This year marks the 21st anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s court-ordered death by dehydration. On March 18, 2005, Florida Judge George W. Greer ordered the removal of Terri’s feeding tube, leading to her agonizing death from starvation and dehydration that lasted nearly two weeks.
For each of those thirteen days, the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network will commemorate the final, horrific days of Terri’s inhumane passing. This remembrance serves not only to honor Terri Schiavo, but also to raise awareness about the countless individuals currently experiencing slow, tragic deaths in hospices, nursing homes, and hospitals across the United States and around the world.
Nat Hentoff: Judicial Barbarism May End in Horrific Death
Published: 03/28/2005
(Jewish World Review) – Florida Circuit Court Judge George Greer has again ordered the removal of 41-year-old Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube. As of this writing, attempts by the Republican Congressional leadership and some Democrats are being made to save her, through the courts, but the odds are long.
If she dies of dehydration and starvation, this grave injustice can affect the rights of many disabled Americans who do not have clearly written directives as to their treatment when they can no longer speak their wishes. The fundamental issue in Terri’s case is disability rights — not the right to die.
Throughout all the extensive media coverage of the case, there has been only slight mention — usually none at all — that nearly every major disability rights organization has filed legal briefs to prevent what they and I regard as judicial murder. The protests are not only from pro-lifers and the Christian Right. CONTINUE