Posted on 03/28/2009 1:39:36 PM PDT by BykrBayb
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) will have a special screening of the new documentary, “The Terri Schiavo Story” from Franklin Springs Family Media, at their national convention in June. Additionally, National Right to Life will be endorsing the film in their April edition of the National Right to Life News which is sent out to nearly 400,000 subscribers. NRLC State Organization and Development Director Jacki Ragan stated, “This story is one that pro-lifers ought to review once a year.”
The NRLC review of the documentary goes on to say, “The DVD does an excellent job summarizing Terri’s life and the titanic legal struggle that eventually broke out between the Schindlers and Terri’s husband…even for the viewer who only casually watches The Terri Schiavo Story, it is clear just how unjust was the death sentence meted out to Terri.”
As the fourth anniversary of her death approaches, the ethical and cultural implications of Terri’s case are still being felt throughout society and continue to spark debate. Just last year during the Democratic debates, President Obama said one of his “regrets” as a Senator was voting for Congress to intervene to save Terri’s life. Hosted by author and speaker Joni Eareckson Tada, who became personally involved in the case in 2005, The Terri Schiavo Story sheds new light on the controversial decision that led to the death of a 41-year-old disabled woman.
In 1990, at the age of 26, Terri Schindler Schiavo suffered a mysterious cardio-respiratory arrest for which no cause has ever been determined. She was diagnosed with a neurological injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Terri was placed on a ventilator, but was soon able to breathe on her own and maintain vital function. She remained in a severely compromised neurological state and was provided a PEG tube to ensure the safe delivery of nourishment and hydration. On March 31, 2005, Terri Schindler Schiavo died of marked dehydration following more than 13 days without nutrition or hydration under the order of the Pinellas-Pasco’s Sixth Judicial Court.
So what did the mainstream media overlook? Several things, according to the film’s producer and director Ken Carpenter of Franklin Springs Family Media. “I think most people thought Terri was in a vegetative state with no prospects of improving,” says Carpenter. “The truth is the doctors believed Terri was a candidate for rehabilitation, but her treatment was withheld. Additionally, we uncovered that only one judge ruled on the facts of the case. All the other judges looked at procedure issues and not the original facts.”
Joni Eareckson Tada, herself disabled after a diving accident which left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, says what happened to Terri continues to affect disabled citizens. “There are countless people like Terri whose lives are in grave danger because of unclear custody and guardianship laws,” says Tada. “Plus, more states under futile care policy directives are quietly removing the feeding tubes from brain-injured people when families abandon their responsibilities. Feeding tubes are providing basic care, not medical treatment.”
Terri’s brother, Bobby Schindler, was interviewed at length in the documentary and is now involved in helping families in similar circumstances through The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation. Schindler believes the truth about his sister’s death has been distorted and hidden - until now.
“Our hope is that people will learn the truth about what happened to Terri,” says Schindler, “and realize the atrocity that it was and that anyone who claims that her death was ‘peaceful’ and ‘painless’ is lying. I believe that if the public had been allowed to witness Terri’s suffering first hand, the outcry would have deafened Florida and the world.”
The Terri Schiavo Story was recently honored with the Jubilee Award for Best Documentary at the San Antonio Independent Film Festival.
National Right to Life exists to protect innocent human life, including the unborn and the medically- vulnerable from threats such as abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia. NRL was formed in 1973 as an umbrella organization - a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that could coordinate right to life activities in Washington, D.C., and in the states. NRL’s strength lies in its direct connection with the state and local grassroots pro-life movement through its board of directors and various programs. Visit www.NRLC.org for further information.
For more information and to view a trailer for the new documentary, visit: www.TheSchiavoStory.com. For more information on Franklin Springs Media, visit: www.FranklinSprings.com.
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Mike did Terry a monumental favor.
Her name was Terri. She was murdered. Murder is wrong.
There’s a difference between murder and letting someone die. Mike let Terri die (sorry for misspelling). As tough as that was, that’s what she needed. It takes a strong resolve to realize when that’s what’s required, but it was what she needed nonetheless.
Then I think you should watch this video, so you’ll finally know the truth. Terri was not allowed to die. She wasn’t allowed to live. She was deliberately killed.
Some people have the opinion that there was nothing wrong with killing her, but the fact remains, she was killed. That’s not a matter of opinion. It’s not open to interpretation. It’s a proven fact.
Now, some people will deny that fact, because it’s hard to promote the opinion that it’s okay to kill brain injured people if you acknowledge the facts. The only way to “justify” killing brain injured people is to deny the fact that they are humans. Once you acknowledge the facts, there can be no argument in favor of killing them.
And yet, they’re killed every day, in every state. There’s a chart on my profile page, showing how many severely cognitively impaired humans are exterminated in each state.
**My grandmother passed today. At 10:45AM EST, to be exact. She had no idea who I was. She had no idea who my mother was, even though she had been at her bedside every day for five years. **
They know. People in a coma can hear and still have the sense of touch.
They know! I speak from experience — click my name to see part of my story about my husband’s death from lung cancer.
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Several people have been spared from Terri’s fate, in her name.
Too many have been sacrificed at the altars of sloth, greed and pride.
Þ
My grandmother has been in the same condition as your grandmother for almost 11 years. Are you saying we should kill people like her? I would rather be dead then carry on like that, but my grandmother never told us what she wanted. I don’t think that we should be deciding who lives and who dies.
As I said before (people seem to have a real problem reading and listening where this subject is concerned), there is a huge amount of difference between allowing a person to die and killing them. The refusal to acknowledge this difference has stalled the debate on this question. An abortion is a killing. A miscarriage is not. A knife in the heart is a killing. A person who cannot drink, eat, or function on their own expiring is not. The fact that these lines are difficult to acknowledge does not negate the fact that they are very clear in most cases. Terri was going to stare at the ceiling for twenty-five to thirt more years. She may have been in great pain, perhaps not. She was allowed to pass on. To expire. To die. But she was not murdered. Mike did the right thing, even if he had every incentive to do it (insurance money, move on with his life, new family).
Should parents who fail to feed their children be charged with a crime?
Should pet owners who fail to feed their pets be charged with a crime?
Are wives the property of their husbands?
What’s worse is that they’re right. They can. The public extermination of Terri Schiavo proved that.
I would answer your questions, if only you cared about the answers.
I do. Remember? I’m the one who thinks murder is wrong. I’m curious to know how it could be justified. Are there exceptions that justify the rule? Is it okay to kill certain victims, as long as others are spared? Is there a formula for decided which ones should be killed?
Several people have emerged from a “PVS” state and told of their experiences while they were incapacitated. They could hear, see, and feel while being helpless. Several could hear others talking about removing their feeding tube, letting them die, etc.
Unless you are Terri, you can’t know what she wanted. As a devout Christian she would not have chosen suicide. If you knew the particulars of her life, you would not say what you said.
She wasn't dying. She was alive and had no medical problems other than having a feeding tube. She was murdered through withholding of food and water. She died a horrible death that would be illegal to do to a dog. "Mike" as you call him is an accessory to murder and should be in jail along with his accomplices Felos and Greer.
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