More fascism

I suppose we've all heard this story, about the Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state, and her husband's court battles to allow her to die.

There are some really fundamental issues here, but not wanting to appear heartless, I'll go on record as saying this is a tragedy for all involved. It's been 15 years since the episode that caused the severe brain damage that has left her in this state.

Schiavo, 41, has been at the center of a long and bitter court battle between her parents and her husband, who wants to remove her feeding tube so she can die.

Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped temporarily, and court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, says she told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents disagree that was her wish and say she could improve with proper treatment.

Now, the Republican's in Congress are attempting to pass a law that would effectively end the discussion, and make that decision for the family.

The House bill would block the withholding of food and water from patients in a persistent vegetative state who didn't leave specific instructions refusing the artificial measure. It passed 78-37.

"This provides a safety net where the government stands up for the vulnerable who don't otherwise have a voice," said Republican Rep. Kevin Ambler.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., urged his chamber to save Schiavo.

"If we don't act or if somebody does not act, a living person who has a level of consciousness, who is self-breathing will be starved to death here in the next two weeks," Frist said.

This is pretty insane. But, it has all the key phrasing that a good Republican spin story would. It uses words like "vulnerable", and "starved to death". Words designed to elicit a strong emotional response, when the issue, at it's core, is not really emotional. In fact, the comments from Ambler and Frist are incredibly offensive, as they should be to any American. She has a voice, it belongs to her husband who speaks for her and speaks to her wishes. Frist would insist that any person that can be kept alive by artificial means should do so despite the wishes of their spouse.

Those two win the Bat-Shit-Crazy award of the day.

Not to mention that she would not "starve to death". Technically, she would dehydrate to the point that her organs would fail. Starving to death takes a very long time. Removal of feeding tubes and subsequent death by dehydration is common, particularly in stroke cases and other head trauma.

The bottom line - who decides your medical care when you are unable to communicate it yourself? Clearly the law has established that your spouse makes the decisions. That's why the courts have always ruled in favor of Mr. Schiavo. This Republican sponsored law would would take that concept of decision making and turn it on it's head.

The Senate bill could also prevent Schiavo's death, but would only apply to cases where families disagreed on the patient's wishes.

Why do the the Republican's want more and more government involvement in our lives? I thought they stood for smaller government? This law is absolutely astonishing in it's brazen violation of simple concepts in our society. When you marry someone, you give them the right to speak for you when you are unable. That supersedes the wishes of parents, and this concept has long been understood by our laws.

To be clear, I'm not projecting my view on whether it's better to live for years artificially, or simple die. That's not the point. The point is the government taking away her husband's rights to make the decision he believes in.

Why are the Republican's doing this? It's that Christian Taliban thing again. It's a religious issue to them, and where religion is an issue, they will seek to impose their views on society at every opportunity. It is part of the continuing Christian evangelization of the United States.

Whether you agree with Mr. Schiavo's decision to remove the feeding tubes or not doesn't matter. If you support the governments position taking that decision away from him, that makes you a jack booted fascist.

Just for the record, I don't have a living will or anything. If I end up in the same situation - persistent vegetative, severely brain damaged... I'd rather just die. She's been 15 years trapped in that horror. One can only hope she has not a single shred of consciousness. Reincarnation may be real - and that would get me a heard start on my next life.

Which begs another question I've always wondered about. If the fundi's are so sure there is a God, and Jesus is their savior, why do they fight tooth and nail to avoid meeting them? Wouldn't they want Mrs. Schiavo sent off to Jesus' salvation right away? That doesn't make any sense.