This really was one of the absolute worst uses of government in American history:
John K. Stargel, a Republican in the Florida legislature, filed a brief allowing Bush to issue a “one-time stay.” Bush quickly signed the bill, “Terri’s Law” less than 24 hours after it was introduced to the Florida legislature. Bush also issued an executive order to put the feeding tube back in Schiavo. Legal battles ensued, and a circuit court judge ruled “Terri’s Law” unconstitutional.
Bush asked the United States Supreme Court to review the case but the High Court refused. The governor attempted to keep Schiavo on life support through the Department of Children and Families, which used motions to intervene based on “thousands of anonymous allegations of abuse against Terri Schiavo.”
After years of legal manueverings, and national outcry, Schiavo died on March 31, 2005. An autopsy found that her arms and legs had atrophied and her brain had shrunk to half its regular size. Terri Schiavo wasn’t able to see or feel anything, including pain according to the autopsy. Bush read the autopsy and urged the lead prosecutor in Pinellas County to review the case “without any preconceptions as to the outcome.”
Someday our kids will NOT believe we spent weeks and weeks, as a society, weighing in on this family’s tragedy. I mean they will not believe we couldn’t leave these people the hell alone to work out whatever they needed to work out.
A.