Ten Year Old, Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo, Apologizes

LifeSite ^ | August 31, 2005

[NYer]

LifeSiteNews.com

Wednesday August 31, 2005

Ten Year Old Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo Apologizes

TAMPA BAY, August 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ten year-old Joshua Heldreth, the eldest of eight children, was arrested on Good Friday of this year for trespassing while attempting to bring a drink of water to Miss Terri Schaivo.  Days later Schiavo died of intentional dehydration.  In court Joshua pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service and ordered to write an apology for his actions.

The boy whose arrest photo was splashed on front pages of newspapers across the nation wrote in his apology letter, "I was arrested on Good Friday for trespassing on the hospice center's property . . . Not giving Mrs. Shiavo (sic) food or water was wrong.  The reason I had to go on your property was because Jesus would do the same thing.  It made me sad that she was so thirsty and it made Jesus sad too.  I knew she would die without water and I am called by Jesus to be a defender of the defenceless.  So I had to go on your property to try to bring her a drink."

Joshua added, "I am sorry that you didn't like that and wouldn't allow me to help save her life and one day you will have to tell God why.  I won't be able to help you then like I tried to help her. I will pray for you every day . . ."

LifeSiteNews.com caught up with Joshua's father Scott Heldreth today.  Scott told LifeSiteNews.com he is very proud of his son.  "My son has amazed me through this whole thing," said Heldreth.  The proud father said it was his son's own initiative to attempt to give the starving woman a glass of water, and despite the warning of his parents that he'd be arrested, the boy insisted.  "He was the one who begged us to go down, because he wanted to give her a glass of water . . . We explained that police will never let you help . . . you'll be arrested, but he went anyways."

Pro-life leader Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America told LifeSiteNews.com that the whole pro-life movement shares Heldreth's pride in his son.  Benham recalls the reaction of Heldreth on Good Friday as he watched his son being arrested: "When that all took place Scott was weeping, this father was weeping tears of joy seeing his son not only talk the Christian talk but walk the walk."

While the apology letter has been submitted, Heldreth told LifeSiteNews.com he's not completely sure it will be accepted.

See Joshua's full handwritten apology letter here:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/JoshuaApolog...

[Republic]

Wish I knew their names...would love to send them a short email asking how it felt to stop a child from offering water or food to a person dying due to lack of it...

[BykrBayb]

The fact that Joshua decided on his own to do what God asked of him. His parents didn't force him.

[wagglebee]

Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 25:34-46

Of course to some, this is nothing more than a parable and therefore not something that we need to take literally. Amazingly, this young man has a better grasp of the meaning of life and our relationship to the Lord than most adults.

[oceanview]

he should not have plead guilty. no jury would have convicted this boy.

[Modernman]

Well, it's those who hated Terri and wanted make sure she died a horrible, painful death, even if it meant denying her due process, who are the fanatics.

There were no such people, at least not on FR.

[Stone Mountain]

The fact that Joshua decided on his own to do what God asked of him. His parents didn't force him.

I addressed that point. Doesn't anyone read posts anymore? Sheesh.

Okay, with that condescending crap out of the way, I will say that I don't believe that a 10-year-old is capable of coming to that conclusion, getting to the hospital site and getting arrested without the help and encouragement of his parents.

[Earthdweller]

This is one very special and brave child. ..

Terri Schiavo Before dehydration

God Bless you Terri. Let everyone who said your beautiful smile was fake be haunted by it for the rest of their days.

[Smartass]

DISGRACEFUL
~ Impeach the judge ~

[Esther Ruth]

"It was a ham-handed symbolic act and he was put up to it by adults who don't even have the decency to stand up in court and take the heat off him. What "courage"."

I have 3 children who are all Christians, meaning they are born again believers, new in Christ Jesus. This is a choice they made personally, to let Him be their Lord and God. He, Jesus Christ their Lord, has come into their hearts forever and will never leave. I watch them everyday and watch how their Lord and God, Jesus, compels them to live by His laws and please Him and obey Him and speak for Him. Children and adults who have Him in their hearts do what they do based on a choice they have made and the free will they have been given by their Lord and the LOVE they have for Him and others.

[BykrBayb]

At what point do you believe a child develops a brain of his/her own? If a 10 year old isn't capable of knowing that it's wrong to torture a woman to death for the crime of being disabled, at what age would he be old enough?

[floriduh voter]

The judges violated the law and are guilty of FELONIES. You failed to mention that Terri's rehab monies were robbed and they started trying to murder her in February of 2000.

HOW TERRI WAS SWINDLED AND MURDERED BY JUDGES AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA: http://www.judgegeorgegreer.com

[BibChr]

Love the apology.

A Babylon 5 fan would think of Sheridan's "apology" to the Centauri.

< /obscure reference >

Dan

[floriduh voter]

This is going to be the September Terri Daily Thread. Please put the AUDIO of Terri's dad telling her the feeding tube is coming out on this thread for the folks who are still unaware of Terri's true condition: alert and aware of her surroundings.

[newguy357]

SOMEBODY was expressing themself but I assure you it wasn't the boy.

You shouldn't be bitter just because the ten-year-old has better communication abilities than you do (in the future don't mix plurals with singulars).

[Dante3]

It is sad that some people on this thread are unable to believe that a child is capable of performing a good act - I can imagine what they or their children, if they have any, must be like.

I've seen children do good deeds. And yes, as a parent, I'd urge my children do to the right thing and teach them compassion.

[Modernman]

The judges violated the law and are guilty of FELONIES.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. No prosecutor, from the local county people up to the Federal level, agrees with you, however.

And neither do the majority of Americans.

[floriduh voter]

The cop's names? Just write to the Pinellas Park PD a letter to the Chief. I'm sure HE'S PALS WITH SHERIFF COATS, JUDGE GREER AND THE OTHER murderers who aided and abetted.

I saw a picture of Jeb Bush this morning. He's starting to look like Jim King. Jeb's hair is getting white and he's put on at least fifty pounds.

[floriduh voter]

I don't think juvie court has a jury, just a Judge who hopes to have Judge Greer's job someday.

[floriduh voter]

Zogby poll: IN FAVOR OF TERRI'S LIFE 79%. FREE REPUBLIC POLL: IN FAVOR OF TERRI'S LIFE 87%.

[BykrBayb]

Direct link to the audio file of Terri crying when she heard the news about the tube coming out. http://www.apfn.org/audio/terri.mp3

Warning! If you have any morals at all, this will be hard to listen to. If you get off on torturing and murdering disabled people, you'll really enjoy this.