Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder (Village Voice’s Hentoff: Her crime was being disabled & voiceless)

Village Voice ^ | March 29th, 2005 10:59 AM | Nat Hentoff

[jwalburg]

Nat Hentoff is a strong pro-life voice and always has been, though he is liberal on many issues. He is a champion of human rights, and it means a lot when he browbeats the ACLU because they are so often in agreement on things.

[nicmarlo]

During the March 21 hearing before Federal Judge James D. Whittemore, who was soon to be another accomplice in the dehydration of Terri, the relentless Mr. Felos, anticipating the end of the deathwatch, said to the judge:

"Yes, life is sacred, but so is liberty, your honor, especially in this country."

It would be useless, but nonetheless, I would like to inform George Felos that, as Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas said: "The history of liberty is the history of due process"—fundamental fairness.

Contrary to what you've read and seen in most of the media, due process has been lethally absent in Terri Schiavo's long merciless journey through the American court system.

America: no longer the home of the Free and the Brave, rather, the new home of judicial terrorism.

[elhombrelibre]

This is one of the best articles I've read on this subject. If the MSM hadn't seen this as a chance to bash Bush and the Republicans, the courts would never have gotten away with this murder. There are many ramifications for us as a nation if we'll allow judges to kill without regard to mercy or to law, which clearly is the case here.

[appleharvey]

Nat Hentoff is also notoriously anti- P.C. If any Conservative's free speech was being stifled by the left, he'd be the first to come to your defense. He is an honest Liberal.

[mountainfolk]

Nat Hentoff has laid it all out as best as one can condense this legal net that Terri is caught in. Reading his summation of Terri's long legal fight to live has to impress his readers with their own vulnerability should they ever find themselves in the same or similar situation as Terri.

[FlipWilson]

Something very subtle is happening here. Few in this country were paying attention to this story before Congress took the (gulp) extraordinary step of (gulp) exercising its Article III power. Thus, the MSM was able to take advantage of that inattention to twist and spin the facts, i.e. Terri is on life support. Given the way the MSM misrepresented the facts, is it any wonder that respondents to these loaded polls wanted the "plug pulled." OK, the "plug was pulled," but a funny thing happened when the "plug was pulled." Terri did not die? What?!?! I thought when you turn the respirator off the patient dies? Starvation? What do you mean starvation/dehydration?

You see, as time goes by, the facts just aren't matching the spin and lies the MSM relied upon to sell their "evil Republican Jesus Freak" spin.

[GianniV]

Is this the same Nat Hentoff who use to write articles about Bob Dylan in the 60s? I believe he also wrote the liner notes to a lot of Dylan's albums.

[paltz]

well yes...but from Nat Hentoff...a civil libertarian. You won't see this written by anybody else there. He's also written about Mugabe's murders in Zimbabwe as well.

[sick and upset]

This is my first time here, and I do have a few things to say about the Shiavo case. I do agree about the husband doing wrong. Having a girlfriend while his wife is on life support, is very wrong. But I think though we should take into consideration about what he's been saying. Maybe Terri did say to him that she didn't want to be on life support. To be very honest, I'm just sick of the whole thing. It's horrible that this has been going on for so long. I do feel very sorry for the parents. I couldn't even imagine going through something like this with my own child, but I would want my child to be peaceful and be in a better place. Even myself, I wouldn't want to be kept on life support. If my heart can't work for me then let me go. I hope I don't upset anyone or offend. I know I rambled about different things but I have so much on my mind about this issue. My feelings are very mixed.

[RobbyS]

Nat is a HUMANIST,

[jcb8199]

Awesome post--thanks for it!

[agrace]

Do you know that nearly every major disability rights organization in the country has filed a legal brief in support of Terri's right to live?

No I did NOT know that, and I thought I knew quite a bit about this case.

Excellent article, well worth the read, and from the Village Voice no less!

[dead]

Even myself, I wouldn't want to be kept on life support. If my heart can't work for me then let me go.

She has NEVER been on life support. Her heart works fine, as do her lungs, stomach, liver, etc.

She only needs food and water to stay alive, like all living things.

[RobbyS]

Not to be offensive, but don't make it about you. It doesn't matter that you would not like to be kept alive. The original legal issue is whether Schiavo is a fit guardian or ought to have his rights as guardian abrogated because he had a conflict of interest when he decided to end his wife's life after acquiring a large sum of money after winning a malpractice suit. The judge ruled in his favor but the family has been fighting him in court ever since. This got into the issue of the rightful of his decision to pull the tube of not as the judge decided that Michael's good faith was proved by evidence that this is what Terri wanted. Terri had no living will, had put nothing in writing about the matter. However, evidence came from Michael, collaborated by his brother and sister-in-law. who r elated an occasion at a funeral seven years before of the horror expressed by Terri about the lingering death of one of her husband's death. Different testimony of her opinion about a similar matter was given by a friend who remembered she had a very different opinion about Karen Ann Quinland's ordeal. The judge found this testimony untrustworthy and threw it out, so technically there was no evidence contrary to what Michael said.

[alwaysconservative]

Nat Hentoff is my absolute favorite pro-life liberal thinker! He uses his brains, not his emotions, and summarizes the Constitutional issues here perfectly. Thanks so much for posting this! (I was hoping he would come out with such an opinion soon.)

[goldstategop]

Nat Hentoff is a pro-life atheist. He believes in civil liberties but broke a long time ago with the ACLU because he felt our most fundamental right is the right to life. Not every one who's secular isn't our enemy. Hentoff has always been on the side of good as far as the pro-life movement is concerned.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[afraidfortherepublic]

Excellent article. I'm glad you posted it.

I was appalled to hear Mara Liasen say on Fox News Report last night, "If she can swallow, why don't they just feed her?" It appears that much of America is woefully ignorant about the facts of this case, and "news pundits" like Mara are part of teh problem.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Do you know that nearly every major disability rights organization in the country has filed a legal brief in support of Terri's right to live?

Of course. They know that they are next.

Hentoff is one of my favorite liberal writers because he is logical about it.

[hershey]

Terrific piece.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Hentoff is that rarest of breeds -- a thoughtful liberal. I may not agree with much of what he has written on other topics, but I listen to what he has to say, and respect the man.