The following is from Republican National Coalition for Life (RNCL)
Fax Notes, May 20,2002.
Could Honest Polling Have Saved Terri Schiavo? – During the tragic and horror-filled weeks leading up to Terri Schiavo's death due to government sanctioned starvation and dehydration, public opinion polls indicated support for removal of her feeding tube.
The media repeatedly said that Terri was in a "persistent vegetative state," which clearly, she was not. A person in a persistent vegetative state doesn't cry and show other emotion, or try to communicate with those around her, which Terri did until she was too weak to do anything but plead for help with her eyes.
The media's opinion polling questions, which generally gave a skewed if not blatantly false impression of Terri's condition, insured that respondents, under the impression that it would be in Terri's interest, would respond favorably to withdrawal of nutrition and hydration.
After her death, the Zogby organization did a poll (April 5, 2005) revealing that 80% of Americans do not support denying food and water to a disabled person who is not terminally ill and has no written directive. The same poll also finds that by over a 3 to 1 margin, Americans want elected officials to order a feeding tube to remain in place if there is conflicting testimony surrounding the case.
Finally, the Zogby poll shows that by a slight margin, respondents want the federal government to intervene when disabled people are denied food and water by a state court judge's order.
When the American people have the facts, they usually come up with the right decision. In Terri's case, media reports were distorted and biased in favor of killing her. Terri was not terminally ill. She was not dying. She had parents and other family members who loved her and wanted to care for her.
Had the facts been presented honestly and fairly and the pollsters asked questions based on truth, would her "husband," and his lawyer been successful in conniving with Judge George Greer who ordered that she would die? Would Terri still be alive? Think about it.
Elected Officials, you had the correct facts, and failed us.
INVESTIGATIONS AND IMPEACH GREER, OR BE IMPEACHED.
Paul F. Timmerman. Greenacres, FL
I think about the whole ordeal every day. It's hard to believed that it all happened. From Greer not qualifying for office to DCF and the Congressional Subpoenas and still no protection against it being done to someone else.
It's a shame on the nation.
Of course the polling got Terri killed!! If it had appeared that public opinion was on the side of life, all the politicians would have jumped over each other to try to save her, Gov. Jeb Bush leading the charge.
Unfortunately for Terri, the media reported the polls WRONG and so Jeb and his cronies thought few who mattered cared.
Come to find out, most of us - all who mattered - were opposed to the dehydration/starvation of a living breathing disabled human being! And we'll never forget.
Oh, well, now we know who's a friend of life and who is full of baloney. As far as I'm concerned, Jeb Bush is more full of baloney than all the rest who are also full of baloney.