Video: "Right to Life, Left to Die"

Jackson's Junction: Video Blogging - we provide (video), you decide!

I put a lot of thought into this post. How do I best honor Terri and acknowledge her passing in an honorable way.

I have to decided to post what I believe were the two most important statements made throughout this tragic ordeal.

The first video is of Terri responding to her father (11-29-02). I am re-posting this because I hope it reminds everyone who sees it that we are talking about a Live  human being with the ability to respond to questions from her father. Respond in a crystal clear voice? Maybe not. But respond she did. This tape will remind each of you of the sanctity of human life. It is invaluable we remember we are talking about a human being with the ability to interract with other humans.

The second video is of Joe Scarborough who made one of the most passionate and heartfelt statements I heard any where on television while he fought for Terri.

Scarborough: "We see a beautiful young woman made in the image of God. A God who will not bless this or any country that kills it's weakest or most vulnerable citizens. May God forgive us all."

Please leave a comment and remember Terri. The person who spoke to her father. The person who fought and was starved for nearly 14 days and Left to Die.

Please be sure to read Dirty Harry's post regarding the audio tape of Terri and her dad!

You can also watch the interviews of the nurses who cared for Terri HERE.

You can watch video of Scarborough' tribute to Pope John Paul II here.

 

 

Please note: Click > button to start video. This video requires Windows Media Player and may take a moment to fully load.

Comments

[Tom Grey - Liberty Dad]

Great videos - I will be using them tomorrow in my short pro-life talk about Terri. To be given in Slovakia.

Thanks. (I have some Terri posts, too. See this. )

[kitty]

Terri's murder was too easy. With the full attention of the world, Michael Schiavo killed her with the sanction of Judge Greer. We should all be afraid of our future now.

[Peggy Leonard]

While I'm not a fan of Scarborough, he has hit the nail on the head, this time. Who IS next?

[alison darnell]

I wish Terri had been from some other country, so that we might have then gone to save her.

[Sherri R.]

As a Christian and a registered pharmacist with hospital experience, I believe that it is morally wrong to withdraw food and especially hydration. It is generally standard practice to hang a bag of intravenous fluids even for dying patients. My grandmother died from complications after a broken hip. We would never have withdrawn hydration from her. What is so sad about Terri is that she may have been able to swallow food and water, but the judge would not allow it.

[Diane]

Those start the tears all up again.

I pray for wisdom that we know what to do next, and the courage and conviction to carry it out.

[justwantoknow]

Sherri - I agree. It is exactly because the legally blind Judge Greer FORBID Terri from receiving nourishment and hydration through artificial &/or NATURAL means that resulted in Terri's MURDER.

I continue to weep, for Terri's family. I remain overwhelmed with frustration and helplessness over this situation. I cannot even begin to fathom the depths of emotion Terri and her family were plunged into at the hands of Schiavo/Felos/Greer. The magnitude of recently witnessed judicial tyranny is beyond the scope of my imagination.

[Hermann B (South Africa)]

I find it astonishing (putting it mildly) that the US judicial system could legally murder a person. What guarantees does that give othe US citizens? I thought the whole point of the courts were to PROTECT peoples rights? Or I missing something???

[Donna]

Powerful. Thank you for sharing these video clips. I will pass your link to some friends...

[Edith Iriarte (Orange)]

I wonder if the folks who say that Terri was not suffering and feeling so peaceful had already experienced such ordeal. Ever notice that the people who are in favor always know how exactly the feelings are.....or is it just their total guilt coming out verbally as denials that what they had done to someone like Terri Schiavo is ok and pretty painless. Yes, what Michael Schiavo and his co-horts (followers along with those judges) are as callous as they come in regards to a human life. Wonder if these folks will even starve their animals.

Thanks for allowing me to air my thoughts.

[KF]

I know Terri's spirit will live forever. Spirits are truly alive. I also know George Felos was asked if he felt Terri's spirit ever visited him. If Terri's spirit hasn't visited him yet, it will soon. I am sure her spirit is with her family now. When the time comes for retribution, I am sure Terri's spirit will know exactly where it is going. God Bless George Felos, Michael Shiavo, and Judge Greer. They are going to need strength. A Nation will forever. remember.
God already blessed the Schindler family, this has been shown. They have remained strong, and their strength will only grow in the years to come. They will be vindicated and Terri's soul will be peaceful once again.

[ANGELA]

WHEN I HEARD TERRI PASSED AWAY IT WAS ALMOST LIKE I LOST A FAMILY MEMBER. SHE WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED, LOVED AND IN MY PRAYERS EVERNIGHT.
PRAYER FOR TERRI SCHIAVOS
**NOW SHE LAYS DOWN TO SLEEP. WE PRAY THE LORD FOR HER SOUL HE WILL KEEP. SHE WILL BE THOUGHT OF ALL OVER THE WORLD AND REMEMBERING TERRI SCHIAVOS WILL ALWAYS BE HEARD. SHE'S IN OUR HEART AND IN OUR DREAMS AND IN OUR THOUGHTS WHEN WE PRAISE AND SING. GOD WILL WATCH OVER HER NOW SHE IS SAFE, AND THE THOUGHT OF MICHAEL WILL NEVER MAKE HER ACHE. SHE HAS TOUCHED ALOT OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD AND SOME MADE THE MISTAKE OF LETTING HER GO.WE WILL NOT HOLD THAT AGAINST THEM BUT PRAY FOR THEM INSTEAD. BECAUSE THEY ALSO NEED GODS HELPING HAND. SO LETS TAKE A MINUTE AND LAY DOWN OUR HEADS AND PUT YOUR THOUGHTS IN FOR TERRI AND KNOW SHE WILL NEVER BE DEAD. GOD BLESS HER AND SHES ALIVE ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS.

[Lin M. M]

I wonder what would happen to me if the S.P.C.A. was informed that I was doing the same thing to my dog. I am certain that I would go to jail, or pay a huge fine as soon as they took him away from me. I continue to be outraged at the whole situation. I am sure that I would have felt the same as her parents did if that had been my daughter. Which of the two sins are greater, adultry or murder.

[alex]

i am very sorry about her deathe i give you my deepest sympathy to you keep strong and dont give up
alex age 11

[Jennifer D]

Sorry Big Bro, I have to respond, like u knew I would!

The death of Terri Shiavo has definately been extremely diffcult for the entire nation watching. I really and truly feel the deepest sympathies for her family and friends for their loss.
We have to look at REALITY and FACTS. I agree, we are talking about a human life but we are also talking about a life that has no quality and no function. Watching the videos of her making noises and moving would make anyone especially her family believe there was hope for recovery. But I ask, where are videos of her from earlier years? How about when it first happened? Or 5 years later? The videos that have been posted all over the media are of her in 2001 & 2002 and only of her with her parents. What about doctors? any other physicians? her husband? I find it hard to believe that this women had any brain capacity left. The only doctors repsonses I have heard anywhere is that she was braindead with no hope of recovery. I have not seen any drs that have stated she had any comprehesion of her surroundings. I agree, her husband is wrong for the treatment of her family, but he will have to deal with a higher power about his actions. After all these years of legal fighting over her rights, doesn't she have the right to be at peace and be with God? No one should be denyed that. This was not starvation, this was not murder, and this was not inhumane to let this women die in peace. Allowing her soul to go on to a better place was the most humane event that could happen to any person.

[Gary C]

Terri Shiavo was murdered plain and simple. It is called Judicide and its the latest thing for the men in black.

Oh and Jen D, We have to look at REALITY and FACTS? Like medicine is an exact science?
Coach Rob Graham
He's been in a persistent vegetative state for more than a month, but a popular high school basketball coach has awakened.
http://bishopmoore.org/phpwebsite/
Coach Rob Graham, 33, collapsed of a heart attack in February during a championship game. When a police officer tried to resuscitate him with a portable defibrillator, the device failed and it took another 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

Doctors say they had slim hopes he'd survive. But, on Good Friday, he suddenly showed signs of recovery.

"Nurses were coming from all over, and they started getting him to follow thumbs up and sticking his tongue out and then he turned to the picture of his girls and smiled, and I'm crying with him because I can't believe it. It was a miracle," said Rob's wife Tammy.

So we just didn't get around to pulling the Coach's plug soon enough eh?
A life that has no quality and no function? By your definition? So where do the homeless and the bedridden fall in this measure you have for a right to life? Bet we could really raise the quality of our own lives if we just got rid of all the non-functioning types.
God help us.
Seriously.

[Trey]

Jennifer D-

I think everyone who visits this site knows that I only comment on a rare occasion. Your post above has prompted one of those moments.

First:
"We have to look at REALITY and FACTS".
Let's do, because you have either (a) failed to do so yourself or (b) ignored them when presented.

Your entire questioning regarding why there aren't more videos of Terri shows you have NOT followed this case. The courts (via filings by Michael Schiavo) banned all filming/photographing and recording of Terri in 2001.So- the real question isn't where are the videos- the real question is why didn't Michael Schiavo and/or the courts want the world to see or hear from Terri? Were they afraid we would see a disabled human being who was capable of responding to those around her and expressing her likes/dislikes/pleasures and displeasures? And if you are able to do these things in some way, wouldn't that be considered "communicating"?

With regards to your questions about there being no doctors in favor of Terri... you missed the mark...Again. Ever hear of Dr. Hammesfher?

"This was not starvation, this was not murder, and this was not inhumane to let this women die in peace."

Being denied food and water is not starvation? You are the first person I have heard make that 'obscene' and 'ridiculous' claim.

Not murder and not inhumane? You should really reconsider those statements before you make them again. I know you, and you wouldn't allow a 50 year old blind, crippled and deaf cat to starve... but you would allow a human being to be slowly (14 days) STARVED until they died? I don't think so.

I do agree that she is in a better place. A place where she will be loved and will be free to be Terri once again. However, there is nothing humane about the way "we" (as in society, courts, elected officials and Michael Schiavo) delivered her to her maker.

We are all created in the image of God. Let him choose when it is time for you to come home, not your husband.

[Jo Ann G]

Bravo, Trey and Gary C.

I wonder how long George Greer would let his child lay in a hospital bed, heart pumping in their chest, eyes moving in their head, lips curving with the promise of a soon to be audible sentence before he decided to petition against that fighting life and ask for death. I doubt it would occur.

I also wonder, if in twenty years or so, what Michael would do if, God forbid, his soon to be born child is stricken by some unfortunate disaster that left him/her unable to move a spoon from their plate to their mouth, if he would feel the same way. I doubt that too.

Michael had no right to Terri's life once his pants hit the floor of another womans' bedroom.
And Greer had no right letting him keep that right.

This IS Judicide, and as Americans we should all be feeling this slap in the face. Why oh WHY does a SPOUSE have the RIGHT to DECIDE life or death? Isn't domestic violence AGAINST THE LAW? ... and now it is condoned in our Courts.

Shame on you Jen. I KNOW your feelings will chage once you have children of your own... and if you DO have those children already, I hope you pray daily that you are not faced with this atrocity.

[Jo Ann G]

Oh, and Jen D? Is a Neurologist on your list of doctors you were referring to, which none had come to Terri's defense? Please, read this:

http://terrisfight.org/documents/032305cheshire.pdf

... and remember that Terri had not been afforded any rights, other than to eat, in more than three years. Hence, no testing since beginning signs of improvement, and no way to know (other than heresay), whether or not she actually WAS in a permanent vegitative state or not.

Please visit terrisfight.org

[St. Ray]

You people are out of your minds...Do you even realize how much you've been lied to about this case? The media should be ashamed of themselves for allowing all these charlatans on their shows to promote a political agenda and get all you brainwashed sheep worked up into a lather. Lets talk about all the people who've died because of the Bush administration and his neocon PNAC agenda. Why is it Terri Shiavo is so important, yet Iraqi, Afghani, Ugandan, and Palestinian men, women, and children dying because of Bush policies doesn't mean anything? I suppose if Scarborough or Fox was to spend two solid weeks talking about the little 14 year old Iraqi girl whose parents were murdered right in front of her eyes by US soldiers than maybe you'd all wake up from your slumbers. I suggest if you want the truth about each and every one of these broadcasts that have gotten you all so worked up, you go over to www.mediamatters.org to dicipher fact from fiction. The true guilty party in this whole tragic case are Frist, DeLay, Santorum, MSNBC, FOX cable news, and CNN.

[peace]

Its ashame what this worlds coming too. i;ll put it nice and to the point ! anyone stood between me and my dying daughter when about to take her last breath.IT WOULD NOT HAPPIN !

[Jo Ann G]

Yes, Ray. The world is full of tragic moments. I was not able to, like you, whisper in that soldiers ear to hold fire, as much as I wish I could have. If I had been told three weeks ago that the soldier was going to shoot that childs parents in front of her, maybe I could have shouted at him to hold that fire loud enough for him to hear. And I am sure that that soldier, doing his duty, will live the rest of his life with those nightmares. I would have tried to stop it if I could. Unfortunately, I did not know until the deed was done. It was over in an instant. I was not there, I could do nothing to prevent it - much like the soldier.

I am here, though. We as a nation watched this woman die, knew two weeks in advance that her death was imminent. Yes, I shouted, and I was heard.. and ya know what? NOTHING was prevented. Michael Schiavo feels no remorse, and since I couldn't help stop her murder, it is now a goal to give him the gift of guilt. I want him to have those nightmares he deserves... and so do millions of other heartfilled Americans.

I digress nonetheless, and say that I am still here, and I can say that I TRIED this time!

[Georgie U]

Only an ignorant and misinformed individual would say dehydration and starvation are humane and compassionate.
I saw my brother die that way but he with his own mouth refused food and water as he was dying of a disease called cancer.
It was not peaceful and beautiful. It was painful and horrible and he looked like a skeleton when he left this world to the better place.
Terri did not choose it and neither did God. Judge Greer, George Felos and an Adulterous husband did...among others who think they choose what is a quality life.
All crooked as a dogs hind leg.

[Jennifer D]

Wow, I didn't know having an opinion made me ingorant, misinformed, heartless and uncompassionate. Look, I am none of those things.
Apparently , not everything I wrote was read completely. Michael Shiavo is not a good husband or a good person by any means. Nor do I agree with his treatment of Terri or her family. He is selfish and heartless. Since he was ready to move on to another women, he should have handed over all care of Terri to her family. He should have been more understanding of her families wishes and feelings before any of this got to the legal boiling point it did. He should have let them be there with her in death, he should give her remains to the family, he should allow them to make all the funeral arrangements for her. That is the least he could after all these years. I think it is wierd that he waited so long to say she didn't want to live that way, I think it is terrible he moved on to another women while still being legally married to Terri. If he could have given her rehab and she could have recovered some, then he should have done it. I DO NOT DISPUTE ANY OF THIS.
If her brain processed the feeling of hunger and thirst , then yes this was inhumane. If she knew and her brain understood she was suffering and dying, then yes this inhumane. Depriving some one of food and water is starvation which is terrible and inhumane. I do not dispute or disagree with this at all. But I can't see living that way for so many years in a vegetative state. I have seen with my own two eyes someone who is in a vegetative state. They only lived a week in that condition. It was horrible and hearbreaking . It was the most painful thing I have ever witnessed. But if removing a feeding tube is so inhumane, why is it legal and catgorized with a breathing machine as life support? Why isn't a ventilator considered suffocation? Obviously, I haven't seen everything you all have seen. I am making my opinion from the things I have seen and read or whatever has been available to me. For me, living that kind of life wouldn't be what I would want for me or my family. Human life and my family is very important to me, to make it seem like it isn't is stupid. But I wouldn't want my family to have to take care of me on life support in a vegetative state of mind for so long. I never meant for my comments to be perceived in such a way.

[Linda S.]

I recently read an article by Andrew McCarthy (NRO contributor) that brought up an excellent point. (It was written prior to Terri's murder.) Terri was a victim of torture by Michael Schiavo and his "helpers." "They have her in their custody, they are preventing anyone from providing her assistance, and though she is alive and in their care, they are denying her nutrition, which will gradually cause her immense discomfort and distress." He goes on to point out that Florida has an anti-torture law (Florida Penal Section 825.102). Because it was court-ordered, it must be legal, right? A judge has no legal right to order that someone be tortured. I hope that actions are underway to have this person at the very least removed from the bench and at the very most charged with conspiracy to murder and/or torture. (See www.nationalreview.com/mccarthy/mccarthy200503201334.asp for the full article by Mr. McCarthy.)

Also, I've written Governor Bush requesting him to consider a grand jury investigation regarding Terri's initial alleged "collapse" and also the status of plans to investigate Judge Greer's judicial actions for accordance with professional standards for right conduct and practice.

We must not forget the atrocity of this action.