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Frontiers of Freedom Policy, politics, and more from America's cutting-edge think tank. February 22, 2005 Michael Schiavo: Loving Husband or Monster? Bonnie Chernin Rogoff As national pro-life groups and prominent leaders converged in vigils out side Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, Terri Schiavo is inside the building in her bed, still hooked up to the feeding tube that has b een center-focus of this so-called right-to-die case for the past severa l years. Ms Schiavo is profoundly disabled and cannot communicate with words at this time. Just one look at her in a video with her mother and everyone except the Scarecrow on h is way to Oz knows it, too. Recently, another presumed brain-dead woman made news in Kansas. In a com a after becoming the victim of a drunk driver, Sarah Scantlin snapped ou t of a twenty year silence and began to speak. She d respond to questions by blinking once for no, twice for yes, but since she couldnt speak no one was ever sure she understood the questions. The only ones who claim to know w hats best for the profoundly disabled are those who seek to benefit the most by having them legally murdered. On Monday, February 21, new hearings will commence before Judge Greer wit h regard to the Schiavo case. The Empire Journal reports that David Gibb s III, attorney representing Terris parents Robert and Mary Schindler, w ill argue that new medical tests be ordered for Terri based upon a new b rain imaging study published in the journal Neurology. These tests could determine whether Terri Schiavo is, in fact, in a PVS. Since Judge Gree r believes she is, ruled to have her killed and has thus far refused the admission of any medical evidence that would save Terris life, Id be sh ocked to see him budge. Greer has been acting in the dual role of judge and guardian ad litem. He previously denied a petition by Terris parents that their daughter be g iven a swallowing test, and has denied them the right to visit Terri. He continues to promote the interests of Michael Schiavo by refusing Terri the right to independent counsel, a right which even serial killers lik e Ted Bundy received. Whenever people discuss euthanasia, youll always find those who will defe nd the odious practice. The evide nce compiled against him suggests a history and pattern of domestic abus e against Terri and other women that is strong and significant. The main evidence comes from a bone scan taken on March 5, 1991. As Terri s guardian, Michael Schiavo denied her family access to Terris records, the results of which were not made available until November, 2002. This scan indicated numerous broken bones in various stages of healing, inclu ding compressions fractures, a broken back, pelvis, ankle, bone bruises and ossifications. Walker read the scan in 1991 and interpre ted the results as abnormal, which he attributed to either an accident o r earlier trauma. Walk er stated in his deposition that a) the injuries indicated by the scan o ccurred on or around the time that Terri Schiavo collapsed; b) the abnor malities on the bone scan were not typical of someone suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing to the floor, and c) the fractures indicated by th e bone scan are not typical of patients bedridden only thirteen months. Walkers November 21, 2003 deposition, Terri might hav e been the victim of foul play via a blow to her body, being thrown into a sharp furniture corner, or assaulted with a blunt object. Michael Baden was interviewed by Greta van Susteren on Fox News. He disclosed that with lo w potassium and no elevated enzymes, it would be extremely rare for a yo ung woman to collapse as Terri did from a heart attack. The trauma can be from a fall, or the trauma can be from some kind of beating that she obtained from somebody somewhere. Its something that sh ould have been investigated in 1991 when these findings were found. One medical expert testified that a diagnosis of a heart attack was never made. Another testified tha t Terris rigid neck indicates she may have been the victim of strangulat ion. Psychiatrist and expert witness Carole E Lieberman, MD, MPH. o ffered preliminary thoughts and provided a chilling profile of Michael S chiavo as an abusive husband. Prior to Terris collapse, there were serious financial problems in her ma rriage and her husband Michael tried to control her behavior. He was fir ed from six jobs in two years, some of which he held only two weeks. The y often lived on her income, which Michael often spent on himself. He mo nitored her odometer and isolated her from her family and friends. On th e day of her collapse, Michael and Terri had a bad fight after he accuse d her of spending too much money at the hairdresser. Lieberman concludes: He (Michael) should most definitely be investiga ted as the perpetrator of the incident that caused Terris collapse and h er current condition. Michael Schiavo insists that Terri stated early in their marriage that sh e never would want to be kept on life support. Since Terri has no written will, everything Michael Schiavo says is hearsay. He violated n umerous Florida statutes and the Americans for Disabilities Act by faili ng to perform his duties as his wifes guardian, most notably by denying his disabled wife basic medical care as part of a malpractice settlement award he received. However, of all Michaels offensive actions against his wife, what I deem most suspicious was his decision to have Terri cremated immediately upon her demise. In all the documentation on this case, there is not a singl e account of Terri Schiavo having ever expressed a desire to be cremated . Michaels excuse is to say that she wouldnt want a standard burial beca use she doesnt like bugs. The likely reason is that Micha el has something to hide like the cause of her numerous bone injuries, p erhaps? and he doesnt want an autopsy to uncover any incriminating evide nce. We know that Terri fell in her home and sustained serious injuries. We know that Michael Schiavo, who was trained in CPR, oddly did not administer CPR to his wife. We kno w for the past fifteen years his only mission has been to deny any rehab ilitation for Terri. Carole Lieberman observed, If Terri were to be allowed to die, as Mic hael has been desperately struggling to achieve for years, it could help him escape detection. Thats exactly the way Michael Schiavo and the Florida judicial system wan t it.
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