TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
Nice contrast with Dylan's story
To have and to hold
By Mary Delach Leonard
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Aug. 12 2006
Jeremiah Brower Cross will be held today — all day and all night — just as he
is every day and every night.
He will be pampered and patted and kissed.
"Isn’t he handsome?" his mom, Suzan Cross, will ask, as she runs her fingers
through the thick, dark curls atop his misshapen little head.
Jeremiah’s brain is severely damaged. He can’t see or talk, sit, walk or hold
his head up. He has cerebral palsy and seizures. And, though he will soon be 6
years old, he is the size of a toddler — just 3 feet in length and 31 pounds.
When Jeremiah was unhooked from life support machines six weeks after his
birth, doctors at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center feared that he would soon
die.
But Suzan and Sandy Cross, who would later serve as Jeremiah’s foster parents,
were not swayed.
"We told the hospital, ‘Let us take him home, and we will hold him until he
passes,’ " Sandy Cross says.
"And we’ve been holding him for five years."
‘Everyone deserves a good life’
Jeremiah Brower Cross has lived his life in his family’s arms.
No matter the hour. No matter what else is going on in their lives, or outside
their red brick house in the city’s Gravois Park neighborhood. Someone will be
holding Jeremiah. Supporting his head so he can breathe. Feeding him
strawberry-flavored milk. Changing his diaper.
Suzan and Sandy Cross’ children are grown now, but they have always helped
their parents care for Jeremiah. April, 21, has a knack for feeding him, her
mother says, while Melissa, 19, can coax him to sleep and Greg, 18, and
Matthew, 23, will play with him.
During the daylight hours, Suzan Cross, 45, is his primary caregiver, and she
sleeps just a few hours each night. She is also Jeremiah’s most vocal
advocate.
"I’ve been in this house for 5 1/2 years; I have issues," she will say, with a
laugh. But the tone in her voice isn’t kidding.
Jeremiah is not on life support, and he takes no medicine regularly. He gets
breathing treatments twice a day, and physical and occupational therapy once a
week.
Jeremiah’s heart is weak, and his health always critical. If he catches a cold,
for example, his fever can easily spike to 105 degrees and beyond, and then it’
s off to the emergency room — again.
Even on his best day, Jeremiah requires constant care. He whimpers when he is
uncomfortable, and will cry if he is in pain. He also coos and opens his mouth
for kisses. He likes big, loud smackers right on his mouth — the kind his mom
gives him all day long.
"I love him so much," Suzan Cross will say, and Jeremiah gets another kiss, as
she cradles him on her lap.
Jeremiah sucks his tongue when he sleeps, and he sticks it out when he is
hungry, his mother says. She flavors his PediaSure with Nesquik and feeds him
with a baby bottle. He can suck but he can’t swallow, so she pats his back to
help the formula get down to his stomach. She also pats him to keep his heart
going. And to fend off pneumonia. Cross is convinced that her patting helps
keep Jeremiah alive.
"Everyone deserves a good life," she will say.
That is why she warms Jeremiah’s baby wipes in the microwave and wraps him in
soft-to-the-touch blankets. She also buys toys that make noise because she is
convinced that he can hear.
At times, she looks deep into his clear, blue eyes, fringed with thick lashes —
"angel eyes," his father calls them — and wonders about his profoundly damaged
brain.
"There has to be something there because he knows who we are," she insists.
In the morning, she shoos everyone away while she cuddles with Jeremiah during
"The Jerry Springer Show." It is their special time together, she says, because
that is his favorite TV program.
Sometimes, Jeremiah will nap in the arms of one of his sisters or get a gentle
tossing from one of his big brothers.
When Sandy Cross comes home from work, Jeremiah is all his.
He cradles Jeremiah in his arm and sings a made-up song that drives everyone
else in the house a little nuts: "Booster, baker, candlestick maker ...
Booster, booster, booster ..."
Jeremiah takes his baths with his daddy, who turns them into play and therapy
sessions in the tub.
"Booster, baker, candlestick maker ... Booster, booster, booster ..."
Cross, 51, is a postal carrier. He has a walking route in St. Ann, and it is a
physically exhausting job, particularly when the weather is extremely hot or
cold. But no matter how tired he is, the first thing he does when he gets home
is scoop Jeremiah into his arms.
"I just come home from work and hold him and look at his face," Cross says.
When Cross retires, he has a plan: All he wants to do is hold Jeremiah.
‘I don’t know why’
No one really understands what happened to Jeremiah’s brain on Aug. 27, 2000,
the day he was born, the Crosses say.
Doctors say he has a functioning brain stem, which controls his breathing and
heart, but the rest of the brain isn’t there.
Jeremiah’s birth mother, Nina Brower, was 18, single and not prepared to care
for a critically ill baby. She says she was frightened to see his tiny body
amid all the machines supporting his fragile life.
"It’s hard enough to be pregnant at 17," Brower said. "I didn’t know how to
change a diaper, much less how to feed him through a feeding tube."
Brower is not related to the Crosses. They knew her because she once worked at
the same skating rink as their son Matthew. Suzan Cross took Nina under her
wing when she became pregnant, and when the Crosses saw Jeremiah, it was love
at first sight.
"I just loved him," Suzan says. "I don’t know why."
The Crosses were determined to help Jeremiah have the best life he could. They
helped Nina obtain his release from the hospital, and they offered to help care
for the critically ill child who was so tiny they bought his clothes at the
Build-A-Bear Workshop store.
For a while, Brower lived with the Crosses. She eventually decided to give her
parental rights to the couple.
Brower, now 24, has a 4-year-old son who was born healthy and normal. She says
she is grateful for all that the Crosses have done for Jeremiah.
"I love Jeremiah, but I don’t feel like I’m his mother. It feels more like I’m
his sister," she says. "They love him just like their own."
Suzan Cross says this about Nina’s decision: "She loved Jeremiah enough to give
him to us."
‘We love him enough to let him go’
Sometimes, Jeremiah’s health-care providers use the word "miracle" when they
talk about him. The miracle is not that he can be cured, they say, but that he
has lived as long as he has.
Yvonne Meyer, a pediatric nurse who was Jeremiah’s first home health nurse,
says that her job initially was to help prepare the family for the infant’s
death, shortly after the Crosses took him home in 2000.
"Basically, he wasn’t supposed to live until Christmas," Meyer said. "And now
he’s going to be 6 in a few weeks."
She admires the Crosses for how well they have cared for Jeremiah.
"His skin has been baby soft since the day he was born," Meyer said. "They went
with their instincts, and they went with their common sense. He was pretty much
held 24-7, and he is still held 24-7."
Jessi Behrends, an occupational therapist with Good Shepherd Pediatric Therapy
Services, makes home visits to work with Jeremiah once a week, and she has
gotten to know the family well.
"The family loves him so much. I know he’s alive because of them," Behrends
said.
She has had Jeremiah as a patient since he was 3, and his condition is not
easily explained, she said.
Jeremiah’s doctors at St. John’s declined to be interviewed for this story.
According to the medical records provided to Jeremiah’s therapists, his doctors
have diagnosed Jeremiah with microcephaly, a condition that results in a small
circumference of the head, either because his brain stopped growing or because
it didn’t develop in utero.
Technically, Jeremiah has only a brain stem. He also has cerebral palsy, which
permanently impairs his movement and posture. He has been diagnosed with a
seizure disorder. He is legally blind. And he has no sleep-wake cycle, which
explains why someone is always awake in the Cross household.
"His condition is so rare," Behrends says. "He has lived so long without a
brain. He doesn’t have the neurological functions to live, and yet he’s
living."
Behrends says that science can’t always explain what she observes when she is
working with Jeremiah, such as the change in his demeanor when he doesn’t want
his legs stretched, or the lightening of his mood when she hands him back to
his mother.
The Crosses have been told repeatedly that Jeremiah could die any day.
For that reason, Sandy and Suzan never leave him with anyone, not even their
children, for long periods of time.
Should Jeremiah die today, they want him to die in their arms, Suzan says. That
way, no one will feel as though they did something wrong.
While the Crosses insist on doing everything they can to make Jeremiah’s life
comfortable, they say they will draw the line at life-support machines.
"When the time comes, we are just going to hold him and let him go," Suzan
Cross says. "We love him enough to let him go."
Goodbye for now
Every time Jeremiah undergoes a medical procedure, the family gathers to say
their final goodbyes.
Such was the case May 23, when Jeremiah had surgery at St. John’s to implant a
feeding tube in his stomach. Though Suzan Cross had misgivings about the tube —
she insists on feeding him by bottle — she acknowledged that the tube will make
it easier to give Jeremiah medication when he needs it.
The surgery required Jeremiah to be put under anesthesia, and the Crosses were
fearful because his heart is so weak.
Dr. Niyati Winn, the anesthesiologist, talked to the Crosses just before
surgery, emphasizing that this was a dangerous procedure and that Jeremiah
could die.
When it was time to take him to the operating room, Winn did the kindest thing
any doctor could have done for the Crosses at that moment: She gently picked up
Jeremiah and carried him down the hallway in her arms.
mleonard@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8260
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
ANOTHER DEHYDRATED TO DEATH!!
LifeSiteNews.com
Tuesday August 8, 2006
Doctors Dehydrated My Husband To Death: U.K. Widow
By John Jalsevac
NORFOLK, U.K., August 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At the same time that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is being investigated for allegedly starving and dehydrating a woman to death in 2003, the wife of a former patient treated on the same ward is calling for another investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of her husband.
Kate Speed claims that although her husband’s death certificate states that he died from pneumonia, that in fact he died because of a hospital-ordered dehydration, an ultimately fatal measure that neither she nor her husband approved.
“The whole of my husband’s stay in hospital was a nightmare,” Kate Speed said, according to the Times Online. “They put bronchopneumonia on the death certificate, but I believe his death was from the effects of dehydration.”
The hospital’s Kimberly ward is already under investigation by Norwich coroner William Armstrong after the death a Mrs. Olive Nockels who died at the hospital in 2003 and whose family alleges that she was dehydrated to death. According to the Times Online, physician David Maisley testified last month at the inquest into Mrs. Nockel’s death that he witnessed people die of dehydration at the hospital “all the time—two or three times a week.”
Olive Nockel’s grandson, Chris West, testified at the inquest that, “I said I wouldn’t treat my dog like that and [Dr Maisey] said it was easier for vets because they had alternative means and can ‘put animals to sleep’.”
Harold Speed, a grandfather of four and former music teacher, was admitted to the hospital in October of 2004 after suffering a heart attack. Shortly thereafter a “nil by mouth” order was instituted. This order was lifted once, after complaints by Mrs. Speed, only to be reversed once again at a later date.
Speed’s wife relates: “I saw my husband deteriorate and I have no understanding of how this was allowed to happen. I questioned hospital staff but they told me an intravenous drip would have been too painful,” she said.
“I saw my husband the day before he died. He had not been physically examined that day; his records showed he was last seen 24 hours before he died.
“My husband had been in the hospital many times before and I have nothing but praise for staff there, but the ethos in Kimberly ward is terrible and I do not believe he died of natural causes.”
Mrs. Speed says that leading up to his death Harold Speed demonstrated all the classic signs of dehydration. "His eyes were dry, sore, flat and sunken. I tried to moisten his mouth...The doctor said he was very dry and picked up the flesh from his neck. It was like picking up a sheet. His veins were flat and there was an absence of mucous.”
“We trusted, and he trusted,” says Mrs. Speed, “that the hospital would treat him well, instead of which there was a catalogue of error and apathy that led to his death, unless of course, there had been a decision, which I had no share in, that his life should no longer be preserved.”
So far hospital officials and physicians have denied that Speed died on account of dehydration. Dr Iain Brooksby, medical director, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital denied Kate Speed’s accusations saying, “Clinical examination at the time and the objective evidence of blood tests demonstrated that the late Mr Speed was definitely not dehydrated at the time of his death in November 2004,” according to the Norwich Evening News 24.
“He was satisfactorily hydrated and was receiving fluids and antibiotics for a chest infection when he died. We have explained to Mrs Speed that there was no evidence that dehydration contributed to his death and he died of bronchopneumonia and vascular disease."
Mrs. Speed, however, has been offered fiscal compensation for her husband’s death, compensation which she declined fearing that if she accepted the money the hospital would use it as leverage to brush the issue aside. “They asked me for a figure but I was afraid it was tactical and that they would then not have to answer questions. Just pay, and I would never know the truth of what happened,” she said.
Cases similar to Harold Speed’s are cropping up with increasing frequency. Last week LifeSiteNews.com reported on the case of the father of Wall Street journalist Pamela Winnick. Winnick related that doctors continually pestered her and her family into quietly “letting” her father go. Her father recovered shortly thereafter.
Along the same lines, in June of this year a prominent British bioethicist was quoted as saying that it is time to “regulate” the already existing practice of “involuntary euthanasia”. Pro-life advocates have pointed out from the beginning that the term “involuntary euthanasia” is simply a medical euphemism for murder.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Doctors Kept Asking To "Let" My Father Die: Wall Street Journalist
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06072607.html
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia – Next Logical Step for Britain says Prominent Ethicist
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06060905.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
NEWS TIPS to lsn@lifesitenews.com or call 1-866-787-9947 or (416) 204-1687 ext. 444
Donate to LifeSiteNews.com at http://www.lifesite.net/contribute/
LifeSiteNews.com
Tuesday August 8, 2006
Doctors Dehydrated My Husband To Death: U.K. Widow
By John Jalsevac
NORFOLK, U.K., August 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At the same time that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is being investigated for allegedly starving and dehydrating a woman to death in 2003, the wife of a former patient treated on the same ward is calling for another investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of her husband.
Kate Speed claims that although her husband’s death certificate states that he died from pneumonia, that in fact he died because of a hospital-ordered dehydration, an ultimately fatal measure that neither she nor her husband approved.
“The whole of my husband’s stay in hospital was a nightmare,” Kate Speed said, according to the Times Online. “They put bronchopneumonia on the death certificate, but I believe his death was from the effects of dehydration.”
The hospital’s Kimberly ward is already under investigation by Norwich coroner William Armstrong after the death a Mrs. Olive Nockels who died at the hospital in 2003 and whose family alleges that she was dehydrated to death. According to the Times Online, physician David Maisley testified last month at the inquest into Mrs. Nockel’s death that he witnessed people die of dehydration at the hospital “all the time—two or three times a week.”
Olive Nockel’s grandson, Chris West, testified at the inquest that, “I said I wouldn’t treat my dog like that and [Dr Maisey] said it was easier for vets because they had alternative means and can ‘put animals to sleep’.”
Harold Speed, a grandfather of four and former music teacher, was admitted to the hospital in October of 2004 after suffering a heart attack. Shortly thereafter a “nil by mouth” order was instituted. This order was lifted once, after complaints by Mrs. Speed, only to be reversed once again at a later date.
Speed’s wife relates: “I saw my husband deteriorate and I have no understanding of how this was allowed to happen. I questioned hospital staff but they told me an intravenous drip would have been too painful,” she said.
“I saw my husband the day before he died. He had not been physically examined that day; his records showed he was last seen 24 hours before he died.
“My husband had been in the hospital many times before and I have nothing but praise for staff there, but the ethos in Kimberly ward is terrible and I do not believe he died of natural causes.”
Mrs. Speed says that leading up to his death Harold Speed demonstrated all the classic signs of dehydration. "His eyes were dry, sore, flat and sunken. I tried to moisten his mouth...The doctor said he was very dry and picked up the flesh from his neck. It was like picking up a sheet. His veins were flat and there was an absence of mucous.”
“We trusted, and he trusted,” says Mrs. Speed, “that the hospital would treat him well, instead of which there was a catalogue of error and apathy that led to his death, unless of course, there had been a decision, which I had no share in, that his life should no longer be preserved.”
So far hospital officials and physicians have denied that Speed died on account of dehydration. Dr Iain Brooksby, medical director, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital denied Kate Speed’s accusations saying, “Clinical examination at the time and the objective evidence of blood tests demonstrated that the late Mr Speed was definitely not dehydrated at the time of his death in November 2004,” according to the Norwich Evening News 24.
“He was satisfactorily hydrated and was receiving fluids and antibiotics for a chest infection when he died. We have explained to Mrs Speed that there was no evidence that dehydration contributed to his death and he died of bronchopneumonia and vascular disease."
Mrs. Speed, however, has been offered fiscal compensation for her husband’s death, compensation which she declined fearing that if she accepted the money the hospital would use it as leverage to brush the issue aside. “They asked me for a figure but I was afraid it was tactical and that they would then not have to answer questions. Just pay, and I would never know the truth of what happened,” she said.
Cases similar to Harold Speed’s are cropping up with increasing frequency. Last week LifeSiteNews.com reported on the case of the father of Wall Street journalist Pamela Winnick. Winnick related that doctors continually pestered her and her family into quietly “letting” her father go. Her father recovered shortly thereafter.
Along the same lines, in June of this year a prominent British bioethicist was quoted as saying that it is time to “regulate” the already existing practice of “involuntary euthanasia”. Pro-life advocates have pointed out from the beginning that the term “involuntary euthanasia” is simply a medical euphemism for murder.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Doctors Kept Asking To "Let" My Father Die: Wall Street Journalist
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06072607.html
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia – Next Logical Step for Britain says Prominent Ethicist
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06060905.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
NEWS TIPS to lsn@lifesitenews.com or call 1-866-787-9947 or (416) 204-1687 ext. 444
Donate to LifeSiteNews.com at http://www.lifesite.net/contribute/
Monday, August 07, 2006
THE PASSIONATE PRO-LIFER
5 DEATHS DUE TO PLAN B - LET'S SELL IT OVER THE COUNTER LIKE CANDY!
August 1, 2006 Edition > Section: National
Bush May Okay Morning After Pill Without Rx
BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 1, 2006
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/37062
In a snub to anti-abortion groups, the Bush administration is signaling that it is prepared to act soon to allow adult women to buy the so-called morning after pill without a prescription if a system can be devised to limit access to minors.
The move toward easier availability of the drug, known as "Plan B," came on the eve of today's Senate confirmation hearing for the administration's nominee for Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach.
The development, contained in a press statement and letter the FDA sent to the drug's manufacturer yesterday, seemed aimed at clearing the way for Dr. von Eschenbach's confirmation, which has been held up over the issue by Senator Clinton and Senator Murray of Washington.
However, the FDA's action was greeted with suspicion by both sides of the abortion debate. The two Democratic senators said they had no intention of allowing the nomination to go forward until the agency makes a final decision on the matter.
"They're just slow-walking this," Mrs. Clinton told reporters during a conference call yesterday. "They're just trying to have a process that can get the nominee through the political confirmation hearings."
The senators said they felt burned after they released holds last year on another FDA nominee, Lester Crawford, in exchange for an administration pledge to make a quick decision about Plan B. "They said they made a decision, and their decision was not to make a decision," Mrs. Clinton said.
"Fool me once. We're not going to go there again," Mrs. Murray said. "We just don't believe them."
While Mrs. Clinton said pressure from the White House was behind the agency's years of delays, a Republican abortion rights opponent, Senator Coburn of Nebraska, suggested political considerations triggered yesterday's announcement.
"The Bush administration's policy on the morning after pill should be based on protecting the health of women, not their nominees," Dr. Coburn, who is a physician, said. "Bowing to short-term political concerns in this debate could endanger the health and safety of thousands of Americans."
Anti-abortion groups contend that the drug is unsafe and far riskier than traditional birth control pills, which still require a prescription. At least five deaths have been linked to Plan B in America.The drug's backers claim that the rate of complications is similar to or lower than that of surgical abortion or pregnancy.
In the new letter, Dr. von Eschenbach, who is serving as the FDA's acting commissioner, said the agency wanted more information about how the manufacturer, Barr Pharmaceuticals, planned to ensure that pharmacies would confirm the age of women seeking to purchase the pill over the counter.
"We are very interested in learning how you plan on enforcing the restrictions if a pharmacy fails to comply with them," Dr. von Eschenbach wrote.
In a written statement, the FDA said approval for over-the-counter marketing of Plan B could take place in short order. "The agency hopes that as both sides are committed to working diligently through these issues, the process can be wrapped up in a matter of weeks," the statement said.
The morning after drug was approved for use with a doctor's prescription in 1999. In 2003, the company proposed making the medication available for over-the-counter purchase by those 16 or older. Last year, the FDA's drug safety office said it would be safe to allow direct access by those over 17. In the latest letter, Dr. von Eschenbach moved the bar up another year.
"Because of enforcement considerations, we believe that the appropriate age for OTC access is 18," he wrote.
A spokeswoman for an organization opposed to Plan B, the Family Research Council, said the age limit was unlikely to work. "The FDA doesn't have the enforcement authority to say store clerks are checking age IDs," the spokeswoman, Moira Gaul, said.
Age limits on over-the-counter drugs are rare, but not unheard of. When the FDA allowed nicotine patches and gum to be sold without a prescription, it restricted sales to people 18 and over.
While the FDA has not yet cleared Plan B for nonprescription use, at least six states allow pharmacists to prescribe the drug without a physician's involvement. While popularly known as the morning after pill, it can be taken immediately following unprotected sex or the failure of another birth control method and for up to three days thereafter. The medicine, which is a higher dose of hormones used in some birth control pills, averts pregnancy by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg.
A Government Accountability Office study released last year found that political appointees at the FDA had overruled staff scientists and outside advisory panels in blocking immediate access to Plan B.
Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Murray insisted that they were not pushing the FDA to act one way or another but simply to act. "This could go on with the same song and dance that we've seen for over three years," Mrs. Clinton said.
Under Senate custom, senators can delay floor action on a nomination indefinitely. Such holds can be overridden, but that is rare.
August 1, 2006 Edition
5 DEATHS DUE TO PLAN B - LET'S SELL IT OVER THE COUNTER LIKE CANDY!
August 1, 2006 Edition > Section: National
Bush May Okay Morning After Pill Without Rx
BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 1, 2006
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/37062
In a snub to anti-abortion groups, the Bush administration is signaling that it is prepared to act soon to allow adult women to buy the so-called morning after pill without a prescription if a system can be devised to limit access to minors.
The move toward easier availability of the drug, known as "Plan B," came on the eve of today's Senate confirmation hearing for the administration's nominee for Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach.
The development, contained in a press statement and letter the FDA sent to the drug's manufacturer yesterday, seemed aimed at clearing the way for Dr. von Eschenbach's confirmation, which has been held up over the issue by Senator Clinton and Senator Murray of Washington.
However, the FDA's action was greeted with suspicion by both sides of the abortion debate. The two Democratic senators said they had no intention of allowing the nomination to go forward until the agency makes a final decision on the matter.
"They're just slow-walking this," Mrs. Clinton told reporters during a conference call yesterday. "They're just trying to have a process that can get the nominee through the political confirmation hearings."
The senators said they felt burned after they released holds last year on another FDA nominee, Lester Crawford, in exchange for an administration pledge to make a quick decision about Plan B. "They said they made a decision, and their decision was not to make a decision," Mrs. Clinton said.
"Fool me once. We're not going to go there again," Mrs. Murray said. "We just don't believe them."
While Mrs. Clinton said pressure from the White House was behind the agency's years of delays, a Republican abortion rights opponent, Senator Coburn of Nebraska, suggested political considerations triggered yesterday's announcement.
"The Bush administration's policy on the morning after pill should be based on protecting the health of women, not their nominees," Dr. Coburn, who is a physician, said. "Bowing to short-term political concerns in this debate could endanger the health and safety of thousands of Americans."
Anti-abortion groups contend that the drug is unsafe and far riskier than traditional birth control pills, which still require a prescription. At least five deaths have been linked to Plan B in America.The drug's backers claim that the rate of complications is similar to or lower than that of surgical abortion or pregnancy.
In the new letter, Dr. von Eschenbach, who is serving as the FDA's acting commissioner, said the agency wanted more information about how the manufacturer, Barr Pharmaceuticals, planned to ensure that pharmacies would confirm the age of women seeking to purchase the pill over the counter.
"We are very interested in learning how you plan on enforcing the restrictions if a pharmacy fails to comply with them," Dr. von Eschenbach wrote.
In a written statement, the FDA said approval for over-the-counter marketing of Plan B could take place in short order. "The agency hopes that as both sides are committed to working diligently through these issues, the process can be wrapped up in a matter of weeks," the statement said.
The morning after drug was approved for use with a doctor's prescription in 1999. In 2003, the company proposed making the medication available for over-the-counter purchase by those 16 or older. Last year, the FDA's drug safety office said it would be safe to allow direct access by those over 17. In the latest letter, Dr. von Eschenbach moved the bar up another year.
"Because of enforcement considerations, we believe that the appropriate age for OTC access is 18," he wrote.
A spokeswoman for an organization opposed to Plan B, the Family Research Council, said the age limit was unlikely to work. "The FDA doesn't have the enforcement authority to say store clerks are checking age IDs," the spokeswoman, Moira Gaul, said.
Age limits on over-the-counter drugs are rare, but not unheard of. When the FDA allowed nicotine patches and gum to be sold without a prescription, it restricted sales to people 18 and over.
While the FDA has not yet cleared Plan B for nonprescription use, at least six states allow pharmacists to prescribe the drug without a physician's involvement. While popularly known as the morning after pill, it can be taken immediately following unprotected sex or the failure of another birth control method and for up to three days thereafter. The medicine, which is a higher dose of hormones used in some birth control pills, averts pregnancy by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg.
A Government Accountability Office study released last year found that political appointees at the FDA had overruled staff scientists and outside advisory panels in blocking immediate access to Plan B.
Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Murray insisted that they were not pushing the FDA to act one way or another but simply to act. "This could go on with the same song and dance that we've seen for over three years," Mrs. Clinton said.
Under Senate custom, senators can delay floor action on a nomination indefinitely. Such holds can be overridden, but that is rare.
August 1, 2006 Edition
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
A MUTUAL AFFINITY - Rocky Mountain News 8-01-06
Peggy Lamm's failed efforts to pass her assisted suicide measure in 1996 explain precisely why she would seek Michael Schiavo's assistance to raise funds for her 7th Congressional District race ("Schiavo blasts Musgrave," July 13).
Their mutual affinity for death has a long history.
Michael Schiavo's squeals about privacy notwithstanding, the taking of innocent life is never a "private family matter."
Both will eventually realize that even George Soros' billions won't help them elude the coming judgment for the evil they perpetrate.
Leslie Hanks
Vice president, Colorado Right to Life
Denver
Peggy Lamm's failed efforts to pass her assisted suicide measure in 1996 explain precisely why she would seek Michael Schiavo's assistance to raise funds for her 7th Congressional District race ("Schiavo blasts Musgrave," July 13).
Their mutual affinity for death has a long history.
Michael Schiavo's squeals about privacy notwithstanding, the taking of innocent life is never a "private family matter."
Both will eventually realize that even George Soros' billions won't help them elude the coming judgment for the evil they perpetrate.
Leslie Hanks
Vice president, Colorado Right to Life
Denver
Sunday, July 30, 2006
MSNBC.com
Did privacy law figure into newborn’s death?
Report: Girl charged with murder used law to hide pregnancy from parents
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:26 p.m. MT July 28, 2006
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Authorities said a 17-year-old girl facing a murder charge in the death of her newborn told lies and used privacy laws to hide her pregnancy from her parents, even as they tried to get medical attention for her.
Prosecutors said Cheyenne Corbett gave birth to a girl in the shower of her parents' home on Sunday. Police discovered the infant's body wrapped in a towel in her bedroom. An autopsy determined the baby died of asphyxiation.
Corbett's adoptive father had taken her to a physician in Phoenix in July, but she signed a form requesting that no information be given to her parents under the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA, The Denver Post reported Friday.
"She had a supportive family. Here they are, trying to do something, and their hands are tied," Deputy District Attorney Tammy Erett told the newspaper. "When they deny that information, what are you going to do?"
Erett did not immediately return an after-hours call on Friday.
Corbett's attorney, Gordon Gallagher, said she concealed her condition because she was frightened.
"Obviously she was trying to hide it from her parents. She was scared and terrified about being pregnant," he told The Associated Press.
Gallagher said he had not yet seen paperwork on any privacy rights Corbett may have invoked.
Erett said Corbett's parents did not know she had delivered a baby until after her mother took her to the hospital for heavy bleeding.
Rules create dilemma
Dr. William Plested, president of the American Medical Association, said medical privacy rules create a dilemma.
"They have given some important protections, but they have brought up a lot of problems," he said. "We're going to continue to see issues like this. It's a combination of medical issues and ethical issues, and we have to decide whose issues are pre-eminent."
Corbett surrendered to police on Tuesday. Prosecutors said she will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.
Gallagher said he hopes prosecutors take into account Corbett's age, her lack of a criminal record and "the fear and confusion and mental issues that were going on."
"I can't imagine how frightening that was for a 17-year-old girl to go through in the shower," Gallagher said.
He said psychological tests were planned for Corbett but none had been done.
"I think it's a very tragic situation for everybody involved, for the child, for both families, the community and Cheyenne. She's young, fragile and scared," he said.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14082059/
© 2006 MSNBC.com
Did privacy law figure into newborn’s death?
Report: Girl charged with murder used law to hide pregnancy from parents
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:26 p.m. MT July 28, 2006
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Authorities said a 17-year-old girl facing a murder charge in the death of her newborn told lies and used privacy laws to hide her pregnancy from her parents, even as they tried to get medical attention for her.
Prosecutors said Cheyenne Corbett gave birth to a girl in the shower of her parents' home on Sunday. Police discovered the infant's body wrapped in a towel in her bedroom. An autopsy determined the baby died of asphyxiation.
Corbett's adoptive father had taken her to a physician in Phoenix in July, but she signed a form requesting that no information be given to her parents under the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA, The Denver Post reported Friday.
"She had a supportive family. Here they are, trying to do something, and their hands are tied," Deputy District Attorney Tammy Erett told the newspaper. "When they deny that information, what are you going to do?"
Erett did not immediately return an after-hours call on Friday.
Corbett's attorney, Gordon Gallagher, said she concealed her condition because she was frightened.
"Obviously she was trying to hide it from her parents. She was scared and terrified about being pregnant," he told The Associated Press.
Gallagher said he had not yet seen paperwork on any privacy rights Corbett may have invoked.
Erett said Corbett's parents did not know she had delivered a baby until after her mother took her to the hospital for heavy bleeding.
Rules create dilemma
Dr. William Plested, president of the American Medical Association, said medical privacy rules create a dilemma.
"They have given some important protections, but they have brought up a lot of problems," he said. "We're going to continue to see issues like this. It's a combination of medical issues and ethical issues, and we have to decide whose issues are pre-eminent."
Corbett surrendered to police on Tuesday. Prosecutors said she will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.
Gallagher said he hopes prosecutors take into account Corbett's age, her lack of a criminal record and "the fear and confusion and mental issues that were going on."
"I can't imagine how frightening that was for a 17-year-old girl to go through in the shower," Gallagher said.
He said psychological tests were planned for Corbett but none had been done.
"I think it's a very tragic situation for everybody involved, for the child, for both families, the community and Cheyenne. She's young, fragile and scared," he said.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14082059/
© 2006 MSNBC.com
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Back to Story - Help
American Life League: Planned Parenthood President Drenched in Hypocrisy Throughout 'Vogue' Article
Mon Jul 17, 12:54 PM ET
To: National Desk
Contact: Amber Dolle of American Life League, 540-903-9572 or ADolle@ALL.org
WASHINGTON, July 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "Despite her attempt to skew the truth in a recent Vogue magazine article, Planned Parenthood's new president, Cecile Richards, cannot hide the fact that she leads a multi-million dollar business that thrives from taking the lives of innocent children through abortion," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "No matter how they are twisted, the facts are the facts: Planned Parenthood provides abortions and abortions kill children - period."
An article published in Vogue magazine focuses on Ms. Richards' role as president of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain. The article attempts to portray abortion as an honorable "right" that women should embrace, but Brown believes otherwise. "As a woman and a mother, I am sickened by this perversion of the truth," said Brown. "The vocation of motherhood is an honor that should not be discarded. No matter the circumstances, it is never acceptable for a mother to snuff out the life of the child growing within her."
According to Brown, the main photo that accompanies the article is disturbingly ironic. "Vogue certainly employed a cunning marketing technique by posing Richards with five beautiful young children in her Planned Parenthood office," said Brown. "The horrific truth is that for each one of those children, 50,000 babies are killed annually at Planned Parenthood facilities-a total of 250,000."
After praising Richards' work in the pro-abortion movement, the article goes on to note that Richards has had an abortion herself. "Many women who have had an abortion will be faced with pain at some point in her life," said Brown. "No amount of media savvy or political jargon can change that. The only real choice abortion affords a mother is whether she will be the mother of a living baby or a dead baby. I pray that some day, Ms. Richards will come to terms with this heartbreaking truth."
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback
American Life League: Planned Parenthood President Drenched in Hypocrisy Throughout 'Vogue' Article
Mon Jul 17, 12:54 PM ET
To: National Desk
Contact: Amber Dolle of American Life League, 540-903-9572 or ADolle@ALL.org
WASHINGTON, July 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "Despite her attempt to skew the truth in a recent Vogue magazine article, Planned Parenthood's new president, Cecile Richards, cannot hide the fact that she leads a multi-million dollar business that thrives from taking the lives of innocent children through abortion," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "No matter how they are twisted, the facts are the facts: Planned Parenthood provides abortions and abortions kill children - period."
An article published in Vogue magazine focuses on Ms. Richards' role as president of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain. The article attempts to portray abortion as an honorable "right" that women should embrace, but Brown believes otherwise. "As a woman and a mother, I am sickened by this perversion of the truth," said Brown. "The vocation of motherhood is an honor that should not be discarded. No matter the circumstances, it is never acceptable for a mother to snuff out the life of the child growing within her."
According to Brown, the main photo that accompanies the article is disturbingly ironic. "Vogue certainly employed a cunning marketing technique by posing Richards with five beautiful young children in her Planned Parenthood office," said Brown. "The horrific truth is that for each one of those children, 50,000 babies are killed annually at Planned Parenthood facilities-a total of 250,000."
After praising Richards' work in the pro-abortion movement, the article goes on to note that Richards has had an abortion herself. "Many women who have had an abortion will be faced with pain at some point in her life," said Brown. "No amount of media savvy or political jargon can change that. The only real choice abortion affords a mother is whether she will be the mother of a living baby or a dead baby. I pray that some day, Ms. Richards will come to terms with this heartbreaking truth."
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback
Thursday, July 20, 2006
IMG_1907 - Pastor Ronnie signs the Emancipation Proclamation for the Pre-born
IMG_1907 - Pastor Johnny signs the Emancipation Proclamation for the Pre-born
Originally uploaded by lesforlife.
from the death sentence imposed by Roe v Wade!!
IMG_1950 - To the ash heaps of history!
The Nazi holocaust
Slavery
The abortion holocaust
Two down, one to go!
Slavery
The abortion holocaust
Two down, one to go!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
IMG_1946 - Transformed by the blood of the Lamb!
On July 18, 2006 at the Jackson, Mississippi State Capitol, before
Almighty God, Norma Mc Corvey (Jane Roe) joined Pastor Flip Behnam and the children, of those working to close the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, in ripping the heinous Roe v Wade decision to shreds.
May their act of obedience before the Lord lead to the end of
abortion in our land.
Almighty God, Norma Mc Corvey (Jane Roe) joined Pastor Flip Behnam and the children, of those working to close the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, in ripping the heinous Roe v Wade decision to shreds.
May their act of obedience before the Lord lead to the end of
abortion in our land.
Monday, July 17, 2006
IMG_1870 - Outside the Jackson killing clinic
Sanger = Hitler in a skirt!
Hitler = Sanger in a mustache!
Hitler = Sanger in a mustache!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
MASKED MARAUDERS ASSAULT OPERATION SAVE AMERICA EVANGELISTS
July 16, 2006
Jackson, Mississippi
A team of Operation Save America (OSA) evangelists and pro-life activists attempted to attend the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson this morning and were greeted by a phalanx of anarchists obstructing the entrance to the “church.”
Faces covered with scarves seen at WTO meetings, and holding six feet of PVC pipe to
block access to the church drive way, the crowd of protestors with an anti Bush Administration organization “World Can’t Wait” erupted in to a violent attack on Adam Tennant’s Honda. The organization web site www.worldcantwait.net lists, Denver late
term abortionist Warren Hern as well as well known author Gore Vidal as advisory board members.
Adam and his girlfriend Paige, from Kannopolis, North Carolina, had just driven into the church parking lot when the unruly mob piled on the car and began beating it with PVC pipe and bashing the windows with their fists.
Colorado Right to Life VP, Leslie Hanks ran to a squad car parked across the street and asked the individuals inside why they couldn’t do something to stop it. A gentleman who
identified himself as an observer for Hinds County stated that it was private property and
that no one had filed a complaint.
Peter Haik who claimed to be a local member of the church came to the OSA side of the street and stated that although he disagreed with their members, he supported their right to be there. OSA activists requested that he make that statement clear to the Jackson police officers. Mr. Haik told OSA that the anarchist team was not part of the church and that he supported their arrest. Nonetheless, nothing was done to the violent protestors standing with the National Organization of Woman (NOW,) in opposing the OSA presence in Jackson.
OSA street preachers faced clanging pots and pans and shouts of “turn the speakers off, as they tried to share the Word of God with the crowd.
Constitutional rights appeared to be on hold as the Jackson police department stated
that because the anarchists wouldn’t cooperate and give names, nothing could be done
to the individuals who had just perpetrated an assault, resulting in a smashed windshield
and seriously dented car.
Operation Save America’s founder, Flip Benham asked the police to just do their jobs and noted, “We intend to continue storming the gates of hell and praying for the end of the wicked practice of abortion in Jackson until babies are safe in their mother’s wombs.”
To this point, no formal complaint has been filed, although Adam Tennant filled out
a two page chronicle of how his car was attacked and damaged.
Pro-life stalwart, Ken Scott of Denver, requested that a police supervisor be called to weigh in on the matter of whether assaults are allowed on private property in Jackson, Mississippi.
Officer Jenkins stated that a supervisor would be called but none ever showed up to
address the injustice.
The Word of God was preached over loudspeakers to the lost by Pastor James Kitchens, with Jackson’s The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several post abortive women told their stories but were shouted down and mocked as they tried to share the truth of how abortion hurt them personally.
“World Can’t Wait” has a Day of Mass Resistance planned for October 5, 2006.
July 16, 2006
Jackson, Mississippi
A team of Operation Save America (OSA) evangelists and pro-life activists attempted to attend the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson this morning and were greeted by a phalanx of anarchists obstructing the entrance to the “church.”
Faces covered with scarves seen at WTO meetings, and holding six feet of PVC pipe to
block access to the church drive way, the crowd of protestors with an anti Bush Administration organization “World Can’t Wait” erupted in to a violent attack on Adam Tennant’s Honda. The organization web site www.worldcantwait.net lists, Denver late
term abortionist Warren Hern as well as well known author Gore Vidal as advisory board members.
Adam and his girlfriend Paige, from Kannopolis, North Carolina, had just driven into the church parking lot when the unruly mob piled on the car and began beating it with PVC pipe and bashing the windows with their fists.
Colorado Right to Life VP, Leslie Hanks ran to a squad car parked across the street and asked the individuals inside why they couldn’t do something to stop it. A gentleman who
identified himself as an observer for Hinds County stated that it was private property and
that no one had filed a complaint.
Peter Haik who claimed to be a local member of the church came to the OSA side of the street and stated that although he disagreed with their members, he supported their right to be there. OSA activists requested that he make that statement clear to the Jackson police officers. Mr. Haik told OSA that the anarchist team was not part of the church and that he supported their arrest. Nonetheless, nothing was done to the violent protestors standing with the National Organization of Woman (NOW,) in opposing the OSA presence in Jackson.
OSA street preachers faced clanging pots and pans and shouts of “turn the speakers off, as they tried to share the Word of God with the crowd.
Constitutional rights appeared to be on hold as the Jackson police department stated
that because the anarchists wouldn’t cooperate and give names, nothing could be done
to the individuals who had just perpetrated an assault, resulting in a smashed windshield
and seriously dented car.
Operation Save America’s founder, Flip Benham asked the police to just do their jobs and noted, “We intend to continue storming the gates of hell and praying for the end of the wicked practice of abortion in Jackson until babies are safe in their mother’s wombs.”
To this point, no formal complaint has been filed, although Adam Tennant filled out
a two page chronicle of how his car was attacked and damaged.
Pro-life stalwart, Ken Scott of Denver, requested that a police supervisor be called to weigh in on the matter of whether assaults are allowed on private property in Jackson, Mississippi.
Officer Jenkins stated that a supervisor would be called but none ever showed up to
address the injustice.
The Word of God was preached over loudspeakers to the lost by Pastor James Kitchens, with Jackson’s The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several post abortive women told their stories but were shouted down and mocked as they tried to share the truth of how abortion hurt them personally.
“World Can’t Wait” has a Day of Mass Resistance planned for October 5, 2006.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Like Lambs to the Slaughter
Being pro-life activists, we see lambs being lead to the slaughter on a daily basis. In the Colorado pro-life community Lamb can also be spelled Lamm. Unfortunately the second Lamm is the enemy of the first, because it was Dick Lamm the state legislator who, in 1967, authored the first law to legalized abortion for rape and incest. He has gone on to become “Duty to Die” Lamm explaining the elderly should kill themselves, “…and let the other society, our kids, build a reasonable life." Dick Lamm will turn 71 later this year.
Dick Lamm is not the only Lamm who is a danger to the innocent. Dick’s sister-in-law Peggy Lamm has tried and failed several times to pass assisted suicide laws in the Colorado State House and now she is seeking a U.S. house seat. So with a family so obsessed with killing innocent people; who could they invite as a speaker for Peggy Lamm's political fundraiser? Scott Peterson? O.J. Simpson?
The keynote speaker this Thursday in Denver was Michael Schiavo. The most infamous spousal abuser in America.
In front of a group of about fifty supporters Michael talked about “freedom” and what right wing fanatics had done to him. There was also a group outside the home who came to see Michael. Thirty-one pro-life and disability activists were there to warn Michael and Peggy of coming the judgment. Standing at the only entrance to the gated community every political supporter had to drive passed our signs and preaching.
Among our group were two current board members of Colorado Right to Life, the past president of CRTL, six people in wheelchairs, one deaf woman, one blind man, and an unborn baby.
We pray the family of Lamms will turn from there legacy of murder and will no longer be the predators of innocent lambs.
In Christ,
Jason Troyer
Being pro-life activists, we see lambs being lead to the slaughter on a daily basis. In the Colorado pro-life community Lamb can also be spelled Lamm. Unfortunately the second Lamm is the enemy of the first, because it was Dick Lamm the state legislator who, in 1967, authored the first law to legalized abortion for rape and incest. He has gone on to become “Duty to Die” Lamm explaining the elderly should kill themselves, “…and let the other society, our kids, build a reasonable life." Dick Lamm will turn 71 later this year.
Dick Lamm is not the only Lamm who is a danger to the innocent. Dick’s sister-in-law Peggy Lamm has tried and failed several times to pass assisted suicide laws in the Colorado State House and now she is seeking a U.S. house seat. So with a family so obsessed with killing innocent people; who could they invite as a speaker for Peggy Lamm's political fundraiser? Scott Peterson? O.J. Simpson?
The keynote speaker this Thursday in Denver was Michael Schiavo. The most infamous spousal abuser in America.
In front of a group of about fifty supporters Michael talked about “freedom” and what right wing fanatics had done to him. There was also a group outside the home who came to see Michael. Thirty-one pro-life and disability activists were there to warn Michael and Peggy of coming the judgment. Standing at the only entrance to the gated community every political supporter had to drive passed our signs and preaching.
Among our group were two current board members of Colorado Right to Life, the past president of CRTL, six people in wheelchairs, one deaf woman, one blind man, and an unborn baby.
We pray the family of Lamms will turn from there legacy of murder and will no longer be the predators of innocent lambs.
In Christ,
Jason Troyer
WHOSE BRAIN IS ATROPHIED?
To the Ft. Collins Coloradoan:
Editor,
"Wednesday, Michael Schiavo said Musgrave "had no clue" about Terri Schiavo's medical condition, noting that his wife's autopsy showed her brain was half the size of a normal woman her age."
Hmmmm?
Could the 13 day starvation/dehydration regime Terri's husband demanded
have led to her brain's shrinkage?
A recent North Country Gazette article noted that, "Drs. Thogmorton and Nelson claimed Terri's brain weighed
615 grams (about 50% weight.) But Thogmorton also stated this was the worst case of dehydration
he had ever seen. "Her body cavities were completely dry!"
Because the brain is 75% water Terri's brain undoubtedly was diminished by such abuse.
Congresswoman Musgrave's concern for the appalling mistreatment of a completely innocent
woman's torture is to be commended.
Michael's small minded obsession with discarding one wife for another is to be pitied.
For his big money handlers won't be able to shield him from the coming judgment
of the evil he perpetrated.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
To the Ft. Collins Coloradoan:
Editor,
"Wednesday, Michael Schiavo said Musgrave "had no clue" about Terri Schiavo's medical condition, noting that his wife's autopsy showed her brain was half the size of a normal woman her age."
Hmmmm?
Could the 13 day starvation/dehydration regime Terri's husband demanded
have led to her brain's shrinkage?
A recent North Country Gazette article noted that, "Drs. Thogmorton and Nelson claimed Terri's brain weighed
615 grams (about 50% weight.) But Thogmorton also stated this was the worst case of dehydration
he had ever seen. "Her body cavities were completely dry!"
Because the brain is 75% water Terri's brain undoubtedly was diminished by such abuse.
Congresswoman Musgrave's concern for the appalling mistreatment of a completely innocent
woman's torture is to be commended.
Michael's small minded obsession with discarding one wife for another is to be pitied.
For his big money handlers won't be able to shield him from the coming judgment
of the evil he perpetrated.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
LAMM AND SCHIAVO: Peas in decaying pod!
Sent to the Rocky Mountain News 7-13-06
Editor,
Peggy Lamm's failed efforts to pass her assisted suicide measure in 1996
explain precisely why she would seek Michael Schiavo's assistance
to raise funds for her 7th CD race.
Their mutual affinity for death has a long history.
Michael's squeals about privacy, notwithstanding, murder of
innocent life is never a "private family matter."
Both will eventually realize that even George Soros'
billions won't help them elude the coming judgment
of the evil they perpetrate.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
Sent to the Rocky Mountain News 7-13-06
Editor,
Peggy Lamm's failed efforts to pass her assisted suicide measure in 1996
explain precisely why she would seek Michael Schiavo's assistance
to raise funds for her 7th CD race.
Their mutual affinity for death has a long history.
Michael's squeals about privacy, notwithstanding, murder of
innocent life is never a "private family matter."
Both will eventually realize that even George Soros'
billions won't help them elude the coming judgment
of the evil they perpetrate.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
"SOMEBODY NEEDS TO LET THIS GUY KNOW HIS 15 MINUTES OF FAME ARE UP!!"
Go Pat Anderson!!
Posted on Wed, Jul. 12, 2006
Terri Schiavo's widower (WHAT?!?!) takes on politicians in privacy campaign
CHASE SQUIRES
Associated Press
DENVER - More than a year after winning a bruising battle to disconnect his brain-damaged wife from a feeding tube, Michael Schiavo brought his campaign against government intrusion to Colorado Wednesday, demanding an apology from a Republican congresswoman he accused of interfering in his family's decision.
Schiavo, whose wife, Terri, died in March 2005 after a seven-year court and political battle that reached Capitol Hill, has formed a political action committee and has targeted races in Colorado, Florida and Texas.
He came to Colorado to support two Democratic candidates for the U.S. House, including Angie Paccione, who is challenging Rep. Marilyn Musgrave. Musgrave spoke last year on the floor of the House against allowing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed.
"I want to ask Marilyn Musgrave who gave her the right to speak about Terri," Schiavo said. "Who gave her the authority to bring Congress into my family decisions?"
He said most Americans disagree with what Musgrave did and believe politicians should stay out of family decisions.
"I think Marilyn Musgrave should apologize, not just to me but to the people who voted for her, people who sent her to congress to run the country, not our personal lives," he said.
He also delivered a letter to her field office in Loveland.
Musgrave, who represents Colorado's fourth district, spanning eastern and northeastern areas of the state, issued a written statement saying, "I have only compassion for Michael and Terri's family, and all those who have lost a loved one."
Pat Anderson, a Florida attorney who represented Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, for three years and remains in regular contact with them said she found Michael Schiavo's political campaigning offensive.
"Somebody needs to tell this guy his 15 minutes of fame are up," she said.
Colorado GOP chairman Bob Martinez criticized Schiavo's involvement in Colorado, especially his planned fundraiser Thursday for Peggy Lamm, a Democrat seeking a seat from the 7th Congressional District.
"I can't help but believe that the majority of Coloradans were appalled to learn that Michael Schiavo is helping political candidates profit off his wife's death," Martinez said in a news release.
Lamm issued a statement Wednesday saying she was proud of Schiavo's support.
"He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the shameful way the Schiavos were treated by the Bush Administration and the Republicans in Congress," she said.
Paccione welcomed Schiavo's support and vowed to fight government involvement in private lives.
"The government has really overstepped its bounds in invading our privacy, in our bedrooms, in our medical decisions, on our phone lines, and it's time for the government to stop doing that," she said. "Michael puts a human face on this congressional invasion of privacy."
Terri Schiavo, who was raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., collapsed in 1990, her heart stopped and she suffered what doctors said was irreversible brain damage that left her in a permanent vegetative state.
Michael Schiavo said his wife told him she wouldn't want to be kept alive artificially, and in 1998 he asked a court to allow her feeding tube to be removed. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, fought the request through a series of courts. Michael Schiavo won final approval to remove the tube in 2005.
At 43, Schiavo has remarried and continues to work as a nurse at a Florida jail. He co-authored a book, "Terri: The Truth" and said he is determined to develop his political career.
He also formed a PAC that has raised about $25,000 and contributed to candidates in seven races. Lamm's campaign received a $1,000 donation and PAC director Derek Newton said while the PAC and Schiavo endorse Paccione, a donation has not yet been delivered to the campaign.
He said he may also get involved in races in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Missouri and he vowed Wednesday to be involved in the 2008 presidential race.
Working 12-hour nursing shifts and maintaining a home life while traveling has been difficult, Schiavo said. But he said he is motivated.
"I'm not a political person, but I will stand behind anybody who believes that government should not be in our personal business, be it Republican, be it Democrat," he said. "I will do it because I am angry. Those people drug my name through the mud."
© 2006 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.centredaily.com
Go Pat Anderson!!
Posted on Wed, Jul. 12, 2006
Terri Schiavo's widower (WHAT?!?!) takes on politicians in privacy campaign
CHASE SQUIRES
Associated Press
DENVER - More than a year after winning a bruising battle to disconnect his brain-damaged wife from a feeding tube, Michael Schiavo brought his campaign against government intrusion to Colorado Wednesday, demanding an apology from a Republican congresswoman he accused of interfering in his family's decision.
Schiavo, whose wife, Terri, died in March 2005 after a seven-year court and political battle that reached Capitol Hill, has formed a political action committee and has targeted races in Colorado, Florida and Texas.
He came to Colorado to support two Democratic candidates for the U.S. House, including Angie Paccione, who is challenging Rep. Marilyn Musgrave. Musgrave spoke last year on the floor of the House against allowing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed.
"I want to ask Marilyn Musgrave who gave her the right to speak about Terri," Schiavo said. "Who gave her the authority to bring Congress into my family decisions?"
He said most Americans disagree with what Musgrave did and believe politicians should stay out of family decisions.
"I think Marilyn Musgrave should apologize, not just to me but to the people who voted for her, people who sent her to congress to run the country, not our personal lives," he said.
He also delivered a letter to her field office in Loveland.
Musgrave, who represents Colorado's fourth district, spanning eastern and northeastern areas of the state, issued a written statement saying, "I have only compassion for Michael and Terri's family, and all those who have lost a loved one."
Pat Anderson, a Florida attorney who represented Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, for three years and remains in regular contact with them said she found Michael Schiavo's political campaigning offensive.
"Somebody needs to tell this guy his 15 minutes of fame are up," she said.
Colorado GOP chairman Bob Martinez criticized Schiavo's involvement in Colorado, especially his planned fundraiser Thursday for Peggy Lamm, a Democrat seeking a seat from the 7th Congressional District.
"I can't help but believe that the majority of Coloradans were appalled to learn that Michael Schiavo is helping political candidates profit off his wife's death," Martinez said in a news release.
Lamm issued a statement Wednesday saying she was proud of Schiavo's support.
"He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the shameful way the Schiavos were treated by the Bush Administration and the Republicans in Congress," she said.
Paccione welcomed Schiavo's support and vowed to fight government involvement in private lives.
"The government has really overstepped its bounds in invading our privacy, in our bedrooms, in our medical decisions, on our phone lines, and it's time for the government to stop doing that," she said. "Michael puts a human face on this congressional invasion of privacy."
Terri Schiavo, who was raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., collapsed in 1990, her heart stopped and she suffered what doctors said was irreversible brain damage that left her in a permanent vegetative state.
Michael Schiavo said his wife told him she wouldn't want to be kept alive artificially, and in 1998 he asked a court to allow her feeding tube to be removed. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, fought the request through a series of courts. Michael Schiavo won final approval to remove the tube in 2005.
At 43, Schiavo has remarried and continues to work as a nurse at a Florida jail. He co-authored a book, "Terri: The Truth" and said he is determined to develop his political career.
He also formed a PAC that has raised about $25,000 and contributed to candidates in seven races. Lamm's campaign received a $1,000 donation and PAC director Derek Newton said while the PAC and Schiavo endorse Paccione, a donation has not yet been delivered to the campaign.
He said he may also get involved in races in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Missouri and he vowed Wednesday to be involved in the 2008 presidential race.
Working 12-hour nursing shifts and maintaining a home life while traveling has been difficult, Schiavo said. But he said he is motivated.
"I'm not a political person, but I will stand behind anybody who believes that government should not be in our personal business, be it Republican, be it Democrat," he said. "I will do it because I am angry. Those people drug my name through the mud."
© 2006 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.centredaily.com
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
SCHIAVO FUNDRAISING FOR DEATH IN COLORADO!!!
America's first abortion law author's sister in law
"Last year despite overwhelming public opinion against their actions, politicians in Washington,
D.C. turned Michael and Terri Schiavo's private family tragedy into a national spectacle for their own political gain."
Paula Herzmark & Dick VandenBergh
with
Dick & Dottie Lamm
Invite you to a reception with special guest
Michael Schiavo
In support of
Peggy Lamm
Candidate for Colorado's 7th Congressional District
Thursday, July 13, 2006
5:30-7pm
8 Polo Club Drive
Denver, CO 80209
America's first abortion law author's sister in law
"Last year despite overwhelming public opinion against their actions, politicians in Washington,
D.C. turned Michael and Terri Schiavo's private family tragedy into a national spectacle for their own political gain."
Paula Herzmark & Dick VandenBergh
with
Dick & Dottie Lamm
Invite you to a reception with special guest
Michael Schiavo
In support of
Peggy Lamm
Candidate for Colorado's 7th Congressional District
Thursday, July 13, 2006
5:30-7pm
8 Polo Club Drive
Denver, CO 80209
DICK LAMM'S "I HAVE A PLAN TO DESTROY THE NATION"
ON WORLDNETDAILY.COM
Dick (Duty to die) Lamm crafted the nation's first abortion law
and went on to call for seniors to step aside and allow
the medical $$ to go to the young.
His abortion policies created the current shortage of workers,
which has led to our immigration debacle.
He has, single handedly, done more to destroy our nation
than anyone realizes.
Hence the title is, ironically, apropos!
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
ON WORLDNETDAILY.COM
Dick (Duty to die) Lamm crafted the nation's first abortion law
and went on to call for seniors to step aside and allow
the medical $$ to go to the young.
His abortion policies created the current shortage of workers,
which has led to our immigration debacle.
He has, single handedly, done more to destroy our nation
than anyone realizes.
Hence the title is, ironically, apropos!
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
Monday, July 10, 2006
PRAY FOR THE DEGETTE STEM CELL VETO!!
President Bush's First
national politics
Rove: Bush to veto DeGette bill
By John Aloysius Farrell
Post Washington Bureau Chief
DenverPost.com
President Bush will likely cast the first veto of his presidency if the Senate, as expected, passes legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, White House aide Karl Rove said today.
"The president is emphatic about this," Rove - Bush's top political advisor and architect of his 2000 and 2004 campaigns - said in a meeting with the editorial board of The Denver Post.
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del. If the Senate approves the bill it would go to the president's desk.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who backs the bill, has said he will try to bring it up for a Senate vote soon.
"It is something we would, frankly, like to avoid," Rove said when asked if the White House would welcome, or dread, vetoing legislation passed by a Republican Congress, especially on so emotional an issue as embryonic stem cell research.
But Rove said that he believes the legislation will pass the Senate with more than 60 votes this month, "and as a result the president would, as he has previously said emphatically, veto the Castle bill."
"I'm appalled that Bush would use the first veto of his presidency to veto a bill that could help 110 million people and their families," DeGette said today after being informed of Rove's remarks.
On another volatile issue - congressional attempts to reform the nation's immigration system - Rove said that immigration legislation had to be "comprehensive" to win Bush's support, but that more controversial proposals like a temporary-worker program might be phased in as the U.S. improves its border security.
Rove said that the behind-the-scene talks between House and Senate negotiators were making "good" progress toward an immigration compromise and that there is still a chance that a bill could be passed before the November election.
In a wide-ranging, 90-minute interview, Rove also defended the Bush administration's policy in Iraq and predicted that Republicans would maintain control of both the House and the Senate in the November election.
The Bush administration's stem cell policy, adopted in 2001, has been to allow federal research funding only for existing lines of embryonic stem cells.
Researchers and patients groups have complained that the policy hinders vital research into treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.
The stem cell legislation is not likely to become law, Rove said, because backers lack the votes needed - two-thirds of each house of Congress - to override a veto.
"We were all an embryo at one point, and we ought to as a society be very careful about being callous about the wanton destruction of embryos, of life," Rove said. Recent research, he said, shows that researchers "have far more promise from adult stem cells than from embryonic stem cells."
If Bush vetoes the stem cell bill, "we will try to override it," DeGette said, adding that support among lawmakers is growing.
Castle and DeGette have requested a meeting with Bush to present their case. "I still hold out hope that the president would give us that courtesy for a meeting," she said.
Rove was in Colorado to speak Sunday at an Aspen Institute forum and to attend several political events, including a Republican gathering tonight in Parker.
Addressing immigration at the editorial board meeting, Rove was receptive to proposals by some congressional Republicans to establish checkpoints at ports of entry to the United States, where existing illegal immigrants would have to go to register, pay a penalty and show proof of employment.
He said that such checkpoints didn't necessarily have to be on the border, but could be located at airports in Denver or Los Angeles, for example, or at ports of entry like New Orleans.
Comprehensive reform is needed because illegal immigrants will inevitably find ways to enter the United States, so long as wages are so high here when compared to other countries.
"You cannot control the border. ... We don't have enough resources," he said. "You've got to do it all together."
Rove said that he advises GOP candidates to back the president's comprehensive approach, despite the fierce opposition of hard-liners within the Republican Party such as Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton.
"I cannot see a single district in which a Republican is going to be advantaged by opposing a comprehensive solution," said Rove.
When asked about the November election, Rove expressed confidence that the Republicans will weather the recent dip in public opinion.
"They are not going to be able to run the table," Rove said, when asked about Democratic hopes to seize the Senate. He predicted that that the GOP would pull off some "surprise" upsets of its own.
And though the public is sour on the ongoing costs of the war, the new Iraqi government "looks like (it will be) able to get this job done," Rove said. As long as there are signs of progress, "at the end of the day, ... the American people do not want the U.S. to be defeated."
Christa Marshall of The Denver Post contributed to this story.
President Bush's First
national politics
Rove: Bush to veto DeGette bill
By John Aloysius Farrell
Post Washington Bureau Chief
DenverPost.com
President Bush will likely cast the first veto of his presidency if the Senate, as expected, passes legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, White House aide Karl Rove said today.
"The president is emphatic about this," Rove - Bush's top political advisor and architect of his 2000 and 2004 campaigns - said in a meeting with the editorial board of The Denver Post.
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del. If the Senate approves the bill it would go to the president's desk.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who backs the bill, has said he will try to bring it up for a Senate vote soon.
"It is something we would, frankly, like to avoid," Rove said when asked if the White House would welcome, or dread, vetoing legislation passed by a Republican Congress, especially on so emotional an issue as embryonic stem cell research.
But Rove said that he believes the legislation will pass the Senate with more than 60 votes this month, "and as a result the president would, as he has previously said emphatically, veto the Castle bill."
"I'm appalled that Bush would use the first veto of his presidency to veto a bill that could help 110 million people and their families," DeGette said today after being informed of Rove's remarks.
On another volatile issue - congressional attempts to reform the nation's immigration system - Rove said that immigration legislation had to be "comprehensive" to win Bush's support, but that more controversial proposals like a temporary-worker program might be phased in as the U.S. improves its border security.
Rove said that the behind-the-scene talks between House and Senate negotiators were making "good" progress toward an immigration compromise and that there is still a chance that a bill could be passed before the November election.
In a wide-ranging, 90-minute interview, Rove also defended the Bush administration's policy in Iraq and predicted that Republicans would maintain control of both the House and the Senate in the November election.
The Bush administration's stem cell policy, adopted in 2001, has been to allow federal research funding only for existing lines of embryonic stem cells.
Researchers and patients groups have complained that the policy hinders vital research into treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.
The stem cell legislation is not likely to become law, Rove said, because backers lack the votes needed - two-thirds of each house of Congress - to override a veto.
"We were all an embryo at one point, and we ought to as a society be very careful about being callous about the wanton destruction of embryos, of life," Rove said. Recent research, he said, shows that researchers "have far more promise from adult stem cells than from embryonic stem cells."
If Bush vetoes the stem cell bill, "we will try to override it," DeGette said, adding that support among lawmakers is growing.
Castle and DeGette have requested a meeting with Bush to present their case. "I still hold out hope that the president would give us that courtesy for a meeting," she said.
Rove was in Colorado to speak Sunday at an Aspen Institute forum and to attend several political events, including a Republican gathering tonight in Parker.
Addressing immigration at the editorial board meeting, Rove was receptive to proposals by some congressional Republicans to establish checkpoints at ports of entry to the United States, where existing illegal immigrants would have to go to register, pay a penalty and show proof of employment.
He said that such checkpoints didn't necessarily have to be on the border, but could be located at airports in Denver or Los Angeles, for example, or at ports of entry like New Orleans.
Comprehensive reform is needed because illegal immigrants will inevitably find ways to enter the United States, so long as wages are so high here when compared to other countries.
"You cannot control the border. ... We don't have enough resources," he said. "You've got to do it all together."
Rove said that he advises GOP candidates to back the president's comprehensive approach, despite the fierce opposition of hard-liners within the Republican Party such as Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton.
"I cannot see a single district in which a Republican is going to be advantaged by opposing a comprehensive solution," said Rove.
When asked about the November election, Rove expressed confidence that the Republicans will weather the recent dip in public opinion.
"They are not going to be able to run the table," Rove said, when asked about Democratic hopes to seize the Senate. He predicted that that the GOP would pull off some "surprise" upsets of its own.
And though the public is sour on the ongoing costs of the war, the new Iraqi government "looks like (it will be) able to get this job done," Rove said. As long as there are signs of progress, "at the end of the day, ... the American people do not want the U.S. to be defeated."
Christa Marshall of The Denver Post contributed to this story.
DISABILICIDE?
As you proceed through the conference over the next few days, you may
> notice
> me
> and some of my peers on the autism spectrum, and some of our non-autistic
> allies, wearing pink ribbons. The ribbons are in memory of Katie
> McCarron,
> the
> 3-year-old autistic girl who was killed this past Mother's Day weekend --
> and
> the ribbons are also in sympathy with her father and grandparents, who
> loved
> her very much. You may have heard or read news accounts of the tragedy.
>
> Mike McCarron, Katie's grandfather, wrote about Katie, on the Autism-Hub,
> a
> consortium of blogs, or Internet journals, coordinated by a father of
> another
> little autistic girl, in England, whose family has become close to the
> McCarrons in the time since the tragedy.
>
> Mr. McCarron wrote as follows:
>
> "I would like to say something about Katie. Some newspapers have reported
> that
> this was done to end Katie's pain; let me assure you that Katie was not in
> pain. She was a beautiful, precious and happy little girl. Each day she
> was
> showered with love and returned that love with hugs, kisses and
> laughter...
>
> "She enjoyed having her grandmother dress her in new little outfits and
> dresses,
> and I think this is important:
>
> "We have four grand-daughters; my wife loves to buy them frilly little
> dresses.
> When my wife went into a store she would never ask for three normal
> dresses
> and
> one autistic dress.
>
> "I think we need to be very sensitive to the special needs of these
> children
> but
> at the same time not be oblivious to the numerous typical traits that are
> also
> developing. Katie was first and foremost a little girl...
>
> "Katie loved the park, the swings, the slides and being outside. She
> played
> with
> her dolls and toys; she loved "teletubbies" and brought joy to all
of
> those
> that
> had actual contact with her. Yes, she was autistic. Developmentally she
> was
> behind other children. But her small victories would create unbelievable
> joy
> for those who loved her. I can not describe the ecstasy of having her
> little
> arms around my neck or of watching her and my son roll around on the floor
> playing in sheer happiness."
>
> Mr. McCarron sent the writers of the Autism-Hub blogs some beautiful
> pictures of
> Katie. He asked that the pictures, and Katie's memory, not be used in any
> way
> to lament the "lack of services" that some people incorrectly blame
for
> her
> death. Lack of services was apparently not an issue for her or her
> family.
> And he asked that they not be used to call her a burden or paint her death
> as
> "understandable" or anything remotely close to that. Rather, that
Katie
> be
> remembered for how much she was loved, and how much love she gave.
>
> If you would like to join us in wearing a pink ribbon in Katie's memory,
> look
> for those of us throughout the conference carrying rolls of ribbon, boxes
> of
> safety pins, and kindergarten scissors, and just ask. The McCarrons have
> a
> roll of ribbon too, and are wearing it.
>
> ===========================================================
>
> We are hoping that this small gesture will help spur constructive change
> in
> the
> tragic and desperate ways autism and parenting autistic kids are all too
> often
> characterized, by the media, by the general public, and by autism
> organizations, including our own.
As you proceed through the conference over the next few days, you may
> notice
> me
> and some of my peers on the autism spectrum, and some of our non-autistic
> allies, wearing pink ribbons. The ribbons are in memory of Katie
> McCarron,
> the
> 3-year-old autistic girl who was killed this past Mother's Day weekend --
> and
> the ribbons are also in sympathy with her father and grandparents, who
> loved
> her very much. You may have heard or read news accounts of the tragedy.
>
> Mike McCarron, Katie's grandfather, wrote about Katie, on the Autism-Hub,
> a
> consortium of blogs, or Internet journals, coordinated by a father of
> another
> little autistic girl, in England, whose family has become close to the
> McCarrons in the time since the tragedy.
>
> Mr. McCarron wrote as follows:
>
> "I would like to say something about Katie. Some newspapers have reported
> that
> this was done to end Katie's pain; let me assure you that Katie was not in
> pain. She was a beautiful, precious and happy little girl. Each day she
> was
> showered with love and returned that love with hugs, kisses and
> laughter...
>
> "She enjoyed having her grandmother dress her in new little outfits and
> dresses,
> and I think this is important:
>
> "We have four grand-daughters; my wife loves to buy them frilly little
> dresses.
> When my wife went into a store she would never ask for three normal
> dresses
> and
> one autistic dress.
>
> "I think we need to be very sensitive to the special needs of these
> children
> but
> at the same time not be oblivious to the numerous typical traits that are
> also
> developing. Katie was first and foremost a little girl...
>
> "Katie loved the park, the swings, the slides and being outside. She
> played
> with
> her dolls and toys; she loved "teletubbies" and brought joy to all
of
> those
> that
> had actual contact with her. Yes, she was autistic. Developmentally she
> was
> behind other children. But her small victories would create unbelievable
> joy
> for those who loved her. I can not describe the ecstasy of having her
> little
> arms around my neck or of watching her and my son roll around on the floor
> playing in sheer happiness."
>
> Mr. McCarron sent the writers of the Autism-Hub blogs some beautiful
> pictures of
> Katie. He asked that the pictures, and Katie's memory, not be used in any
> way
> to lament the "lack of services" that some people incorrectly blame
for
> her
> death. Lack of services was apparently not an issue for her or her
> family.
> And he asked that they not be used to call her a burden or paint her death
> as
> "understandable" or anything remotely close to that. Rather, that
Katie
> be
> remembered for how much she was loved, and how much love she gave.
>
> If you would like to join us in wearing a pink ribbon in Katie's memory,
> look
> for those of us throughout the conference carrying rolls of ribbon, boxes
> of
> safety pins, and kindergarten scissors, and just ask. The McCarrons have
> a
> roll of ribbon too, and are wearing it.
>
> ===========================================================
>
> We are hoping that this small gesture will help spur constructive change
> in
> the
> tragic and desperate ways autism and parenting autistic kids are all too
> often
> characterized, by the media, by the general public, and by autism
> organizations, including our own.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
RACE FOR THE CURE FUNDS ABORTION DESPITE THE ABC Link
www.abortionbreastcancer.com
Join pro-life Coloradans at the 2006 Light on Life Banquet, September 30. Featured speaker Eve Sanchez Silver will share the truth about the abortion/breast cancer connection and expose how "The Race for the Cure" provides funds to Planned Parenthood.

www.abortionbreastcancer.com
Join pro-life Coloradans at the 2006 Light on Life Banquet, September 30. Featured speaker Eve Sanchez Silver will share the truth about the abortion/breast cancer connection and expose how "The Race for the Cure" provides funds to Planned Parenthood.

Friday, July 07, 2006
LIVE & LEARN
A tale of two (Terri Schiavo & Terry Wallis)
Friday, July 7, 2006
Live and learn
Posted: July 7, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joseph Farah
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
During the Terri Schiavo debate, there were some cynics, including her estranged husband, who proclaimed the brain-injured woman had no chance to recover or even improve her condition.
It would take a miracle, they said. And they didn't believe in miracles.
Now a university study of a man who recovered after spending 19 years in a minimally conscious state is suggesting such miracles do happen.
In 1984, 19-year-old Terry Wallis was thrown from his pick-up truck near his Massachusetts home. He was not found until about 24 hours later in a coma with massive brain injuries.
Within a few weeks, he had stabilized in what was termed a minimally conscious state. Doctors predicted it would last indefinitely. And it did – for 19 years. Then, in 2003, he started to speak.
Over a three-day period, Wallis regained the ability to move and communicate, and started getting to know his daughter – 1 year old at the time of the accident and then 20 when he awoke. Wallis thought he was still 19 years old. He thought Ronald Reagan was still president.
Even while the Terri Schiavo case raged, Wallis' case was termed a miracle by doctors and family members.
The study of the case by Nicholas Schiff of Weill Medical College of Cornell University suggests the human brain has far greater potential for recovery and regeneration then ever suspected. It also suggests gross inadequacies in the system for diagnosing and caring for patients in vegetative or minimally conscious states.
Schiff and his colleagues used a new brain imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging. The system tracks water molecules and reveals the brain's white matter tracts – akin to a wiring diagram. They combined this with more traditional PET scanning to show which brain areas were active.
The study found Wallis' brain had, very gradually, developed new pathways and novel anatomical structures to re-establish functional connections, compensating for the brain pathways lost in the accident.
They found that new axons – the branches that connect neurons together – seemed to have grown, establishing new working brain circuits.
Like Terri Schiavo, Wallis was frequently classified as being in a permanent vegetative state. Though his family fought for a re-evaluation after seeing many promising signs that he was trying to communicate, their requests were turned down.
Wallis, now 42, still needs help eating and cannot walk, but his speech continues to improve, and he can count to 25 without interruption.
No doubt some cynics would say his quality of life is not much better than when he was in a coma. And that's the trouble with the quality-of-life arguments made in cases like Wallis' and Schiavo's.
Terry Wallis – like Terri Schiavo – should remind us that there is something meaningful and wonderful and miraculous about life itself. Those who would cut off water and food to people in such circumstances should remember that's the way it began in Nazi Germany. The arguments then were all about "quality of life" rather than sanctity of life.
America seems awfully eager to forget about Terri Schiavo – to put the whole sordid episode behind us. But the problem with that kind of denial is that the lives of others in her circumstances are being snuffed out every day because of the precedent set in that national debate by secular high priests in black robes who insisted on imposing their morality on the rest of us.
Their worldview doesn't allow for miracles – like the kind of miracle that took place in the life of Terry Wallis. It defied all the medical literature. It defied the "wisdom" of the judicial activists. It defied all the talk about "permanent vegetative states."
And now that miracle has been documented clinically by top medical researchers.
Is it time to rethink the way we kill brain-injured and handicapped people?
Related special offer:
Get the definitive book on Schiavo's life and death, "Terri's Story"
Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. His latest book is "Taking America Back." He also edits the weekly online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, in which he utilizes his sources developed over 30 years in the news business.
A tale of two (Terri Schiavo & Terry Wallis)
Friday, July 7, 2006
Live and learn
Posted: July 7, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joseph Farah
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
During the Terri Schiavo debate, there were some cynics, including her estranged husband, who proclaimed the brain-injured woman had no chance to recover or even improve her condition.
It would take a miracle, they said. And they didn't believe in miracles.
Now a university study of a man who recovered after spending 19 years in a minimally conscious state is suggesting such miracles do happen.
In 1984, 19-year-old Terry Wallis was thrown from his pick-up truck near his Massachusetts home. He was not found until about 24 hours later in a coma with massive brain injuries.
Within a few weeks, he had stabilized in what was termed a minimally conscious state. Doctors predicted it would last indefinitely. And it did – for 19 years. Then, in 2003, he started to speak.
Over a three-day period, Wallis regained the ability to move and communicate, and started getting to know his daughter – 1 year old at the time of the accident and then 20 when he awoke. Wallis thought he was still 19 years old. He thought Ronald Reagan was still president.
Even while the Terri Schiavo case raged, Wallis' case was termed a miracle by doctors and family members.
The study of the case by Nicholas Schiff of Weill Medical College of Cornell University suggests the human brain has far greater potential for recovery and regeneration then ever suspected. It also suggests gross inadequacies in the system for diagnosing and caring for patients in vegetative or minimally conscious states.
Schiff and his colleagues used a new brain imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging. The system tracks water molecules and reveals the brain's white matter tracts – akin to a wiring diagram. They combined this with more traditional PET scanning to show which brain areas were active.
The study found Wallis' brain had, very gradually, developed new pathways and novel anatomical structures to re-establish functional connections, compensating for the brain pathways lost in the accident.
They found that new axons – the branches that connect neurons together – seemed to have grown, establishing new working brain circuits.
Like Terri Schiavo, Wallis was frequently classified as being in a permanent vegetative state. Though his family fought for a re-evaluation after seeing many promising signs that he was trying to communicate, their requests were turned down.
Wallis, now 42, still needs help eating and cannot walk, but his speech continues to improve, and he can count to 25 without interruption.
No doubt some cynics would say his quality of life is not much better than when he was in a coma. And that's the trouble with the quality-of-life arguments made in cases like Wallis' and Schiavo's.
Terry Wallis – like Terri Schiavo – should remind us that there is something meaningful and wonderful and miraculous about life itself. Those who would cut off water and food to people in such circumstances should remember that's the way it began in Nazi Germany. The arguments then were all about "quality of life" rather than sanctity of life.
America seems awfully eager to forget about Terri Schiavo – to put the whole sordid episode behind us. But the problem with that kind of denial is that the lives of others in her circumstances are being snuffed out every day because of the precedent set in that national debate by secular high priests in black robes who insisted on imposing their morality on the rest of us.
Their worldview doesn't allow for miracles – like the kind of miracle that took place in the life of Terry Wallis. It defied all the medical literature. It defied the "wisdom" of the judicial activists. It defied all the talk about "permanent vegetative states."
And now that miracle has been documented clinically by top medical researchers.
Is it time to rethink the way we kill brain-injured and handicapped people?
Related special offer:
Get the definitive book on Schiavo's life and death, "Terri's Story"
Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. His latest book is "Taking America Back." He also edits the weekly online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, in which he utilizes his sources developed over 30 years in the news business.
GENDERCIDE
Friday, July 7, 2006
GENDERCIDE
10 million females illegally aborted in India
Parents desperate to bear son changing nation's demographics
Posted: July 7, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

(LifeNews.com)
By conservative estimates, sex-selective abortion in India accounts for the termination of about 10 million females over the past 20 years.
"This is the world's biggest genocide ever," Chetan Sharma, a campaigner against female feticide, told the Daily Mail of London.
Chetan is founder of the Delhi-based group Datamation.
India's 2001 census shows a drop in the number of girls 6-years-old and under per 1,000 boys, to 927, compared to 962 in 1981.
"The future is frightening. Over the next five years we could see more than a million fetuses eliminated every year," said researcher Sabu George."At this pace we'll soon have no girls born in the country. We don't know where it will stop."
The problem of undervaluing women is an old one. In the 19th century, British leaders tried to eradicate female infanticide. Female feticide, however, is a new phenomenon brought about by advances in technology along with liberal attitudes toward abortion, which was legalized in India in 1971.
Kalpana Sharma, a columnist in The Hindu newspaper, says "anyone can walk into a government hospital and ask for an immediate abortion up to the 20th week of pregnancy, free, merely by saying there has been a failure of contraception."
India has a law barring medical personnel from from using prenatal diagnostic techniques to determine the sex of an unborn child. But the law is widely ignored because local officials are reluctant to fight the will of the people, the Daily Mail said.
Generally, in Indian society, woman who produce only daughters are pitied, in some cases abused and in many cases regarded as betrayers.
A woman who had nine abortions of females said it's important to have a son because of the family's big business.
"I want what my husband has built from scratch to go to his own blood," she said.
It's not just the assets of having a son that motivate feticide – carrying on the family name or business and taking care of elderly parents. The practice of providing a dowry to the grooms' family creates an enormous financial burden on parents who have a daughter.
Kalpana Sharma said the dowry demands today are nothing short of extortion. Many families sell off land and are forced into debt they can never pay off.
The affluent also are choosing feticide, as evidenced by the fact that states with the lowest ratios of girls to boys also are the most prosperous, such as Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana.
Affluent women, the analysts say, believe they will have a better standard of living if they have only sons.
Land inheritance also is an issue, as daughters now are entitled legally to an equal share of land when their parents die.
Many unqualified technicians are operating ultrasound machines throughout the country, finding it relatively easy to get a license. While there are 25,770 officially registered pre-natal units in India, one doctor estimates as many as 70,000 ultrasound machines are in operation.
Long-term consequences of the gender imbalance include the rise of prostitution and sex trafficking and the danger to women's emotional and physical health from repeated abortions.
The Indian government is taking steps to impose regulations on the registered ultrasound clinics throughout the country, but Chetan Sharma, of Datamation, says that local officials are guilty of corruption and will simply continue to turn a blind eye.
As WorldNetDaily reported in 2004, the Bush administration withheld a $34 million payment from the United Nations Population Fund to China over the issue of forced abortions.
The communist government of China maintains, at least in some areas of the country, a one-child policy sometimes enforced through a policy of forced abortions. It is believed China performs some 10 million involuntary abortions a year. The abortions disproportionately affect female babies.
Facing a critical shortage of women that could leave millions of men without wives, China is trying to convince its populace of the value of girls, who have been systematically killed during birth or after as a result of the one-child limit on most families.
Beijing has developed a five-year plan to correct the alarming disparity in the numbers of males and females in the country.
First exposed by WND in 1997, what has come to be known as "gendercide" in China has resulted in the deaths of at least 50 million girls.
Friday, July 7, 2006
GENDERCIDE
10 million females illegally aborted in India
Parents desperate to bear son changing nation's demographics
Posted: July 7, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

(LifeNews.com)
By conservative estimates, sex-selective abortion in India accounts for the termination of about 10 million females over the past 20 years.
"This is the world's biggest genocide ever," Chetan Sharma, a campaigner against female feticide, told the Daily Mail of London.
Chetan is founder of the Delhi-based group Datamation.
India's 2001 census shows a drop in the number of girls 6-years-old and under per 1,000 boys, to 927, compared to 962 in 1981.
"The future is frightening. Over the next five years we could see more than a million fetuses eliminated every year," said researcher Sabu George."At this pace we'll soon have no girls born in the country. We don't know where it will stop."
The problem of undervaluing women is an old one. In the 19th century, British leaders tried to eradicate female infanticide. Female feticide, however, is a new phenomenon brought about by advances in technology along with liberal attitudes toward abortion, which was legalized in India in 1971.
Kalpana Sharma, a columnist in The Hindu newspaper, says "anyone can walk into a government hospital and ask for an immediate abortion up to the 20th week of pregnancy, free, merely by saying there has been a failure of contraception."
India has a law barring medical personnel from from using prenatal diagnostic techniques to determine the sex of an unborn child. But the law is widely ignored because local officials are reluctant to fight the will of the people, the Daily Mail said.
Generally, in Indian society, woman who produce only daughters are pitied, in some cases abused and in many cases regarded as betrayers.
A woman who had nine abortions of females said it's important to have a son because of the family's big business.
"I want what my husband has built from scratch to go to his own blood," she said.
It's not just the assets of having a son that motivate feticide – carrying on the family name or business and taking care of elderly parents. The practice of providing a dowry to the grooms' family creates an enormous financial burden on parents who have a daughter.
Kalpana Sharma said the dowry demands today are nothing short of extortion. Many families sell off land and are forced into debt they can never pay off.
The affluent also are choosing feticide, as evidenced by the fact that states with the lowest ratios of girls to boys also are the most prosperous, such as Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana.
Affluent women, the analysts say, believe they will have a better standard of living if they have only sons.
Land inheritance also is an issue, as daughters now are entitled legally to an equal share of land when their parents die.
Many unqualified technicians are operating ultrasound machines throughout the country, finding it relatively easy to get a license. While there are 25,770 officially registered pre-natal units in India, one doctor estimates as many as 70,000 ultrasound machines are in operation.
Long-term consequences of the gender imbalance include the rise of prostitution and sex trafficking and the danger to women's emotional and physical health from repeated abortions.
The Indian government is taking steps to impose regulations on the registered ultrasound clinics throughout the country, but Chetan Sharma, of Datamation, says that local officials are guilty of corruption and will simply continue to turn a blind eye.
As WorldNetDaily reported in 2004, the Bush administration withheld a $34 million payment from the United Nations Population Fund to China over the issue of forced abortions.
The communist government of China maintains, at least in some areas of the country, a one-child policy sometimes enforced through a policy of forced abortions. It is believed China performs some 10 million involuntary abortions a year. The abortions disproportionately affect female babies.
Facing a critical shortage of women that could leave millions of men without wives, China is trying to convince its populace of the value of girls, who have been systematically killed during birth or after as a result of the one-child limit on most families.
Beijing has developed a five-year plan to correct the alarming disparity in the numbers of males and females in the country.
First exposed by WND in 1997, what has come to be known as "gendercide" in China has resulted in the deaths of at least 50 million girls.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Column raises a concern

My mailbox is overflowing with letters of support and concern regarding my last column on disabledocide.
Tragically, another girl, age 4, with cerebral palsy named Lexus Fuller is in OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria battling for her life.
Her mother, Kellie Waremburg, allegedly overdosed the child so she would go to sleep and never wake up.
Dixie Belcher is fighting to save the life of her son, Daniel Cullen, who is just 11 months old. Daniel accidentally pulled out the tube to his trach, which was helping him to breathe. Dallas Children's Hospital has decided to end this child's life despite brain activity.
The ethics committee has given Daniel's mom two weeks to find a facility willing to take her child.
Lesley Hanks, vice president of Colorado's Right to Life, e-mailed me about 4-year-old Dylan Walborn. His parents opted to starve this little boy with cerebral palsy in December 2005. It took the little guy 24 days to die.
Every facet of his death was meticulously chronicled by The Denver Post. It was called a mercy killing.
After reading about the death of Katie McCarron, the 3-year-old with autism from Morton. I have perused many blogs on autism. I was greatly disturbed to read an e-mail from grandparents who are concerned that their daughter might be planning to kill their granddaughter with autism.
The media has hammered the horror of raising a child with a disability way too much, which puts kids with disabilities at risk.
Today in an e-mail, a loving parent sent me a photo of their son Stephen. He has the happiest grin. This son with autism is well loved, as are most kids with disabilities.
On a happier note, it is my anniversary. I have been writing this column for two years. I recently received these comments in an e-mail:
Think about this: if your parents would have killed you, then I and many others would not be reading your articles. Who would be the voice, conscience for our society? You have shared your thoughts and expertise regarding people with disabilities. Your powers and influence are far-reaching. You never know whose eyes you might be opening each and every time one of your articles is published. This would never happen if someone had decided to kill you because you had disabilities. Keep up your excellent work, Kathy.
I am truly amazed at the far-reaching realms of my columns. They are picked up and shared, even debated, on numerous sites. I am truly grateful to The Herald News for the opportunity to help thousands of people with disabilities near and far who contact me.
I want to thank Rose Panieri and Jan Larsen for believing in me. Jan is without a doubt the best editor I have ever worked for.
And, a big thank you to my loyal readers. I am glad that I have touched your hearts. You have certainly touched mine.
- Valerie Brew-Parrish is an advocate, educator, and lecturer. Contact her at Val4info@comcast.net

My mailbox is overflowing with letters of support and concern regarding my last column on disabledocide.
Tragically, another girl, age 4, with cerebral palsy named Lexus Fuller is in OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria battling for her life.
Her mother, Kellie Waremburg, allegedly overdosed the child so she would go to sleep and never wake up.
Dixie Belcher is fighting to save the life of her son, Daniel Cullen, who is just 11 months old. Daniel accidentally pulled out the tube to his trach, which was helping him to breathe. Dallas Children's Hospital has decided to end this child's life despite brain activity.
The ethics committee has given Daniel's mom two weeks to find a facility willing to take her child.
Lesley Hanks, vice president of Colorado's Right to Life, e-mailed me about 4-year-old Dylan Walborn. His parents opted to starve this little boy with cerebral palsy in December 2005. It took the little guy 24 days to die.
Every facet of his death was meticulously chronicled by The Denver Post. It was called a mercy killing.
After reading about the death of Katie McCarron, the 3-year-old with autism from Morton. I have perused many blogs on autism. I was greatly disturbed to read an e-mail from grandparents who are concerned that their daughter might be planning to kill their granddaughter with autism.
The media has hammered the horror of raising a child with a disability way too much, which puts kids with disabilities at risk.
Today in an e-mail, a loving parent sent me a photo of their son Stephen. He has the happiest grin. This son with autism is well loved, as are most kids with disabilities.
On a happier note, it is my anniversary. I have been writing this column for two years. I recently received these comments in an e-mail:
Think about this: if your parents would have killed you, then I and many others would not be reading your articles. Who would be the voice, conscience for our society? You have shared your thoughts and expertise regarding people with disabilities. Your powers and influence are far-reaching. You never know whose eyes you might be opening each and every time one of your articles is published. This would never happen if someone had decided to kill you because you had disabilities. Keep up your excellent work, Kathy.
I am truly amazed at the far-reaching realms of my columns. They are picked up and shared, even debated, on numerous sites. I am truly grateful to The Herald News for the opportunity to help thousands of people with disabilities near and far who contact me.
I want to thank Rose Panieri and Jan Larsen for believing in me. Jan is without a doubt the best editor I have ever worked for.
And, a big thank you to my loyal readers. I am glad that I have touched your hearts. You have certainly touched mine.
- Valerie Brew-Parrish is an advocate, educator, and lecturer. Contact her at Val4info@comcast.net
Friday, June 30, 2006
SHAKING THEIR FISTS AT GOVERNOR OWENS
True to their absolutely wicked agenda of child killing
at all cost, Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood had their
“KILL PILL THRILL DAY” Plan B give-away all
over Colorado June 30, 2006.
When Denver’s 7 News contacted Colorado Right to Life
for a comment, V.P. Leslie Hanks, drove to Planned Parenthood’s
press conference with her Center for Bio-Ethical Reform poster
illustrating what “choice” looks like.
Fortuitously, channels 2, 4, Fox News and UniVision were also
willing to hear a differing perspective from the reprehensible
marketing ploy the abortion industry is using, to grab the attention
of sexually active young teens.
Hanks was able to make several points that wouldn’t have otherwise
been made public at the propaganda press event. Designed to embarrass
Governor Bill Owens for his veto of Representative Betty Boyd’s
so called “emergency contraception” measure last session, the pro-aborts
fought back by passing out the kill pill like candy.
Foremost, she noted that, like a drug pusher trying to hook future junkies,
PP pays only $4.25 for the pill but plans to charge $30 for subsequent
pill requests, according to research done by American Life League.
Channel 7 News reported that Plan B was given away all day today to 2,000 girls and women in Colorado.
The point was also made that this pill may make young girls ever more
vulnerable to adult male exploitation.
Hanks also explained to the press that Life Dynamics has caught Colorado Planned Parenthood clinics telling very young girls that they don’t need to admit the age of the adult males who have impregnated them. Accordingly, statutory rapists appear to have a free pass in Colorado.
When Hanks and several others met with Colorado AG, John Suthers’ office
last fall to play the tape of the Life Dynamics sting, they were told that nothing
could be done.
“Finally, no one can predict the long term effects of how these large amounts of hormones will impact the future reproductive health of these young girls, who will have
ever more reasons to avoid chastity, as boy friends tell them Plan B will solve
their problems,” said CRL V.P. Leslie Hanks.
True to their absolutely wicked agenda of child killing
at all cost, Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood had their
“KILL PILL THRILL DAY” Plan B give-away all
over Colorado June 30, 2006.
When Denver’s 7 News contacted Colorado Right to Life
for a comment, V.P. Leslie Hanks, drove to Planned Parenthood’s
press conference with her Center for Bio-Ethical Reform poster
illustrating what “choice” looks like.
Fortuitously, channels 2, 4, Fox News and UniVision were also
willing to hear a differing perspective from the reprehensible
marketing ploy the abortion industry is using, to grab the attention
of sexually active young teens.
Hanks was able to make several points that wouldn’t have otherwise
been made public at the propaganda press event. Designed to embarrass
Governor Bill Owens for his veto of Representative Betty Boyd’s
so called “emergency contraception” measure last session, the pro-aborts
fought back by passing out the kill pill like candy.
Foremost, she noted that, like a drug pusher trying to hook future junkies,
PP pays only $4.25 for the pill but plans to charge $30 for subsequent
pill requests, according to research done by American Life League.
Channel 7 News reported that Plan B was given away all day today to 2,000 girls and women in Colorado.
The point was also made that this pill may make young girls ever more
vulnerable to adult male exploitation.
Hanks also explained to the press that Life Dynamics has caught Colorado Planned Parenthood clinics telling very young girls that they don’t need to admit the age of the adult males who have impregnated them. Accordingly, statutory rapists appear to have a free pass in Colorado.
When Hanks and several others met with Colorado AG, John Suthers’ office
last fall to play the tape of the Life Dynamics sting, they were told that nothing
could be done.
“Finally, no one can predict the long term effects of how these large amounts of hormones will impact the future reproductive health of these young girls, who will have
ever more reasons to avoid chastity, as boy friends tell them Plan B will solve
their problems,” said CRL V.P. Leslie Hanks.
Monday, June 26, 2006
NOTE TO WARREN, BILL AND MELINDA:
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE BILLIONS TO A HATE GROUP?
"We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,
and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of
their more rebellious members!" Margaret Sanger, Founder of Planned Parenthood
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE BILLIONS TO A HATE GROUP?
"We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,
and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of
their more rebellious members!" Margaret Sanger, Founder of Planned Parenthood
COLORADO AG JOHN SUTHERS' NEW FOUND
CONCERN ABOUT STATUTORY RAPE
Sent to the Rocky Mountain News
Editor,
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers' sudden concern
for under age girls being exploited by adult men is rather
baffling.
Last fall, several of us shared audio tape of a Colorado Planned Parenthood
clinic telling underage girls that they shouldn't admit the age of the
adult male who impregnated them, prior to receiving abortions.
We were told that the Attorney General had no jurisdiction over
that matter - it was in fact the purview of the Denver District Attorney.
Mr. Ritter, unfortunately, had indicated he would not do anything either
to make a difference for young girls exploited by adult males.
All the pro-life posturing aside, the girls lives are devastated,
while politicians refuse to do the right thing to protect them
from statutory rapists.
They should look to Kansas AG Phil Kline for an example
of an elected official who cares about children.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
CONCERN ABOUT STATUTORY RAPE
Sent to the Rocky Mountain News
Editor,
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers' sudden concern
for under age girls being exploited by adult men is rather
baffling.
Last fall, several of us shared audio tape of a Colorado Planned Parenthood
clinic telling underage girls that they shouldn't admit the age of the
adult male who impregnated them, prior to receiving abortions.
We were told that the Attorney General had no jurisdiction over
that matter - it was in fact the purview of the Denver District Attorney.
Mr. Ritter, unfortunately, had indicated he would not do anything either
to make a difference for young girls exploited by adult males.
All the pro-life posturing aside, the girls lives are devastated,
while politicians refuse to do the right thing to protect them
from statutory rapists.
They should look to Kansas AG Phil Kline for an example
of an elected official who cares about children.
Leslie Hanks
V.P. Colorado Right to Life
Sunday, June 25, 2006
ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WICKED!!
"Warren Buffett Gives 30 B to Gates, 3.3B to promote RU486"
Wall Street Journal ^ | 26 June 2006 | KAREN RICHARDSON
Posted on 06/25/2006 7:09:19 PM MDT by Excellence
In a dramatic shift in his philanthropic plans that will create a colossus in the world of giving, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man, plans to give away the bulk of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, run by the world's richest man.
Mr. Buffett also made pledges to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his late wife,...
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which has $270 million in assets, will receive one million B shares, or about $3.1 billion at current prices.
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation has been a quiet force in the controversial area of population control. It has made substantial donations to supporters of abortion rights, such as the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood. The foundation has also given money for the development of mifepristone, the key ingredient in RU-486, also known as the "abortion pill."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
"Warren Buffett Gives 30 B to Gates, 3.3B to promote RU486"
Wall Street Journal ^ | 26 June 2006 | KAREN RICHARDSON
Posted on 06/25/2006 7:09:19 PM MDT by Excellence
In a dramatic shift in his philanthropic plans that will create a colossus in the world of giving, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man, plans to give away the bulk of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, run by the world's richest man.
Mr. Buffett also made pledges to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his late wife,...
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which has $270 million in assets, will receive one million B shares, or about $3.1 billion at current prices.
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation has been a quiet force in the controversial area of population control. It has made substantial donations to supporters of abortion rights, such as the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood. The foundation has also given money for the development of mifepristone, the key ingredient in RU-486, also known as the "abortion pill."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Saturday, June 24, 2006
MORE MURDEROUS PARENTS
Disabled children beware!
Stories on alleged crimes said to focus too much on daughters' disabilities
Saturday, June 24, 2006
BY KAREN McDONALD
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
PEKIN - Recent media coverage of mothers being charged with killing or attempting to kill their disabled daughters solicits sympathy and understanding for the heinous acts, a national disability rights organization says.
The news stories, complains Chicago-based group "Not Dead Yet," focus more on the children's disabilities than the alleged crimes.
"Coverage of the alleged murder of Katie McCarron has been dominated by discussion of autism, poor support services and an alarming parade of parents seemingly eager to tell the public they've felt like killing their own kids with disabilities," said Stephen Drake, a researcher for the group, in a prepared statement.
Karen McCarron, 37, of Morton is charged in the May 13 suffocation death of her 3-year-old daughter, Katherine "Katie."
On Thursday, Kellie Waremburg, 32, of Pekin was charged with attempted murder for allegedly giving her daughter, Lexus Fuller, 4, a potentially lethal overdose of medication on Wednesday.
The cases of McCarron, who had autism, and Fuller, who has cerebral palsy, were handled differently than cases not involving children or disabled persons, Drake complained. He said the girls' disabilities should not be stressed in media coverage because they may have had nothing to do with why the parents did what they did.
Journal Star Managing Editor Jack Brimeyer said Friday he stands by the newspaper's coverage.
"The Journal Star, as it's done for 150 years, simply did its job of providing background and context on news events of great import to many readers," he said. "People wanted to know about autism and cerebral palsy and the challenges of each. We presented facts plus the opinions of experts and others. And now the opinions of this group."
Lisa Brabec of Dunlap, the parent of a severely physically and mentally handicapped 8-year-old, said media coverage should not focus on "trials and tribulations of having a child with special needs."
"I think what it does is perpetuate the feeling of pitying these children. There are so many families out there who embrace the child, love the challenge and are humbled by what is in front of them - not burdened or discouraged," Brabec said.
Drake also criticized the Autism Society of Illinois and the Peoria-based ANSWERS autism support group for indicating that feelings of desperation are normal among families that have disabled children.
"Will this increase the acceptance of children with disabilities in our schools and neighborhoods?" Drake asked.
Libby Taylor, president of ANSWERS, said her group does not advocate murder. The group, however, wants people to know that desperation and distress among parents of autistic children is a fact and there are not adequate support services.
"It is very hard" to raise an autistic child, Taylor said. "It could move any normal person to be a different person and consider things they never considered before."
Although the McCarron murder is tragic, it has brought autism to the forefront, helped educate the public about autism and encouraged communities to recognize needs, Taylor said.
"Until now, your average home did not know what autism was, let alone (know) where to get services or a diagnosis," Taylor said. "If anything, we thank the media for putting the spotlight on the disability because these children need help."
Taylor's organization has received numerous calls from parents of autistic children since the McCarron murder.
"Now, people are starting to move. Parents are now starting to recognize some of the early symptoms because they are familiar with the term," she said.
Karen McDonald can be reached at 346-5300 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.
Disabled children beware!
Stories on alleged crimes said to focus too much on daughters' disabilities
Saturday, June 24, 2006
BY KAREN McDONALD
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
PEKIN - Recent media coverage of mothers being charged with killing or attempting to kill their disabled daughters solicits sympathy and understanding for the heinous acts, a national disability rights organization says.
The news stories, complains Chicago-based group "Not Dead Yet," focus more on the children's disabilities than the alleged crimes.
"Coverage of the alleged murder of Katie McCarron has been dominated by discussion of autism, poor support services and an alarming parade of parents seemingly eager to tell the public they've felt like killing their own kids with disabilities," said Stephen Drake, a researcher for the group, in a prepared statement.
Karen McCarron, 37, of Morton is charged in the May 13 suffocation death of her 3-year-old daughter, Katherine "Katie."
On Thursday, Kellie Waremburg, 32, of Pekin was charged with attempted murder for allegedly giving her daughter, Lexus Fuller, 4, a potentially lethal overdose of medication on Wednesday.
The cases of McCarron, who had autism, and Fuller, who has cerebral palsy, were handled differently than cases not involving children or disabled persons, Drake complained. He said the girls' disabilities should not be stressed in media coverage because they may have had nothing to do with why the parents did what they did.
Journal Star Managing Editor Jack Brimeyer said Friday he stands by the newspaper's coverage.
"The Journal Star, as it's done for 150 years, simply did its job of providing background and context on news events of great import to many readers," he said. "People wanted to know about autism and cerebral palsy and the challenges of each. We presented facts plus the opinions of experts and others. And now the opinions of this group."
Lisa Brabec of Dunlap, the parent of a severely physically and mentally handicapped 8-year-old, said media coverage should not focus on "trials and tribulations of having a child with special needs."
"I think what it does is perpetuate the feeling of pitying these children. There are so many families out there who embrace the child, love the challenge and are humbled by what is in front of them - not burdened or discouraged," Brabec said.
Drake also criticized the Autism Society of Illinois and the Peoria-based ANSWERS autism support group for indicating that feelings of desperation are normal among families that have disabled children.
"Will this increase the acceptance of children with disabilities in our schools and neighborhoods?" Drake asked.
Libby Taylor, president of ANSWERS, said her group does not advocate murder. The group, however, wants people to know that desperation and distress among parents of autistic children is a fact and there are not adequate support services.
"It is very hard" to raise an autistic child, Taylor said. "It could move any normal person to be a different person and consider things they never considered before."
Although the McCarron murder is tragic, it has brought autism to the forefront, helped educate the public about autism and encouraged communities to recognize needs, Taylor said.
"Until now, your average home did not know what autism was, let alone (know) where to get services or a diagnosis," Taylor said. "If anything, we thank the media for putting the spotlight on the disability because these children need help."
Taylor's organization has received numerous calls from parents of autistic children since the McCarron murder.
"Now, people are starting to move. Parents are now starting to recognize some of the early symptoms because they are familiar with the term," she said.
Karen McDonald can be reached at 346-5300 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.
Monday, June 12, 2006
IN SOLIDARITY WITH ANDREA CLARK
Leslie,
I recently cleaned out my purse. In it, I found the
information on the lady that joined us in protesting
in front of St. Luke's Hospital in Houston, when they
were trying to kill my sister:
Sylvia Garza's sister was in the hospital (St. Luke's
Episcopal) with pneumonia for 3.5 weeks and developed
sepsis (an infection in the blood, just like Andrea)
and the doctors recommended to the family that she be
taken off of life support. Sylvia's sister, who had
never drank or smoked in her life, was 62 years old.
Her brain was functioning normally, but doctors didn't
think that she could survive the sepsis. They
"counseled" the family to take her off of the
respirator and the family reluctantly agreed.
The doctors gave her shots of morphine (which are
known to depress respiratory function) and took her
off of the respirator. Ms. Garza's sister lived,
breathing on her own, FOR EIGHTEEN HOURS. This is
with morphine pumped into her, to depress her
respiratory system and with NO VENTILATOR, to help her
to breath. When her doctor was approached by Mrs.
Garza, the patient's sister, and asked, "I thought my
sister was going to die very peacefully and quickly
once you removed the respirator?" the doctor replied
that the patient was just "very strong."
If she's so STRONG, WHY DIDN'T THEY GIVE HER A CHANCE
TO LIVE? Why pump her full of morphine and take her
off the respirator? Clearly, this patient had a
chance! Clearly, this patient could have made it!
Mrs. Garza's email is: TDWFB@aol.com Her phone
number is: 281-265-4207. She has a list of the
doctors involved in this. This is clearly murder and
since the doctors (this happened three years ago)
didn't even convene an ethics meeting, they are
legally and criminally liable. This is a woman who
was willing, after she saw the news that we were going
to protest in front of the hospital, to come out and
help us protest, because of what they had done to her
sister. This might be someone who can speak out, as
well, against what these murderers are doing.
Leslie,
I recently cleaned out my purse. In it, I found the
information on the lady that joined us in protesting
in front of St. Luke's Hospital in Houston, when they
were trying to kill my sister:
Sylvia Garza's sister was in the hospital (St. Luke's
Episcopal) with pneumonia for 3.5 weeks and developed
sepsis (an infection in the blood, just like Andrea)
and the doctors recommended to the family that she be
taken off of life support. Sylvia's sister, who had
never drank or smoked in her life, was 62 years old.
Her brain was functioning normally, but doctors didn't
think that she could survive the sepsis. They
"counseled" the family to take her off of the
respirator and the family reluctantly agreed.
The doctors gave her shots of morphine (which are
known to depress respiratory function) and took her
off of the respirator. Ms. Garza's sister lived,
breathing on her own, FOR EIGHTEEN HOURS. This is
with morphine pumped into her, to depress her
respiratory system and with NO VENTILATOR, to help her
to breath. When her doctor was approached by Mrs.
Garza, the patient's sister, and asked, "I thought my
sister was going to die very peacefully and quickly
once you removed the respirator?" the doctor replied
that the patient was just "very strong."
If she's so STRONG, WHY DIDN'T THEY GIVE HER A CHANCE
TO LIVE? Why pump her full of morphine and take her
off the respirator? Clearly, this patient had a
chance! Clearly, this patient could have made it!
Mrs. Garza's email is: TDWFB@aol.com Her phone
number is: 281-265-4207. She has a list of the
doctors involved in this. This is clearly murder and
since the doctors (this happened three years ago)
didn't even convene an ethics meeting, they are
legally and criminally liable. This is a woman who
was willing, after she saw the news that we were going
to protest in front of the hospital, to come out and
help us protest, because of what they had done to her
sister. This might be someone who can speak out, as
well, against what these murderers are doing.
Friday, June 09, 2006
WHAT ABORTION DOES TO ONE'S SOUL
Pray for lives saved by this compelling narrative!
What Abortion Really Looks Like
Julie,
You have my total permission to re-print my story. If it helps stop any one from making this horrible mistake, or helps anyone who has made this mistake, I am all for it.
Hello whoever you are,
I guess I'm just reaching out to tell my story, or maybe get this off my chest, to warn other people. I am a " sinner, baby killer and whore". I was never told how much I would hurt after this. I was never told that I would re-live the event everyday. I was never told I could feel the life being sucked from my womb. They made it sound easy, simple, painless and made it sound all right.
It is regret. It is feeling dirty.
Had I known it would hurt so much emotionally. I would not have proceeded. Had some one told me, that this would be stuck with me forever. I would never have entered the clinic.
It has only been two days since my mistake.
Friday night my now ex boyfriend was arrested for domestic violence charges against me. He had hit me several times. I was six weeks pregnant. I was given council about what I could do and what not. I had spoken with a "friend" and she said " Get an abortion, you'll hate the kid forever"
Saturday morning I found myself outside of the planned parenthood facility. It was the day before mother's day. It was a fact that hit me moments before entering. There were many people trying to hand me literature. One with a rosary, one young lady yelled at me " It's ok, you can be a mother". Her words ran through me like electricity. It made the decision so much harder.
After being in the clinic for about two hours I was finally called in. I could not afford the anesthesia, so I was awake the entire procedure. They told me I would feel a little pressure. It felt as if someone was ripping me open. "You'll feel a little prick and numbness" I felt the needle, and still felt the pain. I screamed. I tried to hold the nurses hand, but she had pulled away. I felt every move that doctor made. I heard them vacuum the child from my womb. When it was all over, and too late, they just handed me a maxi pad and a damp cloth and walked out of the room. Having a bad reaction to the Novocain they injected into my cervix, cramping beyond no pain I've felt before, I put my clothes back on, silently. I was then escorted into a recovery room.
I was provided a pill that would shrink my cervix back to normal, and two extra strength Tylenol. Every other woman in the room was in shock. We laid there, heating pads over our stomachs, all regretting what we did. It was a common feeling in the air. Tears were shed. The nurses, they attempted to lighten the room. It made no difference. We killed our children. We gave into this horrible idea that it wasn't a person, that it was ok to murder.
I sit here today, incapable of going to work. I see people walking down the street, I know they have no way of knowing, but I still feel so awful.
If someone would of only gotten to me before I even was pregnant, before I even graduate high school. It would be different.
I wanted that child. It was never a mistake, a child is never a mistake. Getting rid of it was.
I wish I knew about your site before this.
posted by Silent Rain Drops @ 5:18 AM 0 comments
Pray for lives saved by this compelling narrative!
What Abortion Really Looks Like
Julie,
You have my total permission to re-print my story. If it helps stop any one from making this horrible mistake, or helps anyone who has made this mistake, I am all for it.
Hello whoever you are,
I guess I'm just reaching out to tell my story, or maybe get this off my chest, to warn other people. I am a " sinner, baby killer and whore". I was never told how much I would hurt after this. I was never told that I would re-live the event everyday. I was never told I could feel the life being sucked from my womb. They made it sound easy, simple, painless and made it sound all right.
It is regret. It is feeling dirty.
Had I known it would hurt so much emotionally. I would not have proceeded. Had some one told me, that this would be stuck with me forever. I would never have entered the clinic.
It has only been two days since my mistake.
Friday night my now ex boyfriend was arrested for domestic violence charges against me. He had hit me several times. I was six weeks pregnant. I was given council about what I could do and what not. I had spoken with a "friend" and she said " Get an abortion, you'll hate the kid forever"
Saturday morning I found myself outside of the planned parenthood facility. It was the day before mother's day. It was a fact that hit me moments before entering. There were many people trying to hand me literature. One with a rosary, one young lady yelled at me " It's ok, you can be a mother". Her words ran through me like electricity. It made the decision so much harder.
After being in the clinic for about two hours I was finally called in. I could not afford the anesthesia, so I was awake the entire procedure. They told me I would feel a little pressure. It felt as if someone was ripping me open. "You'll feel a little prick and numbness" I felt the needle, and still felt the pain. I screamed. I tried to hold the nurses hand, but she had pulled away. I felt every move that doctor made. I heard them vacuum the child from my womb. When it was all over, and too late, they just handed me a maxi pad and a damp cloth and walked out of the room. Having a bad reaction to the Novocain they injected into my cervix, cramping beyond no pain I've felt before, I put my clothes back on, silently. I was then escorted into a recovery room.
I was provided a pill that would shrink my cervix back to normal, and two extra strength Tylenol. Every other woman in the room was in shock. We laid there, heating pads over our stomachs, all regretting what we did. It was a common feeling in the air. Tears were shed. The nurses, they attempted to lighten the room. It made no difference. We killed our children. We gave into this horrible idea that it wasn't a person, that it was ok to murder.
I sit here today, incapable of going to work. I see people walking down the street, I know they have no way of knowing, but I still feel so awful.
If someone would of only gotten to me before I even was pregnant, before I even graduate high school. It would be different.
I wanted that child. It was never a mistake, a child is never a mistake. Getting rid of it was.
I wish I knew about your site before this.
posted by Silent Rain Drops @ 5:18 AM 0 comments
BARBARA WELLER'S TRIBUTE TO TERRI
Read it and weep, then fight for justice!
This narrative is also found on Terri's website www.terrisfight.org
Last Visit Narrative
by Attorney Barbara Weller
When Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed at 1:45 p.m. on March 18, 2005, I was one of the most surprised people on the planet. I had been visiting Terri throughout the morning with her family and her priest. As part of the legal team working throughout the previous days and nights to save Terri from a horrific fate, I was very hopeful. Although the state judicial system had obviously failed Terri by not protecting her life, I knew other forces were still at work. I fully expected the federal courts would step in to reverse this injustice, just as they might for a prisoner unjustly set for execution—although by much more humane means than Terri would be executed. Barring that, I was certain that sometime around noon, the Florida Department of Children and Family Services would come to the Woodside Hospice facility in Pinellas Park and take Terri into protective custody. Or that federal marshals would arrive from Washington D.C, where the Congress was working furiously to try to save Terri, and would stand guard at her door to prevent any medical personnel from entering her room to remove the tube that was providing her nutrition and hydration.
Finally, I was sure if nothing else was working, that at 12:59,just before the hour scheduled for Terri’s gruesome execution to begin, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush would at least issue a 60-day reprieve for the legislative bodies to complete the work they were attempting to do to save Terri’s life and to make sure that no other vulnerable adults could be sentenced to starve to death in America. I had done the legal research weeks before and was fully convinced that Gov. Bush had the power, under our co-equal branches of government, to issue a reprieve in the face of a judicial death sentence intended to lead to the starvation and dehydration of an innocent woman when scores of doctors and neurologists were saying she could be helped.
All morning long, as I was in the room with Terri and her family, we were telling her that help was on the way. Terri was in good spirits that morning. The mood in her room was jovial, particularly around noontime, as we knew Congressional attorneys were on the scene and many were working hard to save Terri’s life. For most of that time, I was visiting and talking with Terri along with Terri’s sister Suzanne Vitadamo, Suzanne’s husband, and Terri’s aunt, who was visiting from New York to help provide support for the family. A female Pinellas Park police office was stationed at the door outside Terri’s room.
Terri was sitting up in her lounge chair, dressed and looking alert and well. Her feeding tube had been plugged in around 11 a.m. and we all felt good that she was still being fed. Suzanne and I were talking, joking, and laughing with Terri, telling her she was going to go to Washington D.C. to testify before Congress, which meant that finally Terri’s husband Michael would be required to fix her wheelchair. After that Suzanne could take Terri to the mall shopping and could wheel her outdoors every day to feel the wind and sunshine on her face, something she has not been able to do for more than five years.
At one point, I noticed Terri’s window blinds were pulled down. I went to the window to raise them so Terri could look at the beautiful garden outside her window and see the sun after several days of rain. As sunlight came into the room, Terri’s eyes widened and she was obviously very pleased. At another point, Suzanne and I told Terri she needed to suck in all the food she could because she might not be getting anything for a few days. During that time, Mary Schindler, Terri’s mother, joined us for a bit, and we noticed there were bubbles in Terri’s feeding tube. We joked that we didn’t want her to begin burping, and called the nurses to fix the feeding tube, which they did. Terri’s mother did not come back into the room. This was a very difficult day for Bob and Mary Schindler. I suspect they were less hopeful all along than I was, having lived through Terri’s last two feeding tube removals.
Suzanne and I continued to talk and joke with Terri for probably an hour or more. At one point Suzanne called Terri the bionic woman and I heard Terri laugh out loud heartily for the first time since I have been visiting with her. She laughed so hard that for the first time I noticed the dimples in her cheeks.
The most dramatic event of this visit happened at one point when I was sitting on Terri’s bed next to Suzanne. Terri was sitting in her lounge chair and her aunt was standing at the foot of the chair. I stood up and learned over Terri. I took her arms in both of my hands. I said to her, “Terri if you could only say ‘I want to live’ this whole thing could be over today.” I begged her to try very hard to say, “I want to live.” To my enormous shock and surprise, Terri’s eyes opened wide, she looked me square in the face, and with a look of great concentration, she said, “Ahhhhhhh.” Then, seeming to summon up all the strength she had, she virtually screamed, “Waaaaaaaa.” She yelled so loudly that Michael Vitadamo, Suzanne’s husband, and the female police officer who were then standing together outside Terri’s door, clearly heard her. At that point, Terri had a look of anguish on her face that I had never seen before and she seemed to be struggling hard, but was unable to complete the sentence. She became very frustrated and began to cry. I was horrified that I was obviously causing Terri so much anguish. Suzanne and I began to stroke Terri’s face and hair to comfort her. I told Terri I was very sorry. It had not been my intention to upset her so much. Suzanne and I assured Terri that her efforts were much appreciated and that she did not need to try to say anything more. I promised Terri I would tell the world that she had tried to say, ”I want to live.”
Suzanne and I continued to visit and talk with Terri, along with other family members who came and went in the room, until about 2:00 p.m. when we were all told to leave after Judge Greer denied yet another motion for stay and ordered the removal of the feeding tube to proceed. As we left the room, the female police officer outside the door was valiantly attempting to keep from crying.
Just as Terri’s husband Michael has told the world he must keep an alleged promise to kill Terri, a promise remembered a million dollars and nearly a decade after the fact; I must keep my promise to Terri immediately. Time is running out for her. I went out to the banks of cameras outside the hospice facility and told the story immediately. Now I must also tell the story in writing for the world to hear. It may be the last effective thing I can do to try to keep Terri alive so she can get the testing, therapy, and rehabilitative help she so desperately needs before it is too late.
About four in the afternoon, several hours after the feeding tube was removed, I returned to Terri’s room. By that time she was alone except for a male police officer now standing inside the door. When I entered the room and began to speak to her, Terri started to cry and tried to speak to me immediately. It was one of the most helpless feelings I have ever had. Terri was looking very melancholy at that point and I had the sense she was very upset that we had told her things were going to get better, but instead, they were obviously getting worse. I had previously had the same feeling when my own daughter was a baby who was hospitalized and was crying and looking to me to rescue her from her hospital crib, something I could not do. While I was in the room with Terri for the next half hour or so, several other friends came to visit and I did a few press interviews sitting right next to Terri. I again raised her window shade, which had again been pulled down, so Terri could at least see the garden and the sunshine from her lounge chair. I also turned the radio on in her room before I left so that when she was alone, she would at least have some music for comfort.
Just before I left the room, I leaned over Terri and spoke right into her ear. I told her I was very sorry I had not been able to stop the feeding tube from being taken out and I was very sorry I had to leave her alone. But I reminded her that Jesus would stay right by her side even when no one else was there with her. When I mentioned Jesus’ Name, Terri again laughed out loud. She became very agitated and began loudly trying to speak to me again. As Terri continued to laugh and try to speak, I quietly prayed in her ear, kissed her, placed her in Jesus’ care, and left the room.
Terri is alone now. As I write this last visit narrative, it is five in the morning of March 19. Terri has been without food and water for nearly 17 hours. I’m sure she is beginning at least to become thirsty, if not hungry. And I am left to wonder how many other people care.
Fight4Terri @aol.com
www.fight4terri.blogspot.com
Visit Terri's site: www.terrisfight.org
Read it and weep, then fight for justice!
This narrative is also found on Terri's website www.terrisfight.org
Last Visit Narrative
by Attorney Barbara Weller
When Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed at 1:45 p.m. on March 18, 2005, I was one of the most surprised people on the planet. I had been visiting Terri throughout the morning with her family and her priest. As part of the legal team working throughout the previous days and nights to save Terri from a horrific fate, I was very hopeful. Although the state judicial system had obviously failed Terri by not protecting her life, I knew other forces were still at work. I fully expected the federal courts would step in to reverse this injustice, just as they might for a prisoner unjustly set for execution—although by much more humane means than Terri would be executed. Barring that, I was certain that sometime around noon, the Florida Department of Children and Family Services would come to the Woodside Hospice facility in Pinellas Park and take Terri into protective custody. Or that federal marshals would arrive from Washington D.C, where the Congress was working furiously to try to save Terri, and would stand guard at her door to prevent any medical personnel from entering her room to remove the tube that was providing her nutrition and hydration.
Finally, I was sure if nothing else was working, that at 12:59,just before the hour scheduled for Terri’s gruesome execution to begin, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush would at least issue a 60-day reprieve for the legislative bodies to complete the work they were attempting to do to save Terri’s life and to make sure that no other vulnerable adults could be sentenced to starve to death in America. I had done the legal research weeks before and was fully convinced that Gov. Bush had the power, under our co-equal branches of government, to issue a reprieve in the face of a judicial death sentence intended to lead to the starvation and dehydration of an innocent woman when scores of doctors and neurologists were saying she could be helped.
All morning long, as I was in the room with Terri and her family, we were telling her that help was on the way. Terri was in good spirits that morning. The mood in her room was jovial, particularly around noontime, as we knew Congressional attorneys were on the scene and many were working hard to save Terri’s life. For most of that time, I was visiting and talking with Terri along with Terri’s sister Suzanne Vitadamo, Suzanne’s husband, and Terri’s aunt, who was visiting from New York to help provide support for the family. A female Pinellas Park police office was stationed at the door outside Terri’s room.
Terri was sitting up in her lounge chair, dressed and looking alert and well. Her feeding tube had been plugged in around 11 a.m. and we all felt good that she was still being fed. Suzanne and I were talking, joking, and laughing with Terri, telling her she was going to go to Washington D.C. to testify before Congress, which meant that finally Terri’s husband Michael would be required to fix her wheelchair. After that Suzanne could take Terri to the mall shopping and could wheel her outdoors every day to feel the wind and sunshine on her face, something she has not been able to do for more than five years.
At one point, I noticed Terri’s window blinds were pulled down. I went to the window to raise them so Terri could look at the beautiful garden outside her window and see the sun after several days of rain. As sunlight came into the room, Terri’s eyes widened and she was obviously very pleased. At another point, Suzanne and I told Terri she needed to suck in all the food she could because she might not be getting anything for a few days. During that time, Mary Schindler, Terri’s mother, joined us for a bit, and we noticed there were bubbles in Terri’s feeding tube. We joked that we didn’t want her to begin burping, and called the nurses to fix the feeding tube, which they did. Terri’s mother did not come back into the room. This was a very difficult day for Bob and Mary Schindler. I suspect they were less hopeful all along than I was, having lived through Terri’s last two feeding tube removals.
Suzanne and I continued to talk and joke with Terri for probably an hour or more. At one point Suzanne called Terri the bionic woman and I heard Terri laugh out loud heartily for the first time since I have been visiting with her. She laughed so hard that for the first time I noticed the dimples in her cheeks.
The most dramatic event of this visit happened at one point when I was sitting on Terri’s bed next to Suzanne. Terri was sitting in her lounge chair and her aunt was standing at the foot of the chair. I stood up and learned over Terri. I took her arms in both of my hands. I said to her, “Terri if you could only say ‘I want to live’ this whole thing could be over today.” I begged her to try very hard to say, “I want to live.” To my enormous shock and surprise, Terri’s eyes opened wide, she looked me square in the face, and with a look of great concentration, she said, “Ahhhhhhh.” Then, seeming to summon up all the strength she had, she virtually screamed, “Waaaaaaaa.” She yelled so loudly that Michael Vitadamo, Suzanne’s husband, and the female police officer who were then standing together outside Terri’s door, clearly heard her. At that point, Terri had a look of anguish on her face that I had never seen before and she seemed to be struggling hard, but was unable to complete the sentence. She became very frustrated and began to cry. I was horrified that I was obviously causing Terri so much anguish. Suzanne and I began to stroke Terri’s face and hair to comfort her. I told Terri I was very sorry. It had not been my intention to upset her so much. Suzanne and I assured Terri that her efforts were much appreciated and that she did not need to try to say anything more. I promised Terri I would tell the world that she had tried to say, ”I want to live.”
Suzanne and I continued to visit and talk with Terri, along with other family members who came and went in the room, until about 2:00 p.m. when we were all told to leave after Judge Greer denied yet another motion for stay and ordered the removal of the feeding tube to proceed. As we left the room, the female police officer outside the door was valiantly attempting to keep from crying.
Just as Terri’s husband Michael has told the world he must keep an alleged promise to kill Terri, a promise remembered a million dollars and nearly a decade after the fact; I must keep my promise to Terri immediately. Time is running out for her. I went out to the banks of cameras outside the hospice facility and told the story immediately. Now I must also tell the story in writing for the world to hear. It may be the last effective thing I can do to try to keep Terri alive so she can get the testing, therapy, and rehabilitative help she so desperately needs before it is too late.
About four in the afternoon, several hours after the feeding tube was removed, I returned to Terri’s room. By that time she was alone except for a male police officer now standing inside the door. When I entered the room and began to speak to her, Terri started to cry and tried to speak to me immediately. It was one of the most helpless feelings I have ever had. Terri was looking very melancholy at that point and I had the sense she was very upset that we had told her things were going to get better, but instead, they were obviously getting worse. I had previously had the same feeling when my own daughter was a baby who was hospitalized and was crying and looking to me to rescue her from her hospital crib, something I could not do. While I was in the room with Terri for the next half hour or so, several other friends came to visit and I did a few press interviews sitting right next to Terri. I again raised her window shade, which had again been pulled down, so Terri could at least see the garden and the sunshine from her lounge chair. I also turned the radio on in her room before I left so that when she was alone, she would at least have some music for comfort.
Just before I left the room, I leaned over Terri and spoke right into her ear. I told her I was very sorry I had not been able to stop the feeding tube from being taken out and I was very sorry I had to leave her alone. But I reminded her that Jesus would stay right by her side even when no one else was there with her. When I mentioned Jesus’ Name, Terri again laughed out loud. She became very agitated and began loudly trying to speak to me again. As Terri continued to laugh and try to speak, I quietly prayed in her ear, kissed her, placed her in Jesus’ care, and left the room.
Terri is alone now. As I write this last visit narrative, it is five in the morning of March 19. Terri has been without food and water for nearly 17 hours. I’m sure she is beginning at least to become thirsty, if not hungry. And I am left to wonder how many other people care.
Fight4Terri @aol.com
www.fight4terri.blogspot.com
Visit Terri's site: www.terrisfight.org
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
ABORTION AS RELIGIOUS SACRAMENT?
Some providers even provide phony clergy
for a pseudo memorial service to commerate
what?
Cybercast News Service: Why do you consider abortion the holiest sacrament of the liberal "religion"?
Ann Coulter: It's their version of virgin sacrifice. The Democrats will betray any special interest group -- except the pro-abortion ladies. If you mean why is it the holiest sacrament of the liberal religion, it is because they think if women have access to easy abortions, they can engage in carefree trysts without consequence.
Some providers even provide phony clergy
for a pseudo memorial service to commerate
what?
Cybercast News Service: Why do you consider abortion the holiest sacrament of the liberal "religion"?
Ann Coulter: It's their version of virgin sacrifice. The Democrats will betray any special interest group -- except the pro-abortion ladies. If you mean why is it the holiest sacrament of the liberal religion, it is because they think if women have access to easy abortions, they can engage in carefree trysts without consequence.
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