Free Republic

This year’s Presidential campaign has proven to be one of the most interesting and unexpected phenomena of the past several decades. With it, this year’s contenders are breaking down barriers: the first female candidate, the first African-American candidate and a lone wolf Republican who is breaking step with his party to bemoan the war in Iraq, national ID cards and the Patriot Act. We’ve heard from a member the Mormon community for the first time as well as a former evangelical minister who plays bass wouldn’t mind seeing tobacco outlawed. All of these things certainly add to the color of...

Clearwater, FL - The volunteers with the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation were astonished to learn of the behavior of former Dunedin, Florida Attorney Constance d'Angelis. d'Angelis is the former wife of George Felos, legal representative to Michael Schiavo. In a press release issued through PR Web, titled "Lawyer Who Presented CT Scan & Medical Evidence in Court Analyzes Autopsy Results in Terri Schiavo Case" Ms. d'Angelis claims she will be available to interpret the anticipated Medical Examiner's report on the late Terri Schiavo. Quoted from her release: "Upon the release of the autopsy report, she can analyze the results and weigh...

CLEARWATER, Fla. (Reuters) - The parents of a brain-damaged Florida woman at the center of a right-to-die battle said on Thursday they would ask a court to order new medical tests before she is allowed to die. Robert Schindler, the father of Theresa "Terri" Schiavo, said the tests should be done because of a recent study that found patients with brain damage may be more aware of their surroundings than doctors previously thought.

The following photographs were taken by Floriduh Voter on December 12, 2004. On that Sunday afternoon, family, friends, supporters and advocates of Terri Schindler-Schiavo gathered to honor her day of birth and celebrate her life. The following thumbnails will 'pop' into a new browser window. We extend our thanks to everyone who attended, to those who sent greetings and prayers and to everyone who has befriended this family in their struggle to protect their daughter's life and liberty.  Terri  41st Birthday Celebration of Life Sunday, December 12, 2004 Guest of Honor, Terri Schindler-Schiavo, was not in attendance at the...

The Groningen Protocol is the proposal of doctors in the Netherlands for the establishment of an "independent committee" charged with selecting babies and other severely handicapped or disabled people for euthanasia. The original article provides some of the key details: Under the Groningen protocol, if doctors at the hospital think a child is suffering unbearably from a terminal condition, they have the authority to end the child's life. The protocol is likely to be used primarily for newborns, but it covers any child up to age 12. The hospital, beyond confirming the protocol in general terms, refused to discuss its...

GREENSBORO -- Vicky Pina wants your thoughts, prayers and what ever change you can spare. She's one of the scores of single moms who manages to hold everything together as long as nothing goes wrong. On July 26 things went terribly wrong. Now she's looking for help wherever she can get it. Cyndee Engelskirchen, Pina's 20-year-old daughter, was on the back of a moped that ran a red light at a busy Greensboro intersection and hit a sports utility vehicle. The driver of the moped, Jennifer McNeil Byrnes, 24, of 203-A Wilson Street, was charged with running a red light...

Press Release For Immediate Release - 07-20-2004/2.15p GMT-5 Contact email New Motion filed in Schiavo case based on Pope's Statement Clearwater, FL July 20, 2004: - Attorney Patricia Anderson, representing the parents of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, has filed a motion in the Sixth Judicial Circuit today seeking relief of judgment based on a March 20, 2004 statement by Pope John Paul, II regarding the provision of food and fluids to incapacitated statements. In his March speech, titled "Life-Sustaining Treatments and the Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas", the Pope stated that "A man, even if seriously ill or disabled in...

On June 12, 2004, the Associated Press reported that disc jockey, Scott Hornyak was fired from his job at an Anchorage, Alaska radio station for celebrating the death of former President Ronald Reagan. Allegedly, Hornyak encouraged listeners to trample the dirt on Mr. Reagan?s new grave site. Associated Press photographs from the June 11, 2004 funeral services for Mr. Reagan depicted a number of demonstrators lining the sidewalks of Washington, DC, holding signs emblazoned with such legends as "Reagan in Hell" and "God Hates America". Presumably, these demonstrators could be seen by Mr. Reagan?s family as their motorcade passed on...

STATEMENT OF SCHINDLER FAMILY MAY 17, 2004 Thank you for coming here today. My family is so very thankful to the Clearwater Police Department for doing such a thorough and deliberate job with their investigation and for finally proving that these charges were completely baseless. As horrifying as the least six weeks were, I am grateful to the men and women of the Police Department for undertaking their duties seriously and fairly. We are sorry the taxpayers had to pay for an investigation that turned out to be a total waste of law enforcement resources. We have been banned from...

NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 14, 2004 INVESTIGATION FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF CRIME Clearwater Police Criminal Investigations Detectives concluded today an expansive and detailed investigation into suspicions that physical harm done with criminal intent had been visited upon a 40-year-old woman under the care of Hospice in Clearwater. The investigation found no evidence of harm, injury or violation as the result of a criminal act, said Police Chief Sid Klein. The Hospice patient, Mrs. Theresa M. Schiavo, was the subject of investigative, forensic and medical scrutiny after concern was expressed for her well-being on March 29, 2004. At about...

Kudos to Gov. Jeb Bush for continuing to act on behalf of Terri Schiavo. Schiavo has been kept alive by a feeding tube for 14 years. Her husband wants her to die. Her parents do not. The Florida Legislature enacted a law that would have continued her medical care, but a judge now has declared that law unconstitutional, citing the right to privacy. There is too much about this that makes the case for the woman's death unconvincing. Bush should make certain she has every chance to live. Ken Conner, the lawyer representing Bush, said, "The effect of all this,...

Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- One of the circuit court judges who has been at the center of the controversy surrounding Terri Schiavo is facing a challenge in his bid for re-election. Judge George Greer ruled last year that Terri's estranged husband Michael could remove her feeding tube and now voters will be able to decide if they approve of his decisions in the case. Just hours before the filing deadline last Friday, Jan Govan, an attorney in Clearwater, Florida, threw his hat in the ring. The race will be Greer's first since being elected to the judgeship twelve years ago....

To: Fight4Terri Supporters Re: St PetersBurg Times Admits Bias From: Cheryl Ford RN Above is an email from the Associated Editor and Columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, and his response to one of Fight4Terri Action Group Volunteers, regarding the unfair coverage of the Terri Schiavo case. What Mr. Dyckman is, essentially, saying is that he feels no obligation to do anything to balance out the coverage of Terri's plight because he, PERSONALLY, is not in agreement. This is a serious, blatant and outrageous encroachment on freedom of speech and no newspaper in this country has the authority to limit...

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--According to a recent poll, most Floridians think it isn't wrong to starve a disabled woman to death. OK, that's an exaggeration -- but only a slight one. A little more than 14 years ago, Terri Schindler Schiavo of Tampa, Fla., collapsed in her home when a potassium imbalance stopped her heart. Her oxygen-starved brain was damaged, leaving her severely handicapped. Doctors inserted a tube to provide her with food and water. Eleven years later, her husband convinced a court to remove the feeding tube, but legal wrangling and appeals kept that from happening until Oct. 15, 2003....

http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Mode=Bills&SubMenu=1&Year=2004&billnum=692 S692     GENERAL BILL by Wise; (CO-SPONSORS) Sebesta Incompetency/Nutrition/Hydration; cites act as "Starvation & Dehydration   of Persons with Disabilities Prevention Act"; declares that incompetent   person is presumed to have directed health care providers to provide necessary nutrition & hydration to sustain life; prohibits court, proxy,   or surrogate from withholding or withdrawing nutrition or hydration   except under specified circumstances, etc. Amends Ch. 765.  EFFECTIVE   DATE: Upon becoming law. 11/21/03 SENATE Prefiled 12/05/03 SENATE Referred to Judiciary; Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care;                   Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services;                   Appropriations; Rules and Calendar  ...

WASHINGTON - The world has moved on since the case of Terri Schiavo, whose husband sought to remove the feeding tube that kept her alive, briefly grabbed public attention last fall. But Terri's life remains at risk. Michael Schiavo, her parents, the state of Florida, and advocacy groups continue to fight over her future. Alas, she keeps losing where it matters most, in court. Terri collapsed in 1990, leaving her profoundly cognitively disabled. Her husband won a $1.3 million malpractice judgment that included money for her medical care, but subsequently refused to fund rehabilitative treatment for her. Along the way...

Gov. Jeb Bush Proposes Creating New Agency For Disabled POSTED: 5:33 am EST April 1, 2004 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush is proposing the creation of a separate agency to handle the $1.1 billion developmental disabilities program, which is now managed by the Department of Children & Families. The Agency for Persons With Disabilities would begin operating Oct. 1 in a move supporters say will provide greater attention for 30,000 developmentally disabled residents being served by the state while allowing DCF to focus more on child welfare. "Prior to the current administration, this program had suffered from many years...

When a Judge Speaks for You When she was a child, she was taught that if she did not brush her teeth, they would rot out. Now her teeth are rotting out, but no one speaks for her. When she was a child, her parents took her to the doctor when she had an infection. Now, recurring infections and bedsores ravage her body, but no one speaks for her. When she became disabled, her husband became her guardian and obtained more than $1.5 million from a malpractice case for her rehabilitation and health care. But her funds have been used...

A woman television presenter who was critically injured in the Potters Bar train crash has made a miraculous recovery - nearly two years after doctors declared her brain-dead and said that she should be allowed to die. Relatives of Tanya Liu, a 34-year-old Taiwanese-born newsreader, say they were told by British doctors that she was in a persistent vegetative state after the crash in May 2002, which killed two of her friends and five other people, and left 76 injured. Doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in north London said that Ms Liu's injuries were so horrific that there was...

March 20, 2004, 11:34 AM EST VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II said Saturday the removal of feeding tubes from people in vegetative states was immoral, and that no judgment on their quality of life could justify such "euthanasia by omission." John Paul made the comments to participants of a Vatican conference on the ethical dilemmas of dealing with incapacitated patients, entering into a debate that has sparked court battles in the United States and elsewhere. The pope said even the medical terminology used to describe people in so-called "persistent vegetative states" was degrading to them. He said no...