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WASHINGTON, March 22 - The vote by Congress to allow the federal courts to take over the Terri Schiavo case has created distress among some conservatives who say that lawmakers violated a cornerstone of conservative philosophy by intervening in the ruling of a state court.

The emerging debate, carried out against a rush of court decisions and Congressional action, has highlighted a conflict of priorities among conservatives and signals tensions that Republicans are likely to face as Congressional leaders and President Bush push social issues over the next two years, party leaders say.

"This is a clash between the social conservatives and the process conservatives, and I would count myself a process conservative," said David Davenport of the Hoover Institute, a conservative research organization. "When a case like this has been heard by 19 judges in six courts and it's been appealed to the Supreme Court three times, the process has worked - even if it hasn't given the result that the social conservatives want. For Congress to step in really is a violation of federalism."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/23/politics/23repubs.html ?ex=1269234000&en=b374f7629523357d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

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March 10, 2005, 10:49PM

Right to Life backed law that irks wife
By RICK CASEY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Jannette Nikolouzos is angry with the Texas law that allows St. Luke's Hospital to unhook her husband from life support tomorrow.

"I'm so ashamed of my state that it executes civilians without criminal history," she told reporter Todd Ackerman.

She may be surprised to learn that National Right to Life, the organization that is helping to lead the fight to keep a Florida hospital from removing life support for Terri Schiavo, helped write the Texas law.

Spiro Nikolouzos had been unable to speak for some time, and was fed through a stomach tube by his wife at home. But she said he was able to recognize family members and show emotion. A month ago she rushed him to the hospital, where it was determined he had bleeding related to a shunt in his brain. He has been on a ventilator since.

Doctors apparently determined further care was futile. Under the law, the hospital's ethics committee met last week to consider the case, with Mrs. Nikolouzos able to participate. The committee, over her objection, agreed with the doctors.

She then had 10 days to find another facility to take her husband, while the hospital made a good-faith effort to do the same. When she was unable to find such a facility, she went to court.


'20 to 25' meetings

Judge Tony Lindsay expressed "most sincere sadness and apologies," but said the law required Nikolouzos show a reasonable expectation of finding an alternative facility before Lindsay could order the hospital to continue treatment it did not feel was advisable.

It's the same law under which another judge denied Wanda Hudson's request to force Texas Children's Hospital to maintain Sun Hudson on life support.

The law was passed in 1999 and amended two years ago. Acting as a negotiator for Houston-based Texas Right to Life, Burke Balch flew in from Washington "20 to 25 times" to sit at a table with represent-
atives of the Texas Hospital Association and other parties to negotiate the law and its amendment.

Balch is director of National Right to Life's Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics.

Right to Life was at the table partly because then-Gov. George W. Bush had vetoed a similar bill two years earlier at the request of some members of the religious right, according to its sponsor, then-Sen. Mike Moncrief, now mayor of Fort Worth.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3079622

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As the GOP-dominated Congress scrambled to keep Schiavo alive, it was disclosed that a memo distributed to Republican senators described the Schiavo case as a "great political issue" that could help the GOP with Christian conservatives in the 2006 midterm elections.

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," according to the memo. Some GOP lawmakers decried the fact the memo was leaked. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said in a CNN interview that the Republican leadership in the House did not want to politicize the issue.

"I hope that we're not making this human tragedy a political issue," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/politics/11188463.htm

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"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other"

Mother Teresa

Yes, it looks like Terri's family has sadly just ran out of options since Jeb Bush has just stated that he believes he has done everything in his power to help Schiavo's family, and is heartbroken, but can't do more without breaking the law.

Indeed I do believe a lot of awareness is going to be generated following what looks like to be Terri's tragic passing! (sad sigh) Even in terms of opinion polls suggesting that most Americans would have made the same decision to remove a feeding tube if it was their own situation, and that we may still be in the minority anyway, I still find it quite relevant that there's about a twenty percent differentiation between those who believed it was wrong for Congress and others to intervene in the matter (like myself) and those who would have pulled the plug over similar circumstances. That tells me despite 4 in 5 Americans or so not agreeing with the role Congress played and all that even about 25% of Americans in that pocket will take this as a serious issue that is in dire need of dicussion and dispute; the issue of long-term care and hospitality.

It is tragic and even disgusting where poor Terri has been left off, and it looks like she's in her final hours now! (wipes a tear) But I do also have great hope though the cruel injustice of Terri will always leave a black scar in the world of justice, this case has gotten so much attention, so much grassroots momentum, that it can trigger the issue of long-term care and legislative cushioning for the disabled and handicapped like herself, so this sort of tragedy doesn't repeat itself.

Like I said previously, I, myself, am deeply saddened and sickened that for 15 years poor Terri and her family have had to sit around for hours at a time waiting for a beacon of light to come through and for this tug-of-war game in the courrts to end. I believe the irresponsibility was borderline insane all this time. All at once, however, I do also believe the way this case accelerated to the higher offices was also wrong, as I just find it heartbreaking to imagine one side with Terri's family pulling Terri's arms and the other side with Terri's husband pulling at Terri's legs, and in the end I believe it would inevitably only tear her and her chances apart.

That's all I feel. I understand the urgency so many activists that righteously reached out and prayed for her outside the hospice had for her, that after 15 years, what more could they do then ask for a national campaign to bring the case to mainstream? I just believe it should be resolved below the federal court level and when the grassroots has her in their hands, the more likely she could finally be saved.

Anyway, I've continued to pray for Terri and her parents every day. I feel for them very much!



Sincerely,
Noah Eaton

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other"

Mother Teresa

Juju - 1.) a magic charm or fetish 2.)Magic 3.)A taboo connected woth the use of magic

The dictionary never lies.... I am magical (;