Later Michael was appointed Terri’s guardian.

In 1993 Michael Schiavo received $1million dollars for Terri from a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor who had treated her. The money was to be used to pay for Terri’s medical needs. Just a few months later Michael entered a “Do Not Resuscitate” order for Terri at her care facility.

At some point Michael met Jodi Centonze (the mistress). And, at some point Michael became a Registered Nurse.

Centonze’s mother, Eleanor was an employee of then Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice. Eleanor worked as a clerk at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, a position she held for 20 years until her retirement in 1999. Michael Schiavo was hired by Sheriff Rice to work in the Inmate’s Medical Care Division of Pinellas Country Jail. Rice’s hiring of Michael Schiavo came at the same time that guardianship proceedings were being heard in the court of Rice’s long time friend, Judge George Greer. Michael testified that Terri had told him that she would never want to be kept alive by artificial means. Greer made every effort to ensure that he remained in control of the case and insisted that Terri’s feeding be halted even though it is against the law for anyone to withhold natural feeding and hydration in Florida, Greer ordered ALL feeding and hydration halted. Greer refused to allow any effort to have a new guardian appointed for Terri, and refused her parents petitions to have their daughter transferred to their care.

During the time that Terri was in a care facility Michael remained married to her, but lived with Jodi Centoneze and two children were born to them before Terri’s death. After Terri’s death, Michael kept the remainder of the million dollars and married Centonze.

Terri Schindler Schiavo was only 41 years old at the time of her death.

Here is a video series about the story:

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

(Part 5)

(Part 6)

(Part 7)

What the diarist would argue, and I would agree – and hopefully those here on both sides can agree – is that no one with any moral compass would have wanted the decision on Terri’s care to have been taken out of the hands of the protagonists here and instead have the government determine by a bureaucratic process based on impersonal cost-benefit analysis, utilitarian calculus, rationing of scarce resources – to have the decision made by a government directive that by no shape of the imagination was guided by or influence by the concept of acting in the patient’s best interest but rather was based upon some definition of society’s interest which superceded the patient’s best interest by ignoring it.

However one may feel about the outcome, the process at least was centered around trying to determine Terri’s best interest – which was far, far superior to the process that was intended to be put in place by ObamaCare (or at least the foundation laid out) for the government to direct the process and determine the outcome.

That was the diarist’s point – although in the heat of the continuing dispute that continues today, it was obscured.

I’m certain her family would be pissed at me, but money would not be the issue in that case. The issue would be: my wife told me she doesn’t want to live as a vegetable, kept alive artificially. No amount of money would make me NOT comply with her wishes.

Now, many people don’t believe that such an interchange occurred between Michael and Terri, and frankly: we’ll never know. For what it’s worth, however, Michael was twice offered multi-million dollar sums of money to transfer his medical decision authority to the blood relatives. He refused to do so on both occasions. I don’t think he’s a saint, by any means, but that certainly lends some credence to his story.

I live in Florida, I fought with the Schindlers to save their daughter’s life. I saw what happened and who did what. It was a murder.

If I cut off both your legs (absent prosthetics) you CANNOT walk. No matter how much you wish or believe that you can.

There was no living will and therefore all we have is Michael’s assertion that his wife would not want to live that way. On the other hand, we have absolutely no proof from the blood relatives that she would have wanted to be kept alive either.

Even if Terri had never thought about what she wanted – and never told anyone – the point remains that at some point, someone was responsible for making decisions about her life since she was unable to do so. Once the dispute between Terri’s family and Michael Schiavo was resolved – then the federal gov’t decided to interfere. This is the problem. Whether you like the outcome is another matter; the fact remains that the gov’t interfered in the health decisions of a family – exactly what the OP is railing against.

As for whether she suffered – I doubt it, based on the autopsy. (and she died from dehydration not starvation) I do agree that it’s stupid to have starved her to end her life, but then again the reason for that is because assisted suicide is illegal in FL.

If I were in a similar position and – IF the busy-bodies in gov’t would acknowledge that my body belongs to ME, not them – the doctors could simply hit me with 60cc’s of potassium and end it quickly. Instead I get to suffer and my family gets to watch. Or, conversely, the doctors could try a new experimental wonder drug – not approved by the FDA – to return me to consciousness. But, we can’t do that either because the gov’t has decided that I belong to IT and not the other way around.

“`(B) The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items–
`(i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems;
`(ii) the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting;
`(iii) the use of antibiotics; and
`(iv) the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.’.”

Also, you will be put in the postion of taking this end of life couseling over and over:

“`(3)(A) An initial preventive physical examination under subsection (WW), including any related discussion during such examination, shall not be considered an advance care planning consultation for purposes of applying the 5-year limitation under paragraph (1).
`(B) An advance care planning consultation with respect to an individual may be conducted more frequently than provided under paragraph (1) if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual, including diagnosis of a chronic, progressive, life-limiting disease, a life-threatening or terminal diagnosis or life-threatening injury, or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility (as defined by the Secretary), or a hospice program.
`(4) A consultation under this subsection may include the formulation of an order regarding life sustaining treatment or a similar order.
`(5)(A) For purposes of this section, the term `order regarding life sustaining treatment’ means, with respect to an individual, an actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that–”

Basically, tens of millions of Americans will be walking around with their own set of personalized-government-mandated order of treatment procedures for end of life issues. VERY SCARY!!!!

People feel passionately about life and death issues. Nazism always comes to people’s minds whenever we think of people destroying life vs. nature ending life. Hitler started out with the ill, infirm and elderly and went on to the Jews, gypsies, political opponents…In fact this kind of connects to Dan’s point. The people do not trust the government when it comes to these life sustaining issues, and just as he said Schiavo’s name is rarely mentioned, but it is in the public’s consciousness, so too, are the images of Nazi Germany.

When the state (government) has a compelling interest in health care, the same scenarios will occur. In fact, that will muddy the waters even more. Conflict between family members, along with the intrusion of the State, will IMO, create more of these nightmare cases.

Thank you for pointing out to gensec, that Terri Schiavo was not “remains.” “Remains” are what the Medical Examiner or Coroner work on when the life and soul is gone from the body. “Remains” are what the funeral home comes for when a person has been declared dead. Terri Schiavo was alive until the state participated in her “end of life” issues.

Mentally alert??? Yeah right, just like Obama was born in Kenya, and even if he was born a U.S. citizen he forfeited his citizenship in Indonesia.

BTW, even if we buy your considered judgment that “Crist is definitely a Nazi“, where in Florida was the widespread clamoring against that supposed Nazi, to have the government intervene to keep the feeding tube in? What’s your point, that 74% of Americans, including 56% of Republicans, are “Nazis” because we didn’t support the continued desecration of Schiavo’s remains?

How about you take your Nazi slinging to 911truth.org/