Posted on 09/23/2011 5:20:37 AM PDT by wagglebee
During the CNN Republican debate in June, Mitt Romney — pressed on his switch from pro-choice to pro-life by Rick Santorum- declared: "I believe in the sanctity of life from the very beginning until the very end."
Romney has spent much of the last two presidential campaigns defending his evolving positions on abortion. But his stance on end-of-life issues, another perennial hot-button issue with the party's conservative base, has been far less scrutinized.
But Romney does have a history on the issue, and a controversial one at that. In 2005, aides to then-Massachusetts Gov. Romney pressed vigorously in court for a pull-the-plug order on a severely-beaten 11-year-old girl who appeared to be brain dead, only to rescind the request when the child unexpectedly emerged from a vegetative coma.
In late 2005, with the GOP fight over Terri Schiavo still fresh in the mind of party conservatives, Romney's social service department, presented with a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't scenario, petitioned the state's Supreme Court to remove life support for young Haleigh Poutre, who was sadistically, horrifically abused by her adoptive mother and stepfather for months.
When doctors examined the girl's brain stem, they were shocked to find it had sheared - an injury most often associated with high-speed car crashes.
In Sept. 2008, officials with Romney's Department of Social Services - admitting they ignored numerous signs the girl was being battered over a period of months — obtained custody of Haleigh, determined that the had "no possibility of regaining a meaningful existence" due to the extent of her brain damage, and began to consider judicial end-of-life options including removal of life support and feeding.
Haleigh's jailed stepfather, possibly trying to dodge murder charges if he was able to keep the child alive, objected; The girl's birth mother and another close relative supported the state's request to obtain a "do not resuscitate" order.
On Jan. 16, 2008, the state's highest court sided with Romney's DSS and gave permission for the removal of a respirator and feeding tube.
But a day after the decision, Haleigh regained consciousness and began responding to simple commands, to the astonishment of doctors at Baystate hospital in Springfield.
A few days later, Romney, who had remained mum on the case up until that point, was pressed by reporters to articulate a broader position on end-of-life, but demurred, telling them:
"My concern is with this young girl and her current status," he told the Boston Globe. "In light of reported improvements in her medical condition, it should be clear to everyone that no action should be taken to end this girl's life."
In the months that followed, Romney tapped a three-member panel to examine the Poutre case and offer recommendations. Their findings: Errors were made by caseworkers and state officials, in the future, would seek outside medical advice and conduct more thorough physical examinations prior to proceeding with any end-of-life requests of people in their care.
Romney implemented the suggestions and told reporters, "The process of deciding to remove life support for a child In state custody has been inadequate," adding, "We must implement a far more comprehensive and robust process."
But he didn't embrace several reforms proposed by right to life groups and the Schiavo family, including more stringent benchmarks for ceasing life-giving care and greater transparency for judicial proceedings involving such cases.
"We do not think the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, under Governor Romney, acted properly by going to the courts to seek permission to remove Haleigh's food and water (via feeding tube) and breathing machine," Schiavo's brother Bobby Schindler, executive director of Terri's Life & Hope Network, a Florida non-profit, wrote in an email to POLITICO Thursday.
"Romney's campaign presents him with a prime opportunity to clarify his positions on crucial life issues. We hope Mitt Romney was encouraged by Haleigh's recovery and will vow to respect the dignity of all life, regardless of disability," he added.
A Romney spokeswoman declined to outline the former governor's overall philosophy on end-of-life cases but said, "Gov. Romney criticized the state's handling of the case, ordered an investigation and put in place safeguards to prevent it from happening again. His actions speak for themselves."
Andrea Saul, the spokeswoman, added: "Gov. Romney was the one who ordered an immediate investigation of Haleigh's case. He appointed a panel to review the entire case history. Once the panel completed their investigation, Gov. Romney ordered implementation of all of their recommended changes for future cases. These include requiring DSS to obtain a second opinion from a physician outside the institution where the child is being treated before any decision can be made on withholding life sustaining treatment as well as a requirement that DSS obtain more detailed medical information from the doctors in the case."
Haleigh Poutre is still recovering at a Catholic rehabilitation center from her injuries and new reports indicate that she has spoken with caregivers about the circumstances of her beating.
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I don't understand why government staffers would do this.
More generally, the problem with Romney is not so much what he says, but that you can't believe him. It's possible that he could explain a dramatic conversion event, as some of the former abortion-business workers have done, that would convincingly display a personal commitment to protecting human life.
However, to the best of my knowledge, he has not done this.
Myth's "conversion" to pro-life directly coincided with his decision to run for president four years ago. It was a claim he made for expediency and nothing else.
As you mentioned, there have been plenty of abortionists who have converted to pro-life; however, they have always spoken of some catharsis that occurred.
Imho, he is obsessed with becoming president. If he is going to run as a Republican, it’s a benefit to him to proclaim himself to be pro-life.
Say it loud and clear. Romney is no friend of people who actually care about lives of the innocent.
Will voters buy it? Personally, I doubt it. I think that as soon as voting starts, Mitt and his pretty hair will be toast.
Willard the RINO is Wrong on Sanctity of Life, Wrong on the 2nd Ammendment, and Wrong on Health Care.....that’s 3 Strikes Willard! Back to the dugout!
None of the changes Romney implemented would prevent disabled people being euthanized as they intended to do to Haleigh Poutre. He made procedural changes that allow social workers to have more complete records and more control over a situation, but he didn’t offer any protections to the lives of vulnerable people. It was all feel-good measures that allowed Romney to speechify about his version of hope and change, without actually improving the lives of the victims.
*snip*
"On Jan. 16, 2008, the state's highest court sided with Romney's DSS and gave permission for the removal of a respirator and feeding tube.
But a day after the decision, Haleigh regained consciousness and began responding to simple commands, to the astonishment of doctors at Baystate hospital in Springfield."
*snip*
"My concern is with this young girl and her current status," he told the Boston Globe. "In light of reported improvements in her medical condition, it should be clear to everyone that no action should be taken to end this girl's life."
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Well DUH!
This is breathtaking!
Only liberals are that easily fooled, and not many liberals will vote for a politician with an “R” behind his name.
Imho, he can’t possibly win in the south. Anyone who is supporting him is blind to that fact. I can’t see anyone who is or was in the military voting for him, either.
That’s interesting. I wonder who offered that as a rationalization? It sounds like something Peter Singer might say.
“In Sept. 2008, officials with Romney’s Department of Social Services - admitting they ignored numerous signs the girl was being battered over a period of months — obtained custody of Haleigh, determined that the had “no possibility of regaining a meaningful existence” due to the extent of her brain damage, and began to consider judicial end-of-life options including removal of life support and feeding.”
This is the first I have heard of this.
No concern for her meaningful existence when she was being battered. So the DSS only wanted to take custody when it was necessary for them to kill her. Guess they didn’t want the competition.
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