion to remove Michael as her guardian and tried to have Judge Greer removed from the case.  Judge Greer has denied every request.

The media presented this case as a simple disagreement between members of a family, describing Terri Schiavo as in a “coma” or a “persistent vegetative state” or “brain dead.”   She was not terminally ill, nor was she dying.  She was healthy although disabled.  They talked about removing her “life support” or machines.   In fact, Terri was responsive to family members and even tried to talk on occasion, putting the lie to the early diagnosis.  There were no respirators, ventilators, or any other machines.  The only life support that Terri received was the same we all receive – food and water. 

This was clearly a case to advance the “right-to-die” philosophy and the media were willing accomplices.   The judge and the lawyers for Michael Schiavo were all active participants and advocates for the killing.  In the last days of her life and after her death, there have been articles and radio ads promoting Living Wills to protect you from “what happened to Terri Schiavo.”  Living Wills were the original brainchild of the Euthanasia Society of America.  Be forewarned: Living wills are a dangerous option.  

Illinois Right to Life has recently revised and updated the Patient Self-Protection Document (PSPD).  We have included protections against starvation/dehydration and provide for the choice of an agent who will follow your wishes and make decisions in your best interests.  Please call Illinois Right to Life to receive a copy of the PSPD to assist you in making end-of-life decisions.

Mary Anne Hackett