ACLU joins husband in Schiavo battle

Sun Sentinel ^ | 10/24/03 | Megan O'Matz and Diane Lade

[kattracks]

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. For months, the ACLU resisted meddling in the dispute that has pitted a husband against his in-laws, believing that the courts were following the long-held legal right of an individual to refuse extraordinary medical measures, even if it hastens their death.

The intervention of the governor, however, altered the landscape, said Howard Simon, the organization's Florida director. Several other significant advocacy groups on the sidelines, such as the AARP, say they, too, are now looking at the issue.

[clee1]

Well, isn't that just typical?

[goldstategop]

The ACLU has come out in support of the right to kill "undesirables." No, its too much to protect the rights of defenseless individuals. Folks, we are looking at a whole new meaning for the phrase "civil liberties" in America.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

What's next? NOW to come out and proclaim that Terri Schiavo is mere chattle of her husband? This gets loonier and loonier.

[GailA]

the aclu wants to kill innocents like Terri, but fight tooth and nail to prevent the execution of convicted murderers.

[independentmind]

For months, the ACLU resisted meddling in the dispute that has pitted a husband against his in-laws, believing that the courts were following the long-held legal right of an individual to refuse extraordinary medical measures, even if it hastens their death.

I am soooo sick of the misrepresentations by the press about this case. Giving food and water to a brain damaged person is NOT an extraordinary measure.

[Zipporah]

What?? When I saw the headlines.. I thought ..good, Terri is going to have the ACLU help her... Sigh.....

[Broadside Joe]

Gee, who woulda thunk it? I told my kids that when you see the ACLU running this way ------->

<------- make sure you run that way and you'll be right 99.999999% of the time.

[NautiNurse]

The AARP should look into this case--and very closely. Michael Schaivo's behavior is particularly egregious and, thankfully, well documented.

No doubt, there are plenty of other elder care cases where a hefty inheritance will encourage some legal guardians to "allow the death process" to occur sooner rather than later.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

NOW must remain silent on this case, becaus they do not want to get embroilled in another "life" issue. Politically, I think NOW actually sides with Terri, but they mustn't say so.

[Agnes Heep]

Politically, I think NOW actually sides with Terri, but they mustn't say so.

NOW sides with the left. If it means that women go back into the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant in perpetuity, NOW sides with the left.

[Lockbar]

The reason the ACLU is supporting letting this woman die is because of all the support her Mom and dad have deservedly received from conservative style organizations. Helping a woman die, who still has her eyes open and with some bodily movement is a VERY NAZI thing to do as they were experts getting rid of the physicaly/mentaly handicapped, or anybody else that got in their way. Not the kind of side of humanity I would like to throw my support to. But the ACLU has no problem being NAZI like.

[fly_so_free]

"but fight tooth and nail to prevent the execution of murderers"

And, they fight tooth and nail to protect the "rights" of child molesters too.

Seriously though, everyone involved has to keep after the media to correct the lies and distortions around this case, they are about to get alot worse.

[drlevy88]

"We are afraid of lawyers all the time," said Dr. Lofty L. Basta, a retired Clearwater cardiologist and founder of Project Grace, a non-profit group devoted to educating people about end-of-life planning. "We practice defensive medicine. We do things that we know are wrong to protect our behinds. So this ruling from the legislators makes us very leery to carry out any order for dying patients."

They have nothing to fear; the constitutional ban on ex post facto laws has not gone away. The legislature cannot criminalize past actions.

[Loyal Buckeye]

It is very unfortuneate that what the legislature and governor did in this one case needs to be taken through the courts. The article indicates that because lawyers have threatened legal action and because there is now uncertainty as to the liability of hospitals and physicians regarding "end of life" issues, those wanting to die peacefully might not be able to do so.

The principle issue underlying the article involves uncertainty with the legal system, which has lost its way, and not a medical or moral issue. One would think that everyone (i.e., the lawyers in this case) could accept that this case is an aberration and should not affect existing "end of life" decisions made by others.

[xeno]

From the full article: AARP "members tell us that [medical self-determination] is a very important issue to them," Lipscomb said. "They're telling us they are very disturbed to think they could sign a living will or do not resuscitate order and have it overridden by the Legislature."

Isn't the problem that Terri didn't have such a will? When in doubt, shouldn't we always choose life? I am sadly not surprised to read this about the ACLU.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Considering how and why the ACLU was started, this all makes sense.

[freeangel]

ACLU, that's their name
Death and destruction
That's their aim

[bra]

I have been reading all these posts for many days now and can't take it anymore. "Kill undesirables"?... that is the most rediculous description of these events I have heard yet. All you folks that think "man, woman, or the state" has some right to play God need to get a life, or better yet, a good spiritual program. Life is greater than life's situtaion. A life situation is what we are dealing with here. There is much more to life than name and form. When a person can no longer survive on their own it is time to move on. Why anyone would want to prevent that is perplexing. Is it selfishness? Keeping someone in name and form so they can feel good? Have you ever thought about yourself trapped in form by unconscious, selfish, insecure people? Create a great day! DE OPPRESSO LIBER

[syriacus]

For months, the ACLU resisted meddling in the dispute that has pitted a husband against his in-laws, believing that the courts were following the long-held legal right of an individual to refuse extraordinary medical measures, even if it hastens their death

The must be worried, for sure.

The ACLU thought it had Florida in it's pocket. Now they have to defend their position. Their honoree, Judge Kogan, came out in support of Schiavo the other day. Which worm will emerge from the woodwork next?

The Florida ACLU gave an award to the Former chief Justice of the Florida State Supreme Court, Gerald Kogan, who is a supporter of doctor-assisted suicide (aka, doctor assisted dying).

Interestingly, Kogan wants the death penalty eliminated because, if a mistake is made the innocent person who was executed can not be brought back from the grave.

Annual ACLU banquet honors Justice Kogan
(Ironic --- a banquet to honor someone who believes in starving innocent people.)

Always the courageous judge, Justice Kogan used his years on the bench to defend a wide range of individual rights.  In 1997, as Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, Kogan dissented from the majority decision in Krischer v. McIver, the Florida test case on physician assistance in death brought by the ACLU on behalf of terminally ill patient Charles Hall and his physician Dr. Cecil McIver.  Tragically, the court held that Hall had no right to self-determination in the manner of his own death.  A five member majority ruled that intensely personal, private matters of individual autonomy should be left in the hands of the Legislature.  "When his pain becomes unbearable," Chief Justice Kogan wrote in a stirring dissent, "which one of us on this Court will be at his bedside telling him to be brave and bear it?"

Kogan is on record saying there is no difference between having a doctor kill a patient and halting medical care for a patient.

The award was also given to Kogan for his strong anti-death penalty stand

            Doubts surround Florida's use of the death penalty

But some, including former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald Kogan, believe innocent people have been put to death. Kogan has said he has no question that Florida has executed people who were not guilty of the crime for which they were condemned.