Against The Grain

Friday, March 18, 2005

After a roller-coaster night and day, in which Congress first appeared to have abandoned Terri, then in which some Congressmen intervened in a last-ditch effort to prevent the feeding tube removal, and Judge Greer again demonstrated his singleminded intent to have Terri die, it comes to this.

According to reports at Blogs For Terri and from the Schindlers, Terri's feeding tube was removed at about 2:00 PM this afternoon.

Congress may intervene next week, but may not. What is certain is that from this moment on, unless someone can unsuccessfully undo the work of Michael Schiavo, George Felos, and Judge Greer, Terri begins dying.

Fr. Rob also provides a line-by-line commentary of Terri Schiavo's "Exit Protocol" prepared by Terry's own doctors and nurses at the hospital where she resides, "a regimen of medication intended to perpetrate an illusion: the illusion that someone is peacefully "slipping away", when in fact they are dying in a painful and brutal way."

Pray for Terri, pray for this country, God have mercy.

Starving for a Fair Diagnosis, by Fr. Rob Johansen. National Review March 16, 2005. The courts, and many in the mainstream media, seem matter-of-fact that Terri has had the best of medical care, that she has been subject to every attempt at therapy and rehabilitation, and that she has been correctly diagnosed to be in a "persistent vegetative state" [PVS]. Don't believe a word.
3/19/05 - Congress Moves Again to Keep Fla. Woman Alive Reuters, March 19, 2005.
3/20/05 - Update! - US House to Reconvene at 12:01 AM for Terri's Bill
In an unprecedented move, the United States House of Representatives convened today at 1 PM and immediately went into recess until 12:01 AM. This was a tactical move to prevent certain representatives from killing a bill designed to give Terry Schiavo standing in Federal Court.
At this time, the House is scheduled to vote on the measure at one minute past midnight and the Senate is to take up the measure sometime thereafter. President George W. Bush has already left his Crawford, TX, ranch to return to Washington so he will be available to sign the bill, if passed by Congress.
We urge you to pray for this measure and contact members of the US House (http://www.house.gov/) and Senate (http://www.senate.gov/) and urge them to support Terri's Bill.
(via Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam).

Labels: terry schiavo