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CWA Asks: Will Courts Stay Death Sentences for the Guilty and Order the Innocent to Die? 3/22/2005 Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) condemned U.S. District Judge Whittemore’s decision this morning to let Terri Schiavo’s starvation continue when he rejected her parents’ request to reinsert their daughter’s feeding tube.
“Judges stay executions while considering an appeal from a convicted murderer, yet Judge Whittemore ordered that Terri’s slow execution continue while he reads and argues legal points. Terri wastes away and security guards keep anyone from giving her a cup of water, yet Judge Whittemore says Terri’s ‘life and liberty interests’ have been protected,” said Wendy Wright, CWA’s senior policy director. “The crux of the issue is what would Terri want, and Michael’s claim that he speaks for her is suspect. Michael Schiavo did not claim that his wife had expressed wishes to die until after a jury awarded him money to spend on her care and therapy. Michael didn’t make this claim until after he announced he was engaged to another woman, with whom he now lives and has two children. Yet, despite this strong evidence of Michael Schiavo’s conflict of interest, and doubtful representation of Terri’s wishes, Judge Whittemore preferred to let Terri die rather than be inconvenienced by the case.”
“Terri is not terminal and will die only through the active intervention of denying her food. Dr. William Hammesfahr, a neurologist who spent approximately 12 hours evaluating Terri in 2003, has testified that her condition could improve with therapy. While some doctors claim that Terri is in a ‘persistent vegetative state,’ which implies that she cannot recover, this is disputed by 33 medical professionals. The fact that doctors sharply disagree regarding Terri’s ability to improve should give any just judge pause before issuing a death order.
“People’s wishes can change when they actually face a hardship. They find strength, hope and courage to endure. The question should be: What does Terri want now? And who can best determine that – certainly not her husband, who has moved on to another woman, and has ignored and refused doctors’ orders that would improve Terri’s condition,” concluded Wright.
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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