Scott Tibbs
blog post
March 18th, 2005

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There is hope for Terri, but "Baby Doe" is still dead.

The House of Representatives has named Terri Schiavo a witness in the hearings on a bill designed to save her life. The Florida courts had scheduled the murder of Terri Schiavo to begin this afternoon, but it looks like she will have another stay of execution.

The Florida "courts" have stomped all over Terri's 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law. If the states ignore the Constitution, then the federal government must step in.

CNN improperly identifies this as a "right to die" case. It is not a "right to die" case; instead it is a "right to murder" case. Schiavo left no instructions that she be starved to death in the event of a crippling disability.

Terri's "husband" claims she said she did not want to live like she is living now. However, he has been living in an adulterous relationship with another woman for years, a relationship that has produced offspring. When you consider this obvious conflict of interest in addition to questions about whether Terri's "husband" caused her disability through abuse, his credibility in this case shrinks dramatically.

Terri's struggle for life brings back memories of Baby Doe, a newborn who was murdered in Bloomington, Indiana two decades ago.

Baby Doe was born with a defect that would not allow him to eat normally. This could have easily been fixed with a routine surgery. Sadly, his "parents" decided against the surgery because he was born with Down's Syndrome. They decided to let Baby Doe die.

Offers came in from all over the country to save Baby Doe. Families offered to adopt him or pay for the surgery that would save his life, or both. Baby Doe's "parents", like Terri Schiavo's "husband", would have none of it. They decided the newborn would not be treated. So, Baby Doe died a horrible death of starvation and dehydration, a cruel death that reminds one of Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

The evil perpetrated against Baby Doe two decades ago cannot be undone. Who knows what Baby Doe might have become? We can, however, learn from this atrocity and vow to never allow it to happen again. We can honor Baby Doe's memory by not allowing Terri's "husband" to murder her the way that Baby Doe's "parents" murdered him.


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Related post, 03-17-2005

The Senate moves to save Terri Schiavo

The Hill reports that the U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would prevent the murder of Terri Schiavo. The Florida courts have ruled that Terri's "husband" can murder her by starvation starting tomorrow evening.

This is good news, though I fear the Senate cannot act in time to save Terri. This is a proper action for the federal government to take, because the Florida courts have stomped on Terri Schiavo's 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law.

What is the deal with Terri's "husband"? He has been insistent that Terri be starved to death for years, even though he has moved on. Michael Schiavo has a girlfriend with whom he has had offspring. He clearly does not care about Terri, so why not let her parents keep her alive? Why is he so insistent that Terri be murdered via starvation and dehydration, a very inhumane death? People who starve their pets go to jail, but Michael Schiavo has the blessing of the Florida courts.

This situation is a tragedy. I hope Terri can be saved.