Michael Schiavo Wants Terri's Body Cremated If She Dies

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 20, 2003

Pinellas Park, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's husband Michael wants her body cremated if she dies. Her family says that's because he wants to cover up alleged physical abuse.

If Terri's body is cremated, it would deny any chance the family has to validate a long-held suspicion that Terri's comalike state was caused not by a potassium imbalance that started a heart attack, but by physical abuse.

Suzanne Carr and Bob Schindler, Jr., Terri's brother and sister, appeared on the Fox News Channel over the weekend and said they still want authorities to look into what caused Terri's medical condition.

"Michael has instructed the judge to cremate her body upon her death, which adds even more suspicion to what really happened to Terri," Bob Schindler said.

He added, "We're trying to stop the cremation from happening if Terri does die, so hopefully, we get to the process of investigating what may have happened to Terri that evening."

A bone scan was conducted on Terri in March 1991. The scan showed Terri was the victim of "previous traumas," indicating she may have been beaten or abused. Years later, when the document was finally revealed in Terri's medical files, Pinellas County State Attorney Bernie McCabe said too much time had elapsed and would not investigate.

"He's been trying to kill her -- that's the bottom line," said Carla Sauer Iyer, a 39-year-old registered nurse who cared for Terri Schiavo at a nursing home in 1995 and 1996. She says Terri has said words such as "Mommy," "help me" and "pain."

George Felos, Michael's attorney, calls the nurse's statements, "a bunch of garbage." He claims Michael has been insistent that Terri receive the best medical care possible. Felos pointed to court records of other caregivers who say they have never seen Terri communicate. "It didn't happen, it's a fabrication."

Yet, videos on the parents' web site clearly show Terri communicating with expressions to doctors and her parents.

----- Original Message -----
From: njcfl_Comcast
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 3:29 PM
Subject: urgent request re Terri Schiavo

ACTION ALERT

your immediate action is needed to help save the life of Terri Schindler-schiavo.

Terri's feeding tube was removed last Wednesday and she has now been six days without food and water.

Last night, at the urging of Governor Jeb Bush, the Florida State House passed a bill authorizing the Governor to order her feeding tube to be reinserted and for her feeding to be resumed immediately.

The bill is now is the Florida State Senate. Calls, faxes and e-mails are urgently needed to Florida Senate President, Jim King, urging him to pass "Terri's Bill" authorizing the governor to have feeding of Terri resumed.

Time is crucial for Terri. Please act immediately and alert all chapter telephone and e-mail trees, notify churches or anyone who might be capable of activating calls, faxes and e-mails.

SENATOR JIM KING

PHONE: 850- 487-5229

FAX: 850-487-5844

EMAIL: king.james.web@flsenate.gov

WE HAVE A SPECIAL NEEDS PRAYER REQUEST.

From our Associate Director, Joan Viatle:
"A client of Marisol's "Maria" , age 33, real name was abortion minded
carried to term and just birthed a precious baby boy. She has five children, her husband just left her about two weeks ago - partly because he hasn't a job
and may feel like he cannot provide for his family and just sort of ran
away... Marisol is going to take her and the children to church. Please pray for
her salvation and that the Lord will provide for this family - for work
for Maria she is not a citizen andfor her husband to return and trust in the Lord for work for him as well.. We are helping her with any and all baby things so Praise God for that...."

Doctor Disputes Media Claims Terri Will Not Suffer Agonizing Death

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 16, 2003

Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- While Michael Schiavo and some media outlets claim Terri Schiavo will die in peace, doctors say Terri's starvation death will be agonizing and painful.

David Stevens, M.D., executive director of the Christian Medical Association, says Terri will suffer in part because she, despite media reports to the contrary, is not in a persistive vegetative state.

PVS patients are those who "are unaware of themselves, their environment and are unable to interact with others in any way," Stevens told LifeNews.com. "They can breathe and retain some brainstem reflexes but they are not able to sit up or do other things that Terri can do."

Stevens says that when feeding tubes are withdrawn patients should still receive food and water orally. That is not the case with Terri as Michael Schiavo decided against it and Judge Greer affirmed his decision.

"Nutrition and fluids or a universal human biologic requirement and a fundamental demonstration of human caring," Stevens explained.

As far as Terri's starvation is concerned, some media outlets have reported that Terri "won't feel a thing" because she will be prescribed pain medications. In fact, Michael contends Terri has had no feeling since her 1991 heart attack.

Peggy Guin, a nursing instructor at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, told the Tampa Tribune that her experience with patients removed from feeding tubes shows they feel no pain.

Kenneth Goodman, director of bioethics at the University of Miami School of Medicine, told the newspaper "she is not going to feel a thing."

"There is nothing unusual about terminating hydration and nutrition,'' Goodman said. "The reason why Florida law allows it, and the other 49 states allow it, is obviously that this can be done in a way that is pain-free and dignified. That is why it is legal.''

Stevens strongly disagrees.

"Without intervention Terri will not have a comfortable death," Stevens told LifeNews.com.

Technically, Terri will die from dehydration, not starvation.

"Her progression will go from thirst to extreme thirst. [Terri] is likely to cry and moan till she is so dehydrated she won't have tears and her mouth is too dry and cracked to make sounds," says Stevens.

"If she gets any fluids in by mouth (if they are allowed) the process could take longer," Stevens tells LifeNews.com.

Terri will likely suffer numerous symptoms over time, and they will get worse the longer it takes for her to die.

"She may have nose bleeds as the mucous dries out. She will probably experience nausea, vomiting and cramps as her intestines dehydrate. She will decrease her urine output, have dizziness, cramping in the arms and legs as her electrolytes get out of balance," Stevens explains.

Unless Terri's feeding tube is reinserted quickly or she is able to receive food and water orally, her situation may grow worse.

"She may have seizures and even further brain damage during the process," Stevens concludes.

As Terri Schiavo Begins to Die, Jason Childress Continues to Live

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 16, 2003

Charlottesville, VA (LifeNews.com) -- As Terri Schiavo begins what may be the last days of her life, another patient who has been given up for dead by some family members continues to live.

In an exclusive interview with LifeNews.com, Katrina Childress, Jason Childress' stepmother, says Jason continues to breathe on his own over a month since a he was removed from a ventilator.

Jason has been in a coma since July 16 after an automobile accident. He was nearly removed from life support prematurely when the University of Virginia Medical Center failed to provide two weeks notice to his family before doctors gave up and wanted to pull the plug.

A retired local judge was appointed as his guardian after family members couldn't decide whether to allow Jason to remain on a ventilator. His father and stepmother, Jerry and Katrina Childress, wanted Jason's care to continue. The guardian approved removal of the ventilator on September 11.

"Jason is opening his eyes more and following some commands," Katrina told LifeNews.com. "He is being dressed in his own clothes and sitting in a [geriatric] chair everyday."

Katrina said that while Jason's care has improved, he is still not getting the complete medical treatment she and Jerry desire.

"I would like to see a new neurological exam done, along with an MRI and several other tests that were never done. That would give us a better idea of the extent of the damage and see if anything has changed in these several months," she explained.

Jason does not currently have a neurologist assigned to him.

He was moved to a nursing home in late September. Jerry and Katrina would like to find a grant to allow Jason to be moved to Retreat Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. The hospital has a specialized program for patients in comas.

Katrina tells LifeNews.com other family members have not changed their minds about Jason's care.

"Jerry and I are still being criticized by them saying we are selfish wanting him to live this way. They need to open their eyes and see that it is Jason's will to live and God's plan for Jason that has kept him alive," she said.

Jerry and Katrina say they have videotaped evidence of Jason's clearly raising his finger when asked to do so if he wanted to remain alive.

Unlike Terri Schiavo, Jason is receiving a limited amount of physical therapy, but Katrina says she would like to see more rehabilitative care.

"He is only getting physical therapy (range of motion) and the activities director works with him 3 days a week. This boy desperately needs sub-acute rehab and coma responsiveness therapy," Katrina said.

Katrina told LifeNews.com she has been following the case of Terri Schiavo and says she is very "frustrated" by it.

"It's so hard to think of starving someone to death. Someone really should be held responsible for not letting that lady get the proper rehab. How can we keep denying these young people with disabilities inadequate rehab? I'm simply amazed at how
far she progressed on her own without the proper rehab -- that let's me know that her parents have worked very hard with her," Katrina concluded.

Terri Schiavo's Feeding Tube Removed

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 15, 2003

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Doctors removed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube on Wednesday afternoon. Although Terri is not hooked up to any artificial breathing apparatus, the feeding tube provided her with food and water that allowed her to remain alive.

Terri's father Bob Schindler confirmed that the tube had been removed and attorneys for her husband, Michael, said doctors have told them it will take anywhere from a week to 10 days for her to die.

"I just haven't given up hope yet," Mary Schindler told reporters outside the hospice.

She watched along with Micahel Schiavo, who demanded that Terri's live be ended, and was reportedly "visibly shaken" and distraught afterwards.

Terri's parents are clinging to an 11th-hour meeting with Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL). He promised to have his legal team investigate any possibility whereby he could intervene on Terri's behalf.

George Felos, Michael's attorney and an assisted suicide advocate, claimed the Schindlers were "in denial" about his claims that Terri wouldn't have wanted to be kept alive.

Wesley Smith, a leading national spokesman on bioethics issues, says the decision denies Terri's right to live.

"We're talking about a woman who is not terminally ill, who's not hooked up to machines, who is going to live a normal lifespan unless her food and water is taken away," Smith explained.

Smith interviewed neurologists and others for his landmark euthanasia book Forced Exit and said that Terri will die a painful, "terrible" death.

"People can go into seizures. Their lips can crack. They can vomit. The hands mottle and turn cold, because all the water goes in towards the heart."

Pro-life groups say the case of Terri Schiavo is not new.

Burke Balch, the director of medical ethics at National Right to Life, tells LifeNews.com that Terri's situation signifies a clear trend towards denying basic medical care to the severely disabled.

"For about two decades, the law in virtually every state has decreed that 'surrogates'" may authorize denial of treatment to those who cannot speak for themselves," Balch said. "Consequently, vulnerable people with impaired consciousness have routinely been denied life-saving treatment, food and fluids until they die."

"Perhaps not until the publicity about this case have large numbers of Americans recognized how deep and widespread is the commitment to the "quality of life" ethic among doctors, hospitals, and the courts," Balch added.

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Husband protests video showing alert Terri
Schindler in desperate move to save daughter facing deadline today
Posted: October 15, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern � 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

As Terri Schindler-Schiavo faces forced removal today of the feeding tube that sustains her life, lawyers for her husband are ordering her parents to hand over a videotape distributed yesterday as evidence she is not in a "persistent vegetative state."

Terri's father, Robert Schindler, admitted the tape was made surreptitiously Aug. 11, 2001, in violation of a court order by Pinellas-Pasco County, Fla., Circuit Judge George Greer.


Bob Schindler at press conference yesterday (photo: Gary McCullough, Christian Communication Network)

The video, which shows Terri laughing and trying to speak, also indicates attempts at rehabilitative therapy, also banned by the court.

But Schindler says he is willing to risk jail because of his conviction that anyone who watches the tape will realize his daughter is not in the comatose condition her husband Michael Schiavo and his attorneys portray.

"I went in with the camera because I expected Terri to be dying very shortly, and I wanted to bring the truth out," Schindler told reporters yesterday. "What happens, happens."

Michael Schiavo's attorney Deborah Bushnell immediately responded to the announcement of the videotape's release, warning that if it is distributed, the Schindler family "will not be allowed to visit Terri unless [Schiavo] or his representative is present."

Bushnell, in a fax to the Schindler's attorney, Patricia Anderson, also warned Schiavo "may seek other remedies from the court, as appropriate."

Gary McCullough, a media consultant who helped distribute the tape, said copies were given to about 10 media outlets. The Schindlers hope Gov. Jeb Bush will take notice and intervene on Terri's behalf.

Yesterday, Bush's spokesman said the governor, who had sent a letter to Judge Greer and filed a friend-of-the-court brief, can do nothing more to save Terri's life, insisting the outcome is in the hands of the court.

Schindler distributed the video at a press conference yesterday in which he revealed Terri tried to convey to him she did not want to die, by bolting upright and trying to get out of her chair when told she might be killed.

As WorldNetDaily reported, Robert and Mary Schindler have been locked in a decade-long legal struggle with their son-in-law over the care and custody of their daughter, who suffered massive brain damage when she collapsed at her home 13 years ago under unexplained circumstances at the age of 26.

Five years ago, Schiavo petitioned the court for permission to remove his wife's feeding tube, claiming she is in a "persistent vegetative state" and had told him years ago she would not want to be kept alive "by tubes" and "artificial" means. Although Terri breathes on her own and maintains her own blood pressure, she requires a simple tube into her abdomen to her stomach for nourishment and hydration.

Judge Greer has ordered the tube removed at 2 p.m. today. Doctors believe if Terry is not fed by other means, she we die in about two weeks.

Terri responding to her mother in older video available on terrisfight.org

Another videotape of Terri was introduced at the initial trial in January 2000. It was shown on television news, and three doctors who saw it contacted Robert Schindler saying that they did not believe his daughter was in a persistent vegetative state, but that they wanted to examine her to be sure.

After examining Terri, all three physicians said they believed she had the ability to swallow because she was not drooling. Affidavits were sent to Greer requesting him to allow a swallowing test, which he summarily denied.

At the time, Michael Schiavo was furious about the video and doctor visit. In response to his demands, Greer issued an order banning further videotaping and any still photography, and a list of "approved" visitors was drawn up.


Meanwhile, a round-the-clock prayer vigil and protest that began Monday continues outside the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., where Terri resides.

Renowned author, artist and disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada has joined Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry in an effort to draw attention to Terri's plight.

Legal documents and information on Terri's case are posted on the family's website.