I agree with you that this is about fear of death, but I disagree with your actual thesis that it's just tough for us to look at her. We just have different definitions of compassion. By the way, I love your screen name.
CHAIRMAN SENSENBRENNER’S CAREFULLY CRAFTED “PROTECTION OF INCAPACITATED PERSONS ACT OF 2005" WOULD SAFEGUARD FEDERAL RIGHTS OF THOSE WITH DISABILITIES TO FOOD, FLUIDS, AND LIFESAVING TREATMENT
With the life of Terri Schindler Schiavo hanging in the balance, pro-life Representative F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wi.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, drafted a bill that would provide not only her but also persons with disabilities at similar peril with the opportunity to have their constitutional and other federal law claims heard by a federal court.
The bill, H.R. 1332, which was co-sponsored by Representative Dave Weldon, M.D. (R-Fl.), covers cases in which a state court has authorized or directed the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain life.
Unless the person had an advance directive that, without dispute, rejected these measures, the case could be “removed” to federal court, which would thoroughly consider whether implementing the state court order would violate the person’s rights under the federal Constitution or laws. The federal court would not be bound by any prior holdings of the state court.
As Chairman Sensenbrenner told the House when it was about to vote on the bill,
“When a person's intentions regarding whether to receive lifesaving treatment are unclear, the clear choice is to provide an innocent person with the opportunity to have a Federal court provide a `double-check’ for life under Federal law, unencumbered by the decisions of a State court. A measure of a Nation's commitment to innocent life is measured in its laws by the extent to which the laws go to save it. This bill takes that extra step, not just for Terri Schiavo but for all of us.”
David N. O’Steen, Ph.D., called the Sensenbrenner bill “almost the ideal solution. There is no question that if it can be enacted, Chairman Sensenbrenner’s bill would provide critically important, and often lifesaving, access to the federal courts for people with disabilities threatened with starvation, dehydration, and denial of necessary medical care.
We commend Chairman Sensenbrenner for his leadership in drafting this bill and steering it to House passage, and we hope that the Senate can pass it so that it is enacted into law.”