http://www.lgtinc.org en-us http://www.lgtinc.org N/A contact@lgtinc.org Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:46:37 EST 20 http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/248/1/Dr.-Watson-I-Resume And I thought noone ever read old stuff! Well, "Dr." Watson, James that is, shared the 1962 Nobel prize in science for discovery of the structure of DNA. Now placing scientific knowledge in the public realm of deciding who is worthwhile does not seem to have been one of the "doctor's" strong points. Recently, he pointed out that 'blacks have inferior intellegence to whites' in an interview with the Times of London. What does such a noxious notion have to do with disability you may ask? Well, this is the one and the same "good" doctor that in a 1997 interview postulated: "We already know that most couples don't want a Down child. You would have to be crazy to say that you wanted one, because that child has no future." And, in the cold and calculating world view of this "good" doctor, that's probably true, as he seems to be seeking the nirvana of human perfection by screening out all the so-called imperfections. How many times do we, as people with disabilities and people who are different from what Watson considers the ideal, have to suffer the "slings and arrows" of outrageous accusations! "Right" thinking people have always pressed for ways to marginalize our people. Witness the following from then U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in the 1927 Buck v Bell decision upholding Virginia's sterlization laws: "The purpose of the Legislature was not to punish but to protect the class of socially inadequate citizens named therein from themselves, and to promote the welfare of society by mitigating race degeneracy and raising the average standard of intelligence of the people of the state." Soon after the Nazi regime of Germany began its eugenics program, based on U.S. sterilization statutes, starting with "US" in 1933 and then expanding to other "defective" populations. From what intelligent design of reasoning does this secptic verbal spew elvolve? Methinks the "good" "doctor" is in dire need of an infusion of social consciousness! Jim Parker Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/208/1/Assisted-Death-and-Scholarly-Crap Sam on "Disability Law " blog has a post up talking about an article written by Alicia Ouellette associate professor of lawyering skills at the Albany Law school that makes the argument:    "To some degree, the success of the disability rights movement in spreading its message is attributable to an unspoken rule that the disability rights community is untouchable."   Channeling the voices of oppression Ouellette falls to the tired refrain used when the disability rights movement wins a fight: "It's not nice to hit a cripple."  Of course, she then goes on to tell us what is best for us.   "In the Article, I question whether the crusade by disability rights activists against freedom in medical decisionmaking is in fact in the best interest of people living with physical and mental challenges, and I conclude that it is not."   As much as I would like to believe it is the disability rights movement's ability to organize that has aided victories in the "assisted death" debate, I know it's only a part of the equation.  The primary reason people with disabilities win these arguments is that people without disabilities think: "I don't know if I could live like that.  So, that's probably how a doctor would think and I guess that's what the disabled are saying."   Here is my longer response to Ms. Ouellette's article:   Charles Cullen is one of the many medical professionals seniors, people with disabilities, and the terminally ill are supposed to trust with our "end-of-life" decisions.   Alicia Ouellette and other followers of "Pollyanna Whittier" want people to believe that the path to the "end-of-life" is paved with pastels and a joyful noise as long as it's accompanied by a physician administered lethal dose of medication.   What Ouellette and her ilk hope people will fail to notice is that the most common form of "assisted death" is under fire for its cruelty. If lethal injection is cruel, just imagine how much worse the more prolonged process of an overdose must be.   If "assisted death" zealots are so committed to their cause of rallying around a person's "end-of-life" choice why didn't they support Kathleen Holey? Could the absence of Patrick and Jennifer having a disability or a terminal illness be a factor?   Kathy Cerminara, Ouellette, and others of their movement want to portray people with disabilities as overreacting in their fears about "assisted death."  When Ouellette make statements like "unless we die quickly, most of us will be disabled before we die" you have to wonder why disability engenders so much of her focus and attention.   If "assisted death" advocates in America aren't targeting the terminally ill and people with disabilities why don't they follow the lead of their fellow followers in the Netherlands? "Democrats 66, the party of Health Minister Els Borst, who guided the bill through parliament, says the next government should consider the introduction of a suicide pill for patients who are healthy but simply tired of life."   If the "assisted death" movement in America is really about quality-of-life then the "rights" they purport to endorse would be extended well beyond just the terminally ill and disabled. Especially since as the National Institute of Mental Health reports, very few people with terminal illnesses and disabilities are really interested in committing suicide.   "Surveys of terminally ill persons indicate that very few consider taking their own life, and when they do, it is in the context of depression."   Ultimately though, where the "assisted death" movement becomes most dangerous is its dishonesty about the training, knowledge, and skills of physicians who would bear the responsibility of prescribing the lethal dose of medication.  As Dr. Susan Tolle's study proves, physicians are ill-equipped to adequately address the complex issues surrounding a person's end-of-life choices.     Duane French Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/170/1/Healthcare-for-Kids-Rally-Flyer-and-Other-Information--Please-Distribute%21 September 19, 2006   Dearest Advocates:   Please find attached the "official" flyer for our upcoming Healthcare for Kids Rally to be held on November 4th at 9:30am at Georgia State Capitol.    The time has come for us to unite our voices to be heard....HEALTHCARE must be a priority for our children! This rally is being put together for everyone that has been impacted or has a vested interest in the Medicaid system (which includes the following: parents, providers, and concerned tax paying, voting citizens of Georgia....Therefore, everyone is impacted by this issue in the State of GA!)   At the rally, we will be discussing the following issues: + Eligibility + Access to care and provider networks. + Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis & Treatment Federal Requirements. + Burdensome Application, Appeal and Claims Process.   We encourage children to attend and plan on having some entertainment for them as well. It is going to be a family friendly event! We need to put a face to the children being impacted by poor decisions.   The color theme is RED.  Please try to wear red the day of the event.    We recommend that you either car pool with other families or take Marta. There is parking available but it might be easier to come together as a group!    We currently have a wonderful volunteer group of over 40 concerned citizens wanting to make a difference and change in the direction of Medicaid!  I am amazed at how many people are actively wanting to get involved.  If you would like to volunteer (still looking for people the day of the event to help with set-up/clean-up): please send Leanne Manning (leanne_d@bellsouth.net ), my administrative assistant for the Rally, an e-mail with the following information: Name, e-mail, phone numbers, where you live, and if you are a parent, provider,etc.   Also- if you know of a organization and/or person that would like to donate to the Rally, please let us know.  North Metro Miracle League (NMML) has graciously offered to be an administrator of funds for the Rally! Please see the attached flyer for further information. Thanks in advance for your help in this matter.    This is going to be the event of the year for Healthcare in this State....... Let's show our support!   Feel free to distribute this flyer to anyone you think would like to attend and post at therapy clinic's doctor offices,etc. WE need to get the word out about this event. The more people that show up the better........   We are voting citizens and need answers to the healthcare crisis in Georgia!   UNITED... WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!   Additional information can be found on our website: www.kidshealthcarega.org  Hope to see you there!   Sincerely, Heidi J. Moore Healthcare for Kid's Rally Coordinator   --Heidi J. Moore (Proud Mother to Jacob - 6 years old with Down syndrome & Jared - 4 years old) "Help The Children Now, So They Can Help Themselves Later!" The material contained in this e-mail is for general information only. It is not intended in any way to provide or offer legal advice. To obtain legal advice, please consult with your attorney or a qualified legal representative. Heidi J. Moore Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:00:00 EDT http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/166/1/URGENT%3ASave-That-Date%3A-Children%26%2339%3Bs-Healthcare-Rally%21-11%7B47%7D4%7B47%7D06-at-9%3A30am September 1, 2006   Dearest Advocates:   The time has come for EVERYONE to get involved.......    We are planning a Children's Healthcare Rally at the State Capitol on Saturday, November 4th at 9:30am.  More information will be following but I wanted to make sure you SAVE THAT DATE!   We all need to speak up and have our voices heard for our children and the providers that service them.  This is an election year and we need to make sure the State understands OUR priorities must include healthcare for our children.   The Children's Healthcare Rally will involve some of the following issues:   1. Eligibility Issues for disability waivers (including the Katie Beckett Waiver). 2. Access to a viable provider network (including therapy!) 3. CMO concerns. 4. BCW Concerns. 5. Overall, administrative paperwork problems in the system!   As you can see, we will be advocating for all children with and without disabilities that require healthcare from the State.   The issue is...... all children need healthcare (which includes having service providers to perform those services!).   If you are interesting in getting involved, donating time, or money in helping make this be the most effective rally to get the lawmakers attention....please send me a BRIEF e-mail stating the following:   1. What you think you do to help the cause? 2. Contact information including: name, phone numbers, e-mail address. 3. Where you live? 4. Are you a parent, provider, friend, concerned citizen, etc?   A rally committee is being put together to help make this a successful event.  Thanks in advance for wanting to participate!   Let's show our strength in numbers....OUR VOTE COUNTS!    UNITED... WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!   Hope to see you there! More detailed information will be following shortly.    Sincerely, Heidi   --Heidi J. Moore (Proud Mother to Jacob - 6 years old with Down syndrome & Jared - 4 years old) "Help The Children Now, So They Can Help Themselves Later!" The material contained in this e-mail is for general information only. It is not intended in any way to provide or offer legal advice. To obtain legal advice, please consult with your attorney or a qualified legal representative. Heidi J. Moore Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00 EDT http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/98/1/Testimony-to-Senate-about-Forced-Starvation%7B47%7DDehydration Senators- On behalf of Endeavor Freedom and Georgians with Disabilities- Thank you. Thank you for taking the necessary steps to develop a law which will protect people in our great state from the nightmare scenario of forced starvation dehydration. I understand that you are asking for testimony so that you can better understand this issue. I would like to submit this written testimony into the record and break it down into various parts to illustrate the full story and why and how forced starvation dehydration happens and who and what this bill needs to protect people from. Current starvation/dehydration case: Haleigh Poutre, hospitalized on Sept. 11, 2005, with a damaged brain stem due to blows from a baseball bat inflicted by her adoptive mother and stepfather, was ironically saved by a court challenge from this same stepfather, who would have faced a murder charge had she been disconnected from life support. This particular beating came after 16 abuse/neglect reports were filed at the Department of Social Services. Rather than protecting what remained of her precious life, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services mobilized to remove Haleigh's feeding tube and respirator, and sued to win approval from the State Supreme Court. The court-appointed guardian, Harry Spence, who then also recommended removal of her respirator and feeding tube care, without ever having even visited her and based on a doctors assessment, which wrongly characterized her condition as "virtually brain dead" or as 'permanent vegetative state." He was convinced that she had no hope of recovery. The court approved the killing. The little girl who had already suffered so much was then stripped by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of even the chance to fight to stay alive and with less than three weeks having passed, was to be put to death by forced starvation dehydration. Luckily , before pulling the plug, Spence decided to visit Haleigh, and was horrified when the little girl handed him a yellow block when asked to by a social worker. Haleigh Poutre had showed awareness of life and the ability to follow simple requests. This beautiful little girl would have been starved/dehydrated to death if Spence had not visited the young girl doctors had already written off. Spence called off the dehydration as Haleigh fought for her life. She is today in a rehabilitation facility able to eat "scrambled eggs and cream of wheat." No one ever expected to have to protect children from such atrocious behavior and yet that is the reality. Gov. Mitt Romney created a commission in January to investigate the state's handling of Haleigh's case. Today, the commission released its results. Here are summaries: Forbes/AP: An alarming string of mistakes by state agencies and medical professionals contributed to the poor care given to a 12-year-old girl before and after a beating that left her severely brain-damaged, a panel appointed by the governor reported Tuesday. Boston.com: The panel delivered a list of 15 recommendations the governor said his administration would implement. Among them: requiring DSS to obtain a second opinion and consult ethics panels when considering removing a child from life support; establishing a system to identify high-risk cases; urging the Legislature to extend the period for investigating abuse reports from 10 to 20 days; making sure pediatric hospitals have child abuse teams on staff. Boston Herald: The panel's recommendations are so very basic to the welfare of the children who come under the DSS umbrella that it is horrifying they have never been in place, yet alone even considered, before. "DSS should place on retainer panels of medical professionals in the areas of child abuse and psychiatry, including specific expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder," the report insists. Why does starvation/dehydration happen everywhere and all the time? Alot has to do with the state of health care in our country and the skyrocketing costs of care for people but especially people with disabilities. There will be increasing pressure mounted on this vulnerable class of people specifically because of the bioethics movement in this country. How did it come to this? I cite Wesley J. Smith, advocate, lawyer, and author, "The simple answer is that tube-supplied food and water - often called "artificial nutrition and hydration" (ANH) - has been defined in law and in medical ethics as an ordinary medical treatment. This means that it can be refused or withdrawn just like, say, antibiotics, kidney dialysis, chemotherapy, surgery, blood pressure medicine, or any other form of medical care. Indeed, removing ANH has come to be seen widely in medicine and bioethics as an "ethical" way to end the lives of cognitively disabled "biologically tenacious" patients (as one prominent bioethicist once described disabled people like Terri Schiavo and Haleigh Poutre), without resorting to active euthanasia... It wasn't always so. It used to be thought of as unthinkable to remove a feeding tube. Then, as bioethicists and others among the medical intelligentsia began to worry about the cost of caring for dependent people and the growing number of our elderly - and as personal autonomy increasingly became a driving force in medical ethics - some looked for a way to shorten the lives of the most marginal people without violating the law or radically distorting traditional medical values. Removing tubes providing food and fluids was seen as the answer. After all, it was argued, use of a feeding tube requires a relatively minor medical procedure. Moreover, the nutrition provided the patient is not steak and potatoes, but a liquid formula prepared under medical auspices so as to ease digestion. There can also be complications such as diarrhea and infection." "Having reached consensus on the matter, the bioethics movement mounted a deliberate and energetic campaign during the 1980s to change the classification of ANH from humane care, which can't be withdrawn, to medical treatment, which can. The first people targeted for potential dehydration were the persistently unconscious or elderly with pronounced morbidity. Thus, bioethics pioneer Daniel Callahan wrote in the October 1983. Hastings Center Report, "Given the increasingly large pool of superannuated, chronically ill, physically marginalized elderly it [a denial of ANH] could well become the non treatment of choice." "In March 1986, the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, responsible for deliberating upon and issuing ethics opinions for the AMA, legitimized dehydration when it issued the following statement: Although a physician "should never intentionally cause death," it was ethical to terminate life-support treatment, even if: ...death is not imminent but a patient's coma is beyond doubt irreversible and there are adequate safeguards to confirm the accuracy of the diagnosis and with the concurrence of those who have responsibility for the care of the patient. . . . Life-prolonging medical treatment includes medication and artificially or technologically supplied respiration, nutrition and hydration. It didn't take long for the American Medical Association to broaden the categories of dehydratable people. Thus, in 1994, a brief eight years after its first ethics opinion classifying tube feeding as medical treatment that could be withdrawn only when the patient was "beyond doubt" permanently unconscious, the AMA proclaimed it "not unethical" to withdraw ANH "even if the patient is not terminally ill or permanently unconscious." There it was: Food and fluids provided by a feeding tube were officially deemed a medical treatment by the nation's foremost medical association, meaning that withdrawing them was deemed the same as turning off a respirator or stopping kidney dialysis." I. My Experience with Terri Schiavo and Ora Mae Magouirk I flew to Tampa to join other Not Dead Yet members for an emergency action in support of Terri's right to life and the Schindler family's right to care for her. It was Easter Sunday, 8 of us had left our wheelchairs and laid on the ground blocking off one of the entrance/exits outside of Woodside Hospice as the various news media organizations swarmed around us jockeying for position to lock in best angle to deliver our story. For a time, we were the latest breaking news for audiences around the world, and for moments they would listen us sharing testimonials, and why it was that we supported Terri right to life and the Schindler's right to care for her. I told the crowd that "If any man or woman anywhere in the United States had starved or dehydrated any animal in this way, that there would be huge public outrage and the perpetrators locked up for cruel and unusual punishment. We protect even child molesters, murderers, and rapists from this kind of treatment." I chastised the corporate media for not looking into, why in the first place Terri was in the condition she was in; and only covering the angle that Terri did not want to live in a vegetative state, that it was her choice to be killed this way. Why don't they question the fact that Michael changed his story about the way he found Terri or that when emergency workers came in response to the 9-11 call, they wanted to call the police because it looked like attempted homicide, or that a 1991 bone scan performed by Dr. W. Campbell Walker showed a history of trauma, and listed apparent injuries to the ribs, thoracic vertebrae, both sacroiliac joints, both ankles and both knees. If they looked at all into it, they would find many reasons for Michael to not be Terri's guardian and many reasons for Terri to be cared for by the family that loves her. While outside Woodside hospice, we as Not Dead Yet reminded journalists of the constitutional right to equal citizenship - We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We did interviews with CNN, MSNBC, The New York times, People magazine, and all of the local affiliates from Florida including broadcast and print news. Numerous unimaginable failures on the part of judicial and law enforcement agencies was leading to the murder of Terri Schindler Schiavo. When I returned home it was the 12th day that Terri had been deprived of food and water. Knowing she could not last much longer and wanting passionately to do something about it, I began to review all the details of the case, hoping that I could find something to aide her. That article you can find here. When I returned from Florida, I received urgent request to look into another case of forced dehydration/starvation happening right here in Lagrange, GA. Terri's death affected me greatly and being a writer/advocate, I resolved to insure that this does not happen in my own state of Georgia. Ora Mae Magouirk was neither terminally ill, comatose nor in a "vegetative state," when Hospice-LaGrange accepted her as a patient upon the request of her granddaughter, Beth Gaddy, 36, an elementary school teacher. Magouirk's had been resting comfortably in ICU at LaGrange Hospital for an aortic dissection. Her aortic problem had been stabilized and her life was not at risk. Magouirk had an active 'living will' which stated that fluids and nourishment were to be withheld only if she were either comatose or "vegetative," and she was neither. Like Terri Schiavo she was not terminally ill and should never even have been admitted to a hospice as being terminally ill is a general requirement for admission to a hospice. Magouirk had lived alone in LaGrange, and relied on Beth Gaddy, to bring her food and do some errands. Beth must have been tired of doing things for her grandmother because she had Magouirk transferred to Hospice-LaGrange, where Gaddy informed staff that she did not want her grandmother fed or given water. Hospice-LaGrange then began denying Magouirk normal nourishment via a feeding tube through her nose and fluids via an IV. She had been kept sedated with morphine and ativan, a powerful tranquillizer so that she did not even understand what was happening.. The dehydration had been done in defiance of Magouirk's specific wishes written in a "living will," and against Georgia law that gave power of attorney to her closest living next-of-kin, two siblings and a nephew: A. Byron McLeod, 64, of Anniston, Ga.; Ruth Mullinax, 74, of Birmingham, Ala.; and Ruth Mullinax's son, Ken Mullinax. Hospice-LaGrange did not even check into whether Gaddy truly had power of attorney over her grandmother. When they did finally check into it after the starvation/dehydration had began, they found that Gaddy did not hold power of attorney, in fact Gaddy had only a financial power of attorney, not a medical power of attorney. Magouirk had been denied nourishment and fluids for nearly two weeks, and had barely clinged to life when WorldNetDaily broke the story and advocates in Georgia were contacted to get involved. Gaddy was quoted saying, "Grandmama is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus," Gaddy told Magouirk's brother and nephew, McLeod and Ken Mullinax. "She has glaucoma and now this heart problem, and who would want to live with disabilities like these?" LaGrange Hospital had failed to exercise due diligence in closely examining the power of attorney Beth Gaddy said she had, as well as exercising the provisions of Magouirk's living will, leading to the near starvation/dehydration of Magouirk. Disability advocates fearing another Terri Schiavo, postured for a battle, calling every level of government from the Ombudsman to Governor, and everybody else in between. We were able to mount enough pressure on the hospice and Gaddy, that she finally began negotiating with Magouirk's closest relatives from Alabama. I interviewed Judge Boyd of the Probate Court in LaGrange and found out that Gaddy and the Mullinax's had met and agreed to give Gaddy power of attorney with the explicit determination that three doctors be allowed to evaluate Macgouirk and that the family would then follow the advice of the doctors no matter what advice it may be. It was then that Magouirk was flown to the University of Alabama-Birmingham were her food and hydration were readministered, following doctors determination that the aortic dissection was healing fine and that her life was in no imminent danger. Advocates here rallied in support of Magouirk and we were able to save her life, supporting a part of her family that cared enough about her to preserve her dignity until God wanted to take her. She was able to enjoy a chicken sandwich, apple pie, and ice cream before her passing and I was glad for it. However, I wanted to do something more to protect Georgians with disablities from ever having to go through a situation where the end result could be forced dehydration/starvation. Ron Panzer said of the Magouirk case, "This is not at all unusual. This is happening in hospices all over the country," he said. "Patients who are not dying - are not terminal - are admitted [to hospice] and the hospice will say they are terminally ill even if they're not. There are thousands of cases like this. Patients are given morphine and ativan to sedate them. If feeding is withheld, they die within 10 days to two weeks. It's really just a form of euthanasia." Another little known secret about forced starvation/dehydration is that as in the case of Nancy Cruzan, Terri Schiavo, and many others, people are placed on feeding tubes out of convenience for nursing home staff and not because they cannot swallow food. Others like Haleigh Poutre and myself, only need feeding tubes to stem the tide of emergency situations such as coma or not being able to hold down food. II. My Personal Struggle to Access Community Life I myself am a c-5 quadriplegic that was dependent on a feeding tube for over a month a half, due to an inability to keep food down when initially injured. I wrote part of this testimony in an article entitled, "Mad as hell -- and fighting for our lives." The year was 1995. I was scared out of my wits about the future. I had no idea what life would be like for a C-5 quadriplegic. I could do very little in the way of caring for myself. I remember waking up day after day at the Shepherd Spinal Injury Center here in Atlanta, recovering from a crash when the van I was in lost its brakes on a California mountain road. Dreams were my only reprieve at the time, ghosts of my former life. No one ever envisions life leading to this. When I was released to my parents, none of us knew what to expect. Their house was not the least bit accessible. I had a hospital bed set up in the living room because the wheelchair I used could not fit through the door to my old bedroom. I would have mired myself in pity had my presence at home been that of a quiet individual suffering. But it wasn't. Watching my aging parents' relationship self-destruct over dealing with my disability made me force myself to do something. I found out about and applied for Options Cottage, a 6-month-long independent living program at Warm Springs, Georgia. It had been started when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president; he spent time there. It was there that I finished my second book "When the Evening Dies..." In the process, I found myself again. Determined not to burden my parents further, I worked with Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation to find a way to a return to college. Voc rehab would give me funds for 3 1/2 hours of assistance a day. Add that to the two hours of help a day I was getting from the state's Community Care Service Program, and I had my getting out of bed and getting back into bed covered. The in-between would be spent at school and working for AmeriCorps, which would also help fund my education. I was able to manage living in the community by pooling resources with another quadriplegic; we were both going to Mercer University. Together we were able to afford a 3-bedroom house in the ghetto part of Macon, Georgia, where there were assured signs of gang activity and random gunshots throughout the night. We'd both been robbed and held up at gunpoint before we finally, after a year and a half, got on Georgia's Medicaid waiver program, which finally got us the independence we needed. We were lucky enough to have negotiated life while on a waiting list to receive services through the Independent Care Waiver. Having survived those initial years of minimal care and ultimate struggle, I can speak from my own experience of coming up through the system with quadriplegia that the lack of state support to enable one to live independently is the most onerous burden the government can place on individuals who already have an incredible amount to deal with. III. Ideal Protections and Supports In an ideal situation, when a person becomes injured, someone familiar with the system would visit them, in the hospital, to tell them -- and their family members -- about all the programs available to help them and their families to take control of their lives again, without that unnecessary struggle the government imposes through its "institutional bias." We are far yet from an ideal situation. Nationally, 85 percent of the long-term care Medicaid budget goes to warehousing 2.5 million people in nursing homes and other institutions. Given a choice, most of them would love to live in their own homes, part of their families and communities.. Nobody aquiring a disability wants to live in a nursing home for the next 30 or so years. That one fact has been the reason many people with high-level disabilities seek help in ending their lives. However, I would wager that, had the system been set up to immediately help them deal with the initial trauma and then through different programs restore them to inclusion and independence, showing them disability is a natural part of living life sometimes; the thought of suicide would have never been more than a passing phase. IV. Feeding Tubes Are A Natural Part of the Healing Process and Integral to Emergency Care The issue of whether food and water can be considered medical treatment, whether through a feeding tube or by mouth is essential to the disability community. We will never consider starvation and dehydration an acceptable means of ending a person's life. We do not allow our animals to be treated this way, protecting them from cruel and unusual punishment and we do not even allow the worst criminals in our society to be treated in such a way as they have protection of Habeus Corpus. We can not allow the medical community to make decisions which adversely affect people's lives, giving whimsical power of attorney to anyone that sides with their so called professional opinion. Here in Georgia, not even a week after the death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, we have an elderly, 81 year old woman named Mae McGouirk who is not terminal in any way, being sent from hospital room to hospice and denied food an water, even though she has expressly intended through her living will to not be denied sustenance unless she is in a coma or a persistent vegetative state, which she is not. As a national disability rights group, we fear the slippery slope of no return, where even living wills are ignored as in this case. With the passing of Terri, Pandora's box has been let loose and the diagnosis of willfull starvation and dehydration endoctrinated as acceptable for our community. This has to stop. Starving and dehydrating people can never be thought of as an acceptable way of allowing people to transition into death. It is cruel, inhumane, and a violation of the civil rights guaranteed by our constitution and the Declaration of Independance. We as people with disabilities are not sub-par humans to be willfully destroyed at the whims of a medical professional who has it in their mind that we are not worthy of the lives that we live. We can not allow society to continue devaluing us in a way that makes it okay to render such a torturous, backward, and barbaric death sentence, especially when meant out of compassion or for our own good. Many times people are equipped with feeding tubes even though they may not need them, as a convenience mechanism for the nursing home or hospice that they stay at. With feeding tubes unjustly being considered medical treatment, the cycle of equipping people with feeding tubes and then, later denying them sustenance, can easily get out of hand, as it already has. We must find a better way to allow people to make appropriate choices for themselves in end of life decisions, but never, never should starvation and dehydration be allowed as an acceptable means to this end. As Not Dead Yet, we will continue this fight and battle this evil wherever it takes us.. Having a feeding tube is a natural part of the recovery process especially in high level quadriplegia. For those having newly acquired disabilities, the thought of denying themselves emergency care to avoid life with a disability is in this atmosphere of devaluation as portrayed by "Million Dollar Baby" a very real threat especially when takong in to account that most people consider a 'living will' a viable advanced directive when the 'living will' instructs a physician to withhold or withdraw medical treatment from its signer if he or she is in a terminal condition and is unable to make decisions about medical treatment. A 'Living Will' takes rights and control from its signer and gives decision-making authority to a physician, who then is given complete immunity from civil or criminal liability for his or her action or inactions. The 'Living Will' is a document created and promoted by right-to-die groups for the express purpose of leading America down the slippery slope to publically accepted euthanasia. Here in lies the danger of people being lead by a false advanced directive down the road where they very well may be denied emergency care as a result of their signing a 'living will.' People using a 'living will' to promote end of life decisions are the population of people who will be exposed to the nightmare scenario of being forcefully starved dehydrated. Besides a report by the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics of the National Right to Life Committee, April 15, 2005, released just two weeks after the murder of Terri proves that starvation/dehydration is a regular form of "treatment" for those whose lives are considered not worth living. When asked, WILL YOUR ADVANCE DIRECTIVE BE FOLLOWED? The Report concludes that, "The public overwhelmingly believes patient and family choices for life-preserving measures should be respected, even when health care providers disapprove. However, health care providers are increasingly denying life-preserving measures in contravention of patient and family directives choosing them. Their denial of care as 'futile' is often based on 'quality of life' rather than physiological grounds and that most state laws fail to protect patients and families who want food, fluids, or life support when health care providers deny it." These are the people that need to be protected for most will not do the research to find out that there are better alternatives to the 'living will' that truly does protect one from forceful starvation dehydration. 'The Will to Live' and the 'Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions' are much better options which protect individuals and families from the pressure of doctors, hospital, and hospice ethics boards enforcing euthanasia tactics. The "Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care" is a document in which you can delegate to a trusted friend or family member the power to become your agent for any health care decisions you are unable to make. In the DPAHC one can specify more clearly his or her wishes toward a pro-life position. Your trusted friend or family member who is familiar with your values and wishes would have authority to make health care decisions on your behalf. The DPAHC takes the decisions away from the "establishment" and moves it towards "home." To the medical caregivers, the DPAHC essentially says: "Here is a person upon whom I have often been dependent for love and care in the past. Now, when I can no longer participate in decisions about my medical care, I am content to continue to be dependent upon his (her) love and care. Talk with him about what is best for me." THE WILL TO LIVE protects your own life and the lives of your family members when you cannot speak for yourselves. It names someone you trust to safeguard your life when you cannot speak for yourself as your "health care agent", names backup agents if your first choice can't serve, describes the treatment you do and do not want to guide your health care agent and physicians, protects your family and health care agent from pressure from health care providers and others by allowing them to prove what you really did want, and it relieves agonizing end-of-life decision making from loved ones making your wishes clear. I bring this to your attention now so that you yourself realize that the 'living will' is the reason why people are exposed to forced starvation dehydration. Please read this article I wrote about the available advanced directives to truly understand the intricacies behind this issue. I would ask you to please peruse this article to understand how hospitals and hospices are purposelly preying on people with disabilities as a way of acquiring organs for sale and transplant. This also ties in with this issue as organ procurement is one of the reasons hospitals, hospices are starving dehydrating people. I have been warning people with disabilities for years about the dangers of being an organ donor. Organ donors do not get quality end-of-life care because they are more valuable to hospitals that stand to make more off harvesting someone's donated organs than they would from saving organ donor's lives. It is of utmost importance the legislature learn about what is happening in mainstream hospitals that not only embrace personhood theory but also covet the organs of their patients. Ron Panzer, advocate with the Hospice Patients Alliance writes, "We sometimes (and increasingly) have newly injured patients being declared "brain dead" at the hospital without the appropriate tests ever being completed. We have hospital transplant teams being flown in ready to "harvest" organs from patients who have never been properly diagnosed, whose families are not always informed of all the treatment options, and we have doctors ready to "spin" the patient's condition into a "hopeless" category so the family agrees to "allow the patient's death to have some meaning" through organ donation, even though in cases where the family refuses to accept the "final determination of the all-knowing docs," the patient recovers! The glaring reality is that when the docs are wrong, dead wrong, the patient is killed by the harvesting of the organs, not because of the injuries sustained. " V. Creating the Support System to Protect Individuals and Families I'd like to publicly state that starvation dehydration is not a painless death even when administering pain relief, it is torture. It is important to understand that people are afraid to live with disability precisely because Hollywood devalues our lives and governments have only established institutions as long term care placement throughtout the country. The reason people would even remotely be okay with ending their lives at all costs, has a lot to do with the kind of care people receive in these government run Medicaid facilities. Also among bioethics and bioethicists, there is a growing movement to expand the withdrawal of food and hydration from people as administered by a feeding tube, to include populations such as dementia and alzheimer's that do not need feeding tubes. They are trying to continually expand the populations of people targeted for starvation dehydration wehther through a feeding tube or not. VI. How Neglect Leads People to Desire Death: The kind of care received in some places has resulted in fines for abuse -- a case of the state fining the same nursing homes it rewards for keeping the cost of care down to a minimal per individual. I documented these abuses years ago in an article entitled, "State's frailest at risk in cost-driven system - Nursing homes get bonus, despite deficiencies" and in "Right To Dignified Life" available at my website www.endeavorfreedom.org. In these series of articles I cover the story of Carol Carr, who watched her husband and three sons suffer from Huntington's disease -- but suffer even more from the "care" they received while committed to Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation Center in Griffin, Georgia. Carol Carr was mentally exhausted from years of watching the nursing home neglect her loved ones. James Scott said his mother "shouldn't have had to go down there every day, changing them (Michael and Andy) and doing the work for the nursing home. It seemed like every time one of us went down there, one of them was just sitting there in pee. "We kept having problems with the nursing home, getting them to change their bed linens. We had a big fight with them , trying to get them to help. They left them in there soaking wet," he said. "We went down there Friday, and it was the same thing." Family members knew it was just a matter of time before Carol Carr cracked from pressure. Seeing no way out, fed up and in desperate straits, Carol went into the nursing home room where her two sons were kept in filth and beset by painful bedsores, and shot them in the face and the neck. She then walked to the lobby where she sat down on a sofa awaiting arrest. One year before the fatal shooting, Sunbridge had been cited as one of Georgia's most chronic violators of state nursing home staffing requirements. They refused to hire enough staff -- to keep costs down. In 2000, inspectors found that the facility placed residents in "immediate jeopardy" by, among other things, failing to properly treat bedsores. In some cases, the staff was not even aware residents suffered from the sores, inspectors said. The federal government had imposed more than $100,000 in fines against the SunBridge-Griffin facility as a result of poor care, according to records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Only 18 staff members were on duty at the 140-bed facility when the shooting occurred. The kind of care received in nursing homes has prompted many quadriplegics -- like Larry McAfee, also from Georgia -- to fight for the right to die rather than live within the constraints of a nursing home environment. As long as the support structure is not in place to truly support families and individuals with disabilities, there will be a continual call by people to end their lives prematurely trying to avoid life in a disabled body. VII. How Devaluation Leads to Desire to Terminate Life with Disability Another case from Georgia: Back in 1990, Larry McAfee had appealed to courts for his right to die. He was a vent dependent quadriplegic that was forced to leave his home in Georgia for a nursing home in Alabama, because Georgia nursing homes did and do not admit ventilator dependent quadriplegics into their care. McAfee, who had been disheartened by his situation in a nursing home and distance away from family members, chose rather to die than live in a situation he felt was worse than death. Right to die activists such as the Hemlock Society tried to make McAfee a posterchild for physician assisted suicide while independent living advocates, who believed that persons like McAfee would reconsider should their quality of life improve, lined up on the other. His plight garnered wide attention as battle lines were drawn and the war was begun. McAfee told Joe Shapiro of U.S. News and World Report, that the worst thing about his disability was that people treated him as though he was "invisible." He told ABC's Nightline: "If you're a citizen or resident of Georgia and you become ventilator-dependent, you'd better be prepared to become an outcast unwanted by the state." His mother said that he was "thrown around like a bag of rotten potatoes that nobody even wants." "You're looked upon as a second-rate citizen," McAfee told Shapiro. "People say, 'You're using my taxes. You don't deserve to be here. You should hurry up and leave.'" "It gets to the point," he said, "where you realize that this is your life, . . . and in my case, it's not worth pursuing." Four Atlanta disability rights groups, led by Mark Johnson and Eleanor Smith, issued a press statement condemning Georgia's Attorney General and others who supported McAfee's petition for assisted suicide. They declared themselves "outraged that our state for years left Larry McAfee without enough support for independent living and now steps in willingly to help with his suicide....The state creates an unbearable quality of life and then steps in and says disabled people should be assisted to die because their quality of life is so poor." Dr. Gregor Wolbring, a disabled bioethicist from Canada declared "There is suicide prevention for the able-bodied but assisted suicide for the disabled. Suicide prevention for you but suicide enhancement for us… Society wants the disabled community to have access to a dignified death when we want access to a dignified life." The right to die crowd soon found defeat and were quickly dejected, when it was found by advocates that McAfee did not in truth want to die, but opted to die rather than being forced to stay in a nursing home situation, with no control or choice to make about decisions concerning his life. The right to die people retreated as advocates worked to improve McAfee's options in regards to his living situation, which improved considerably once he was placed in a group setting with a couple of other people with disabilities, they could manage by sharing rent and bills. The right to quality in life had been found to be the true determining factor to his case. Fortunately, Larry McAfee changed his mind about dying because people from United Cerebral Palsy offered him creative possibilities to regain control of his life and to work in computer engineering. In the end, he testified before the Georgia legislature, calling upon you to fund independent living. In 1992, Jenny Langley, who had the ill-fated luck of becoming a quadriplegic for a second time resulting in her dependence on a ventilator to regulate breathing, became the model for what is now the Independent Care Waiver Program when she proved to the state of Georgia that she could save the government money by managing her care in the community where it was more cost efficient than staying in a hospital where her care was costing the state $7,000 dollars a week. With the support of Shepherd Spinal Center, Jenny proved over the course of a year that she could live at home on $125 a day. Her success encouraged the Georgia Legislature at that time to commit $105,000 in state and federal funds to a three-month pilot program for six or seven disabled people. Jenny became the first recipient for the ICWP here in the state of Georgia. Those of us now on the Waiver owe her for the legacy of community based supports for people with severe disabilities. She proved that with state support, she not only could live independently, but she could live well independently. Thus with her example, Georgia's Independent Care Waiver program was born and modeled after her success. Her ability to stay in the community while at the same time saving the state money encouraged the state to expand the program and in that same year the federal Health Care Financing Administration, which oversees Medicaid, approved a $1.2 million budget for fiscal year 1993 - a sum that will allow up to 25 disabled people $50 to $250 a day to pay for home care. Since that time the waiver has grown to support many individuals, who otherwise would be forced into nursing homes where the quality of life is so bad that individuals like McAfee would petition the courts for the right to die rather than live within them. VIII. Promote Disability Integrity If people and individuals are supported in their efforts to recover, I can assure you that many, many of these individuals will become the advocate that I have, promoting inclusion and access to equal rights. I can assure you many will become productive members of society willing to contribute back to the governments and programs which supported our efforts at returning a sense of normality to life. To truly protect individulas from the scenario of forced starvation dehydration, the state must support the various Centers for Independent Living so that we can promote the resources which will educate individuals to which advance directive to choose which best protects people as well as many other important issues and how they all tie together. Also please continue to Unlock the Waiting Lists, it is essential for so many. It is absolutely imperative to protecting people up front from ever being in institutional situations where there lives may be at risk. Those that have lost their community and family supports, are the ones most at risk in institutions that only provide quality care to those whose families still visit and check regularly on their loved ones well-being. "In most states, exhibiting consciousness is not a defense against dehydration for profoundly impaired patients. Indeed, cognitively disabled people who are conscious are commonly dehydrated throughout the country. So long as no family member objects, the practice is deemed medically routine." IX. Support Money Follows the Person and Unlock the Waiting Lists The ICWP has proven to be a godsend for individuals and families of individuals like myself, who have grown to love the independence and quality of life that it enables. Many of us have utilized the gift it has brought to our lives to work for and advocate for the independence of others and the continual obligation of our nation and states to break the cycle of institutional and nursing home bias established so long ago by a culture that knew no better than to hide away people with severe disabilities, segregating us from opportunities in mainstream society. It is the legacy we are left with today even after the 1999 United States Supreme Court decision against Tommy Olmstead and Georgia, favoring people with disabilities and our right to life in "the most integrated setting." We had hoped from that moment forward that things would continually get better for people with disabilities in our nation. However as we were soon to see just because something passes at a federal level does not always mean that States are quick to accept the decision of the federal court and definitely not always open to changing state policy, as 2.2 million Americans continue to suffer daily injustice in nursing homes across our nation. While we applaud the House and the Senate for wanting to protect our lives. We are honored that you can appreciate us for the splendid beings we know we are. We absolutely appreciate the congressional support that you have shown to our causes. When the ICWP started it, was to address the needs of people with really high level disabilities dependent upon the greatest amount of care. The basis of the program has been to give people who had no where else to go a chance at life outside a hospital room or institution. For those of us blessed to have the waiver in our lives, I can assure you it has saved us immeasurable amounts of suffering and possible euthanasia as the institutions, nursing homes, hospital, and hospices are all administering forced starvation/dehydration. People must be supported in the community, and in our own homes where we are the safe from medical interventions which result in death, among loved ones where we want to be anyways. Again we thank you for all that you have done. Senator Schaefer, we are immensly indebted to you for moving on this issue. I appreciate your kind friendship and leadership on behalf of Georgians. Thank you for seeking to protect our lives from the nightmare of forced starvation/dehydration. We commend the whole Congress for your quick action. If there is anything that I can do to further testify on this issue, please feel free to contact me. In sincerity, Zen Garcia EndeavorFreedom.org 678-770-1225       Zen Garcia Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/93/1/SR-1067-Starvation-Dehydration-Prevention-Act Dear Advocates As you know as Georgia ADAPT, we have been passionately outspoken against the Forced Starvation Dehydration of people with disabilities.  After the judicial homicide of Terri Schiavo, we knew we must absolutely rise in protest against what would is the establishment of a policy based on case law as determined by the Schiavo decision.  I knew the right to die movement would try to use this case to set precedence and quickly give the nod to hospitals and hospices that were already implementing this kind of behavior as policy.  We know this is not the first nor the last time this kind of thing has happened nor will happen.  Bioethics boards are already trying to expand the withdrawal of food and hydration to people with dementia and Alzheimer's.  They claim that it is unnecessary to give people in this circumstance feeding tubes and that the withdrawal of food and hydration should take place before insertion of g-tubes. Since returning from Terri's Woodside hospice, I have been seeking a way to spur some representative into action on this issue.  Well Senator Nancy Schaefer has stepped up to the plate and introduced a new Starvation Dehydration Prevention study.  I implore you to send an email of gratitude to her while at the same time get in touch with your local area Senator and have them be ready to co-sponsor this bill next session.  We cannot allow this opportunity to slide without action which will get it passed.  We were all appalled that this nation condemned to death one such as her and on hearsay.  Let's protect ourselves and our communities from any such nightmare happening here.  Please view SR 1067, http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2005_06/sum/sr1067.htm and inform all those you know to implore their senators sign on. Thank You Zen Garcia Endeavor Freedom.org Zen Garcia Tue, 28 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/68/1/%26quot%3BThe-Monster%26quot%3B When people tell you we don't have to worry about people with disabilities, and others without chronic illnesses, being targeted for assisted suicide; just say "Charles Cullen." As many as 40 people have probably died because this dedicated medical professional believed the life of his patients had no value.  In his mind "they would be better off dead." As a strapping middle-aged quadriplegic, I can't tell you how many times I have heard people,"with all the best intentions,"say "I would rather be dead than live the way you do." Even though we know what has been learned about the experience in Holland since legalizing euthanasia, smart people still argue the same couldn't happen in America.  Let's take a quick look at some facts: "A recent Dutch government investigation of euthanasia has come up with some disturbing findings. In 1990, 1,030 Dutch patients were killed WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. And of 22,500 deaths due to withdrawal of life support, 63% (14,175 patients) were denied medical treatment WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. Twelve per-cent (1,701 patients) were mentally competent but were NOT CONSULTED." So when I hear smart people tell me how the ugly hand of assisted suicide will never wrap itself around people with disabilities; my response is... "Bullshit!" Duane French Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/42/1/Nothing-Merciful-About-Katrina-Killings The term mercy killing is a loaded one and one that tends to generate sympathy for the killer.  It's also generally used in those cases when the victim of a murder is old, ill or disabled.  Young, healthy or nondisabled people tend to just become homicide victims.  The mercy description is only used for a few of us.  So I'm generally suspicious when I hear the term used in media reports in just about any context.   Within days of Katrina striking New Orleans, rumors surfaced of mercy killings and euthanasia at one or more hospitals in the area.  Apparently, these were more than just rumors - the attorney general in Louisiana has been investigating the allegations, although little about the investigation has become public.   Until now.   On February 16, NPR aired a story on All Things Considered on the investigation, after reviewing secret court documents from the investigation.  They make it clear that the allegations - if true - had nothing to do with compassion.   Briefly, the allegations revolve around a group of patients left on the seventh floor at Memorial Medical Center.  This floor was leased to a different entity, Lifecare Hospitals.  According to NPR, the patients on the seventh floor were all DNR patients - they had "do not resuscitate" orders.    Life in the hospital was terrible.  There was no power and no functioning plumbing.  The temperature was about 100 degrees inside the hospital.  There were looters hitting nearby buildings and people trying to get into the hospital itself.  The staff who were required to stay with the abandoned patients wanted to get out.   Here is an excerpt from the story:   According to court documents reviewed by NPR, a key discussion took place on Thursday, Sept. 1, during an incident-command meeting held on the hospital's emergency ramp. A nurse told LifeCare's pharmacy director that the hospital's seventh-floor LifeCare patients were critical and not expected to be evacuated with the rest of the hospital. According to statements given to an investigator in the attorney general's office, LifeCare's pharmacy director, the director of physical medicine and an assistant administrator say they were told that the evacuation plan for the seventh floor was to not leave any living patients behind, and that a lethal dose would be administered, according to their statements in court documents. In other words, the only way the staff could evacuate was if they could report there were nor more living patients to take care of.  This was not about compassion or mercy.  It was about throwing someone else over the side of the lifeboat in order to save yourself.    In fact, this doesn't look all that different from the abandonment of the 34 individuals in St. Rita's Nursing Home in Bernard Parrish.  In that incident, 34 people drowned after they were abandoned by staff.  Death by drowning is easy to prove and so the owners of the nursing home are charged with 34 counts of negligent homicide.  It's unclear what will happen in the case of LifeCare medical staff.  It's hard to prove morphine medication overdoses in badly decomposed bodies.   Admittedly, the hospital staff must have been exhausted and scared.  We can never know how they rationalized their actions (providing the accounts given by NPR are true).  But that doesn't make the alleged killings merciful - and no one should refer to these killings using that term again.  No one's calling the owners of St. Rita's merciful or caring. The same standard should apply to the LifeCare allegations.   Thanks to Laura Hershey for pointing this story out to me.   For the read or hear the full story on NPR, go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5219917 Stephen Drake Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/31/1/II.-Scientology---The-Secret-Force-Behind-Terri-Schiavo%26%2339%3Bs-Murder%3F http://whyaretheydead.net/ What set the agenda for Terri to be starved/dehydrated to death over the course of 13 days, with the world's eyes ingrained hopelessly watching; begging somebody to help? That was the question haunting me as I returned from Not Dead Yet's emergency action Easter Sunday outside of Woodside Hospice, where Terri then was on her 11th day without food and hydration. 8 of us had flown down there to protest in civil disobedience Terri's right to life and her family's right to take care of her. We made several news stories as many reporters covered our testimony- The Nation, French Free Press, Florida Press, Terri Blog, Florida Press, St. Petersburg Times Upon returning home to Atlanta, Georgia, I watched non-stop Terri's struggle to hold on until someone answered her call. When she died I began my search to find out what truly lead to the death of her. It was to large to be explained by the stupid insistence of some Judge who thought he abiding 'her wishes.' What I found lead to a 30,000 word series of articles that ends with what you are about to read. For the whole article go here: My research shocked me at first, enraging me later the more I pondered its sinister consequence. I felt I had found a key part of the unspoken story behind Terri's murder. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology and Dianetics gave order to to annihilate 2.5% of the world population considered better off dead by Hubbard in one his books, The Science of Survival, Book I, Chapter 27, page 157 "The reasonable man quite ordinarily overlooks the fact that people from 2.0 down have no traffic with reason and cannot be reasoned with as one would reason with a 3.0. There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the tone scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the tone scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes (reeducation, isolation, or relocation)." "The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow. Adders are safe bedmates compared to people on the lower bands of the tone scale. Not all the beauty nor the handsomeness nor artificial social value nor property can atone for the vicious damage such people do to sane men and women. The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the tone scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered. It is not necessary to produce a world of 'clears' in order to have a reasonable and worthwhile social order; it is only necessary to delete those individuals who range from 2.0 down, either by processing them enough to get their tone level above the 2.0 line--a task which, indeed, is not very great, since the amount of processing in many cases might be under fifty hours, although it might also in others be in excess of two hundred--or simply quarantining them from the society. A venezuelan dictator once decided to stop leprosy. He saw that most lepers in his country were also beggars. By the simple expedient of collecting and destroying all the beggars in Venezuela an end was put to leprosy in that country."- go here: Hubbard wished for, "A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology." He also claimed that "Society, the bulk of which is bent upon survival, fails or refuses to recognize death or the urge of organisms toward it. Society passes laws against murder and suicide. Society provides hospitals. Society carries such people [the disabled] on its back. And society will not hear of euthanasia or "mercy killing." (Self Analysis by L. Ron Hubbard; pg. 28) "Perhaps at some distant date only the unaberrated person will be granted civil rights before law. Perhaps the goal will be reached at some future time when only the unaberrated person can attain to and benefit from citizenship. These are desirable goals..." Dianetics; the Modern Science of Mental Health, by L. Ron Hubbard (1987 edition, p.534)- go here: Hubbard cheers an agenda for euthanasia, does so scientology? They have the resources to fund such an agenda. They, too, have the resources to fund developing support of local city, county, state, and even federal politicians, judges, and any necessary additional persons of interest. "To understand Scientology's methods of judge tampering, one must be aware of the `sacred scripture' behind Scientology's notorious intimidation tactics. It is called The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This text, written in China more than 2,400 years ago regarding the planning of military operations, has been adopted by Scientology as a training manual for its staff. Scientology requires its intelligence division to know the text inside and out."- go here: Factnet has interviewed Jesse Prince, Scientology's once second in command of worldwide operations before defecting. He wanted to warn the world about Scientology's covert criminal activities as decreed by Scientology's top executives and law firms. There is much available on the web about the techniques scientology uses for securing support. Much was discovered when the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in Clearwater in 1977 and seized thousands of documents. The raids uncovered many operations by Scientology including- Operation Snow White, an elaborate plan to infiltrate various government and business offices and destroy negative or incriminating files pertaining to Scientology and/or its founder; Operation PC Freakout, a project to present the author of a book critical of Scientology as insane and discredit her through various overt and covert illegal activities; Operation China Shop, a project to gain control of the Clearwater Sun; Project Vatican Passport, which was a series of actions designed to establish legitimacy for the United Churches of Florida, one of the assumed names used by Scientology when they first arrived in Clearwater; and Operation Tricycle, or Hubbard's Guardian Office Program Order 261175, which instructs Scientologists to work to "take control of key points of Clearwater," including the Sun and Channel 13 TV. This kind of illegal and coercive practice has led the church to be banned from many countries. Even being banned from some countries, the Church enjoys tax-exempt status in many and takes in a huge amount of money. Take into consideration documents filed by the church with the Internal Revenue Service in 1993 as they sought tax exemption- the church counts assets of about $400 million and appears to take in nearly $300 million a year from counseling fees, book sales, investments and other sources. In a local Clearwater court case against the church, it was revealed in a 1987 credit statement for the organization listed "Estimated annual sales" of more than $90-million. The 1987 statement also listed estimated annual purchases of $13-million and an operating cost of $26-million.- go here: These figures only apply to the main Clearwater-based Scientology group, called the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, not to the others based in California and abroad. Back in 1998, the "church" of Scientology generated from 1.5 to 2 million dollars of income per week! This material success enables them to maintain ownership of tens of millions of dollars worth of property (about 40 buildings) as well as many businesses: To date, the church owns more than $50-million in Clearwater-area properties and is nearing completion of a $50-million Mediterranean Revival-style building nicknamed "Super Power." Additionally, the church now has 565 hotel rooms in and near downtown for visiting Scientologists who consider Clearwater their spiritual mecca.- http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/29/Tampabay/Scientologists_settle.shtml There is little doubt in my mind that someone very powerful, was able to influence all the right people, guarantying Terri's right to life would be largely ignored. If you take a look at http://home.tampabay.rr.com/sp/FLA.html a website dedicated to tracking scientology's influence at every level of the Florida government, one finds that indeed their influence is great enough to ensure participation at their events many of Florida's politicians, judges, and public servants. The list includes Senator Mike Fasano and Majority leader Dennis L. Jones, Representative Gus Bilikaris, Governor Jeb Bush and "Mayor (Brian Aungst), Deputy Mayor and City Commissioner of Clearwater, the Clearwater and Hillsborough County Commissioners, the Sheriff (Everett Rice) and Deputy Sheriff of Pinellas County, mayors from seven surrounding cities, a representative from the Florida State Attorney's office, two former state senators, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (Johnnie Byrd), hundreds of local judges, attorneys, top business executives and other opinion leaders from throughout the community including Tampa City Council member Mary C. Alvarez and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. Screenwriter for 'Million Dollar Baby', Paul Haggis is a scientologist. When you study into scientology's criminal past you learn about another woman Lisa McPherson, who as part of the church, too was starved and dehydrated to death while in the custody of church members.- go here: While no one can say for sure whether the church is actively in pursuit of an agenda to kill the 2.5% of people not valued by their founder, what can be stated with certainty is that 22 states currently exclude nutrition and hydration from the definition of "life-sustaining procedures" that may be included or excluded by the patient's "Living Will." However, with Terri's passing we must remain vigilant of the right-to-die push to have food and hydration considered 'artificial' life support. It was the right-to-die groups who started the "Living Wills" as a way to make death acceptable in certain instances. They want people to believe as "Million Dollar Baby" concludes, that one is better off dead than disabled.- go here: We must really study into these things as some are starved/dehydrated against their wishes as Mae Magouirk nearly was. If it weren't for Not Dead Yet, she may be dead now. This signifies to all of the very serious nature of what we are up against. How Judge Greer was allowed to remain as the decisive decision maker in this case when he was asked to remove himself from the case 5 times, clearly demonstrated a bias in Michael Schiavo's drive to end Terri's life. Perhaps, we will learn more as a result of Texas businessman Michael Bradle's formal complaint against Judge Greer with Brooke Kennedy, executive director of Florida's Judicial Qualifications Committee. Bradle, senior managing partner of Tejas Corporate Partners, L.P., complained of "Judge Greer's total mishandling of the Terri Schiavo case. I am also complaining of ex parte communications and his refusal to recuse himself amid obvious conflicts of interests". Bradle believes that a grand jury should conduct an independent investigation in the Schiavo case. Zen Garcia Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/24/1/The-%26%2339%3BLiving-Will%26%2339%3B-Lie-and-Alternatives-That-Truly-Protect-Your-Life A 'Living Will' is generally described as a signed, witnessed declaration instructing a physician to withhold or withdraw medical treatment from its signer if he or she is in a terminal condition and is unable to make decisions about medical treatment. A Living Will takes rights and control from its signer and gives decision-making authority to a physician. It also gives a physician complete immunity from civil or criminal liability for his or her action or inactions. A 'Living Will' is a document created and promoted by right-to-die groups for the express purpose of leading America down the slippery slope to publically accepted euthanasia. Who Backs the "Living Wills?" Most "Living Will" proposals have been written and promoted by the following organizations. 1)  The Society for the Right to Die, which became the "Euthanasia Society of America" in 1975;2)  Americans Against Human Suffering (AAHS);  3)  Concern for Dying (formerly the Euthanasia Educational Council), which split from the Society for the Right to Die in 1979;  4)  the National Hemlock Society, which lobbies for direct euthanasia, publishes a "cookbook," or "how-to" manual on suicide; and the Communist backed5) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The original concept of the "Living Will" originated with these pro-euthanasia groups, which saw the document as a publicly-acceptable way to introduce the agenda of legalized active euthanasia, suicide, and assisted suicide. None of these organizations uses the term "euthanasia" in their titles preferring clever euphemisms like the "right to die," "death with dignity," and "mercy killing". These groups operate in  states like California, Arizona, and Florida where large elderly and retired populations live. Beware of the Living Will, it can absolutely kill you, and protect those who do it. The Living Will language is purposefully deceptive  allowing simple wordings to appear harmless until hospital staff tries to interpret end-of-life care as dictated by the 'living will.' Words such as "artificial means," "reasonable expectation of recovery," "relatively short time," "heroic measures," and "terminal" are open to a variety of interpretations which could result in the patient's death. Many of the meanings that could be construed from these words may be contrary to the intent of the Living Will signer. Also, there may be more provisions to a Living Will law than the simple declaration which is signed by the individual. For example, persons seeking to prevent "extraordinary" and "heroic" measures at the end of their lives may unintentionally authorize their own starvation and dehydration. The terms used in a Living Will can be widely interpreted or misinterpreted depending on the hospital and staff. A physician whom the signer may not know and whom holds very different values than the signer, may be the authorized decision maker for a 'living will.' A report by the Robert Powell center for Medical Ethics of the National Right to Life Committee, released April 15, 2005, just two weeks after the murder of Terri Schiavo proves that starvation/dehydration is a regular form of "treatment" for those whose lives are considered not worth living. When asked, "WILL YOUR ADVANCE DIRECTIVE BE FOLLOWED?" The Report concludes that, "The public overwhelmingly believes patient and family choices for life-preserving measures should be respected, even when health care providers disapprove. However, health care providers are increasingly denying life-preserving measures in contravention of patient and family directives choosing them. Their denial of care as 'futile' is often based on 'quality of life' rather than physiological grounds and that most state laws fail to protect patients and families who want food, fluids, or life support when health care providers deny it." 2 Alternatives to the 'Living Will' which will truly protect you in a time of emergency where a 'living Will' will not include: The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care promoted by the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force The Will To Live promoted by National Right to Life The "Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care" is a document in which you can delegate to a trusted friend or family member the power to become your agent for any health care decisions you are unable to make. In the DPAHC one can specify more clearly his or her wishes toward a pro-life position. Your trusted friend or family member who is familiar with your values and wishes would have authority to make health care decisions on your behalf. The DPAHC takes the decisions away from the "establishment" and moves it towards "home." To the medical caregivers, the DPAHC essentially says: "Here is a person upon whom I have often been dependent for love and care in the past. Now, when I can no longer participate in decisions about my medical care, I am content to continue to be dependent upon his (her) love and care. Talk with him about what is best for me." THE WILL TO LIVE protects your own life and the lives of your family members when you cannot speak for yourselves. It names someone you trust to safeguard your life when you cannot speak for yourself as your "health care agent", names backup agents if your first choice can't serve, describes the treatment you do and do not want to guide your health care agent and physicians, protects your family and health care agent from pressure from health care providers and others by allowing them to prove what you really did want, and it relieves agonizing end-of-life decision making from loved ones making your wishes clear. Zen Garcia Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/16/1/-Unwarranted-Departure---The-Case-of-Tracy-Latimer Tracy Latimer was born on the 23rd of November 1980. The hospital's fetal heart monitor, which tells doctors if the baby is in distress, is broken. Tracy's oxygen supply was cut off at birth resulting in Cerebral palsy, which is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain at birth. Brain cells die, interrupting motor commands to muscles and causing limbs to spasm. She was the eldest of four children and lived on a farm with her family near Wilkie, Saskatchewan. She attended a developmental program at the same school as her brothers and sister. She used a specialized wheelchair and enjoyed aquatics, music and pet therapy. She loved special days, events at school, and spending time outdoors with her peers. She loved her family and enjoyed many activities including walks, music, sleigh rides, wiener roasts, bonfires, and watching television, especially hockey games. Despite her many medical problems, Tracy was a happy girl who showed her likes and dislikes by smiling or frowning and laughing with others. A child care worker at Tracy's school, where Tracy spent 8 hours a day, testifies that she was no more physically or mentally disabled than 9 other students at the center where she worked. Tracy died on the 23rd of October 1993 murdered by her father, Robert Latimer. On Jan. 18 2001, Canada's highest court ordered the already convicted killer Robert Latimer to begin serving a life sentence for the murder of his 12-year-old daughter in 1993. Three years earlier, an appeals judge tried to reduce his sentence to a year in jail and a year of house arrest because the media and the Canadian public felt empathy for Latimer as a father who unfortunately had a child with 'severe' disability. Latimer asphyxiated his daughter by piping exhaust fumes into a pickup truck holding her captive. Latimer claims the murder was out of love and compassion. The grounds of his appeal include his contention that, "The learned trial judge erred in law in not charging the jury that he had the legal right to decide to commit suicide for his daughter, by virtue of her complete absence of physical and intellectual abilities." He remained a free man for 6 years pending appeals. More than 75 percent of the Canadian population sympathizes with Latimer's actions and say courts should be more lenient for cases involving 'mercy killing'. A web page was set-up to aid Latimer's lawyers in plans to apply for a parliamentary pardon and $100,000 dollars was raised to service his defense. The vast majority of Canadian people favor his early release from prison with some offering to serve one-month periods of his jail time for him. Let me try to understand this... a man kills his 12 year old daughter and not only does the public cry out in his defense, but they raise money to fight for his freedom and offer to serve his jail time for him. Does the 'normal' able- bodied populace really believe people with disabilities are better off decimated? Do they really believe our lives so unworthy of living? 24th of October 1993 Robert Latimer carried Tracy to his pickup truck, seated her in the cab, and inserted a hose from the truck's exhaust pipe into the cab. Tracy died from the carbon monoxide. The accused at first maintained that Tracy had simply passed away in her sleep, but later confessed to having taken her life. 1st of November 1993, Royal Canadian Police receive toxicology reports revealing that Tracy's blood was 80 percent saturated with carbon monoxide. The sudden-death investigation is reclassified to homicide-murder. 4th of November 1993, police arrive at the Latimer farm, question Robert Latimer, and eventually arrest him and charge him with first degree murder. Latimer confesses to killing Tracy, spends 8 days in jail, and is released from custody under conditions. In later testimony he says, "I honestly don't believe there was ever any crime committed here." 5th of December 1994, Ryan Wilkieson, a 16 year old with cerebral palsy, is murdered by his mother, Cathy, who commits suicide. Carbon monoxide is the cause of both deaths. This is 19 days after Robert Latimer was convicted and at the height of public outpouring of support for Latimer. On The 6th of November 1996, his mother, Danielle, in their Montreal home, drowns Charles Blais, who has autism. Blais attempted suicide unsuccessfully. Originally charged with first-degree murder she later agrees to accept a plea of guilty to manslaughter after psychiatric reports. 2 July 1997--Danielle Blais receives a 23 month suspended sentence for the drowning death of her disabled son, Charles, thus escaping jail time. The judge rejects the Crown's call for a 3-year sentence. Instead of jail, Blais will spend the first year of her sentence in a half way house, submit to psychiatric treatment and find a job. The Autism Society of Greater Montreal offers her a part-time job fund raising. So in Canada a father kills his daughter and because she is 'disabled' and confined to a wheelchair the media portrays him as almost a hero. Because disability is perceived as hardship society contends our lives to be unworthy of living. What is going on here and where did these people get such distorted misconceptions? A mother kills her son and not only does she not have to serve any time in jail but the agency who should have been advocating for the life of the child she killed offers her a part time job so she won't have to be incarcerated. How does that make sense? Clearly people feel confident that disabled living has far less value than non-disabled life. Can you imagine the out cry the public would have over a father killing his 12 year old daughter or a mother drowning her young son if disability were not in the picture. What then makes the 'mercy killing' of anyone with a disability humane isn't the killing of any person a crime and atrocity? Parents, society, culture, are entrusted to provide for all children; no matter what state or what form they come into being. All life is precious. Life with a disability can be especially rewarding for establishing relationship with things outside of the realm of normal routine. Who are we to deny life just because some view it as unworthy? Society has upheld many views and biases, which had to be modified over time. We must allow and enable all individuals, no matter their struggle, disability, or disposition, to the chance and destinies that God ordained for their/our lives. People with disabilities have made up a large part of the population for a long time and we will not simply go away. With the advent of new technologies individuals with disabilities no matter how severe are finding greater opportunity to interact and find worth/joy in living. The public is responsible for fostering life choices for children growing up with disabilities not encourage mercy killing or even physician assisted suicide. With greater medical miracles being pulled off, we must be focused into empowering life and people. There must be more effort placed into increasing the quality of being for children growing up with disabilities. Like Stephen Hawking, sometimes disability is what grants provision to genius. I find in my life disability gives me time to pursue my truest passions. Who knows what children with disability will contribute to society if just given a chance. "This case, and more than the case, the public response to the case, served as a powerful wake up call for many in the disabled community. It conveyed to us how very precarious our status in society is, if a life can be taken and there is a kind of public endorsement of that act. It forced us to realize we all have to be involved in fighting this dangerous threat to our very lives." -Catherine Frazee Zen Garcia Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST http://www.lgtinc.org/articles/13/1/The-Judicial-Murder-of-Terri-Schindler-Schiavo Numerous unimaginable failures on the part of judicial and law enforcement agencies lead to the eventual murder of Terri Schindler Schiavo. Even though I had followed the case for years and written numerous articles about it, I admit I did not understand fully the forces behind the euthanasia movement based in Florida. I flew to Tampa to join other Not Dead Yet members for an emergency action in support of Terri's right to life and the Schindler family's right to care for her. It was Easter Sunday, 8 of us had left our wheelchairs and laid on the ground blocking off one of the entrance/exits outside of Woodside Hospice as the various news media organizations swarmed around us jockeying for position to lock in best angle to deliver story. For a time, we became the latest breaking news for audiences around the world, who would for moments listen us sharing testimonials, and why it was that we supported Terri and the Schindler's. I told the crowd that "If any man or woman anywhere in the United States had starved or dehydrated any animal in this way, that there would be huge public outcry and the perpetrators would be locked up for cruel and unusual punishment. We protect even the worse criminals like John Couley from this kind of treatment." I chastised the corporate media for not looking into, why in the first place Terri was in the condition she was in; and only covering the angle that Terri did not want to live in a vegetative state, that it was her choice to be killed this way. Why don't they question the fact that Michael changed his story about the way he found Terri or that when emergency workers came in response to the 9-11 call, they wanted to call the police because it looked like attempted homicide, or that a 1991 bone scan performed by Dr. W. Campbell Walker showed a history of trauma, and listed apparent injuries to the ribs, thoracic vertebrae, both sacroiliac joints, both ankles and both knees. If they looked at all into it, they would find many reasons for Michael to not be Terri's guardian and many reasons for Terri to be cared for by the family that loves her. Michael Baden, the top forensic pathologist in the country claimed in an interview with Fox News, Terri's condition could not have been caused by a potassium deficiency, "The reason that she's in the state she's in is because there was a period of time, maybe five or eight minutes, when not enough oxygen was going to her brain. That can happen because the heart stops for five or eight minutes, but she had a healthy heart from what we can see. The bone scan describes her having a head injury . . . and head injury can lead to the 'vegetative state' that Mrs. Schiavo is in now", that her injuries are consistent with severe trauma possibly caused by a beating, and that the injuries in medical records warrant an immediate investigation. Dr. William Hammesfahr, Nobel prize nominee and neurologist testified that Terri's neck injuries are consistent with only one type of injury: that of strangulation.- go here: While outside Woodside hospice, we as Not Dead Yet reminded journalists of the other side, the side that protects civil luberties- We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We did interviews with CNN, MSNBC, The New York times, People magazine, and all of the local affiliates from Florida including broadcast and print news. I personally did interviews with People, Channel 13 news, The St. Petersburg Times, the Spanish and French free press, and others that came up to us after hearing our testimony while on the ground. It was not until I began my own interviews questioning people that I began to understand there was a hidden force at work here that at the time I did not yet understand. When I returned home it was the 12th day that Terri had been deprived of food and water. Knowing she could not last much longer and wanting passionately to do something about it, I began to review all the details of the case, hoping that I could find something to aide her. It wasn't until Michael won, $250,000 in a malpractice settlement for Terri in August of 1992; and $750,000 for Terri, $300,000 for himself in November of 1992, that he decided to stop all rehabilitation and therapy for Terri. He had testified that he loved Terri and wanted to take care of her for the rest of his life. The settlement was based on Terri needing rehabilitative therapy for the next 50 years. Once it became clear that Terri was not receiving any therapy, Mary and Bob Schindler Sr., consulted with Mark I. Shames about gaining custody of their daughter because of the differing opinions with Michael over her therapy. Shames, who became Sixth Circuit Court judge soon thereafter, inherited their guardianship case, and should have disqualified himself per Florida Code of Judicial Conduct which dictates that a judge is mandated to disqualify himself in a proceeding in which he has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding and if the judge has served as a lawyer (or been consulted) in the matter in controversy. Shames however did not, and on May 6, 1997, received a letter from Deborah Bushnell urging him to inform the Schindler's of Michael Schiavo's intent to move Terri to a hospice and have her feeding tube removed; stating that the issue of withdrawal or refusal of medical treatment for the ward "is a difficult issue in this case and that the ward's parents will need to be involved". This should have been a non-issue because Terri was not terminal or in danger of dying, and therefore did not need the services of a hospice, where she would not receive rehabilitative therapy, dental, or gynecological care; besides at that period in time, food and water were not yet deemed "medical treatment." Upon learning of Michael's intent, Shames should have removed him as guardian of Terri for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act - Cf 28 CFR, Ch 1, Subpart B, Sect 35.130, "Nothing in the Act or this part authorizes the representative or guardian of an individual with a disability to decline food, water, medical treatment, or medical services for that individual" and Florida statute 744.474(2 ) requiring that the guardian protect the rights of the ward, provide for her health and safety, properly manage her financial resources and help her regain her abilities to the maximum extent possible.- go here: But instead of removing Michael as guardian, Shames approved the hiring of George Felos, a known euthanasia advocate/author, chairman of the Hospice of Florida Suncoast board; as Michael's legal counsel, illegally allowing him to be paid from Terri's trust fund, a violation of Florida statute 744.474(2). The weirdness continues as Felos then files a petition before Sixth Circuit Court Judge George Greer in May of 1998, to remove Terri's feeding tube, moving the proceedings all the way to Clearwater, and still at a time when food and hydration through a feeding tube is not considered artificial support. So why would Felos specifically petition George Greer and why would Greer allow Felos to petition for something not even considered a possibility by Florida statutes? Even stranger to fathom, while the case is pending, on April 6, 1999 - House Bill 2131 was introduced in the legislature by the Florida Elder Affairs & Long-Term Care Committee to amend Section 765 (Civil Rights) of the Florida Statutes. Two weeks later, the legislature Committee on Judiciary recommended that House Bill 2131 should also change the Section 765.101 legal definition of life prolonging procedures to add: "including artificially provided sustenance and hydration which sustains, restores or supplants a spontaneous vital function." In October, 1999, a year after the case was filed, led by Senator James King, the Florida Legislature changed Florida law to include assisted feeding to be artificial life support and Greer retroactively applied the law back to 1985 when Michael bases Terri told him she would not want to be kept alive by artificial means. Strange coincidence or did Felos know that somehow the law would be changed, and if he did somehow know, why would such powerful forces including the governor want to side with him on this issue?- go here: Jan 24, 2000 - Bench trial began to decide whether to remove Terri's feeding tube. Pamela Campbell, represented the Schindler's free of charge after inheriting the case, buying out Shames law practice once he became judge. During the trial she allowed Michael Schiavo to testify about Terri's condition, when only a medically qualified expert should be allowed to render medical opinion, and also allowed him to admit into testimony, hearsay which supports the idea that Terri never wanted to be kept alive in such condition, supported by hearsay from Michael's brother, and sister-in-law. go here: Once a case is tried and decision made on the merits, it is virtually impossible to have the decision reversed on appeal. Appellate courts review the merits of the case, not the credibility of the witness and thus when Greer ruled that Michael Schiavo's self-serving hearsay testimony was credible that Terri would not want to be kept alive, the die was cast for a denial at every appellate level. In some cases where the verdict is rendered by a jury and trial error has a substantial impact on a case, the appellate court will overturn a jury verdict due to their decision being improperly influenced. However, this does not hold true in the case of a bench trial where the judge is the alleged fact finder and decision maker." Is it again coincidence that Pamela Campbell, who also contributed to Greer, would take the case free of charge and then make the two biggest mistakes, for which denial of every appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court of Florida, and United States, was based upon? Just as suspicious she states, "we do not doubt she's in a permanent vegetative state" allowing many facts presented by Felos, which are now in dispute. In April, 2000, without knowledge or consent of her parents, Michael Schiavo and George Felos, move Terri illegally from the Palm Gardens Nursing Home where she had been staying to Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, operated by Hospice of Florida Suncoast. Dr. Victor Gambone, her attending physician at the Palm Gardens nursing home, refused to sign the certificate of need, testifying under oath that Terri was healthy and that her move was ordered by Michael Schiavo and not him. On Feb. 11, 2000, Greer signed the first order authorizing Michael to remove Terri's feeding tube, ruling that Michael's hearsay testimony had constituted clear and convincing evidence that Terri would not want to live 'artificially.' On April 24, 2001 her feeding tube was removed. On April 26, Cindy Shook calls up a radio station and tells them that while dating Michael, he told her "this had destroyed his life and he was being robed of a normal life." And that Terri never spoke to him about advanced directives, "How the hell should I know we never spoke about this, my God I was only 25 years old. How the hell should I know? We were young. We never spoke of this." Schindler attorney Pat Anderson filed an emergency motion claiming Michael Schiavo failed in his duties as a guardian because he did not uphold Florida statute 744.472 (2), that he is an adulterer and has had a child by his mistress, that he spent all of Terri's money in an attempt to kill her rather than rehabilitate her. Terri deserves the right to divorce this adulterer. Terri has the absolute right to receive necessary services and rehabilitation based upon Florida statute 744.3215, but Michael has confined Terri "to the "death row" of Hospice instead of leaving her in a nursing facility where she would receive the services and rehabilitation required by law. He systematically isolated Terri and deprived her of sensory input, cruelly restricted and prevented visitors of whom he does not approve. He is required by law prepare and present an annual plan under Florida statute 744.3675, however throughout his tenure as guardian, Michael has filed the annual plans late or not at all, and has provided incomplete and inaccurate information, intentionally withheld information concerning Terri's true condition: that she is conscious, aware and can swallow. The Adult Protective Services Act (Chapter 415 of the Florida Statutes) affords protection to disabled persons from abuse, neglect and exploitation, and Terri is entitled to the protections afforded by this law. Anderson also cites The Wasting, Embezzlement, or Other Mismanagement of the Ward's Property and the Improper Management of the Ward's Assets - Fla. Stat. §§ 744.474 (7) and 744.474 (16), Development of a Conflict of Interest Between the Ward and the Guardian - §744.474 (11), Guilt of an Offense Prohibited Under Fla. Stat. §§ 435.03 and 744.474 (12), Failure to Fulfill the Guardianship Education Requirements - . §744.474 (15), and After Appointment, the Guardian Has Become a Disqualified Person as Set Forth in Fla. Stat. §§ 744.309 (3) and 744.474 (18) - Pat Anderson 11-15-02 Petition to remove MS as guardian, upon filing of a civil suit by the Schindler's and upon hearing of new evidence by Cindy Shook, 2nd District Circuit Court Judge Frank Quesada ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted. Cindy Shook later testifies that Michael Schiavo had stalked her numerous times and even run her off the road. "One time he was behind me in traffic he got next to me in a two-lane going the same way, and he changed lanes basically right on top of where I was at, and I had to swerve not to be hit. I had to swerve off the road. Michael ran me off the road. I considered it as stalking, dangerous and guessed potentially life threatening." While any unbiased judge would and should have recognized these claims as reasonable to relieve Michael of his guardianship responsibilities, and open an investigation into why Terri was in the state she was in. Greer instead on August 7, 2001, again sides with Michael, ruling he may remove Terri's feeding tube. On October 15, 2003, Terri's feeding tube is removed. Acting quickly on October 20, The Florida House of Representatives passed "Terri's Law," that allows the governor to issue a "one-time stay in certain cases." On October 21, The Florida Senate passes the bill; then Governor Bush issued an executive order directing reinsertion of Terri's feeding tube and appointment of a guardian ad litem. Shortly after that, Terri's feeding tube is reinserted. It is at this point that something really weird happens- the wording of artificial means of receiving food and hydration somehow becomes just food and hydration. If you look closely at Terri's law, the meaning somehow shifts and while the courts spend the next months battling over the constitutionality of Terri's Law and the separation of powers, the wording of the bill sets-up Judge Greer's illegal February 25th, 2004 order "absent a stay from the appellate courts, the guardian, Michael Schiavo, shall cause the removal of nutrition and hydration from the ward, Theresa Schiavo, at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2005." Somehow between the passing of Terri's Law to Judge Greer's February 25th decree, food and water by mouth, became clumped in with food and hydration as supported by a feeding tube. This decree is what caused numerous people even a 10 year old boy to be arrested outside Woodside hospice for trying to take a cup of water to Terri. This is also the order that doomed Terri to die and restricted her family from giving her food by mouth. Michael did not even want to allow Last Rites for fear of Terri receiving nourishment. It also limited the Governor's authority to "a one-time stay in preventing the withholding of nutrition and hydration from a patient." On March 31,2005, Terri dies at 9:05 a.m. Her body is transported to the Pinellas Country Coroners' Office for an autopsy. On April 2nd, Judge Greer denied a request from a Florida newspaper for summaries of alleged previous investigations conducted by DCF concerning alleged abuse of Terri who sustained serious brain damage as the result of suspicious circumstances in 1990. "In another emerging revelation, another neurologist who examined the timeline of Terri's brain scans found that for the first three days of her initial hospitalization in 1990, her brain scans were normal. Then suddenly, on the sixth day, her brain scan showed evidence of a massive injury. He concludes that Terri was hit on the head and suffered intracranial hemorrhage while in the hospital. The physician maintains that she did not suffer her brain damage outside the hospital but while she was hospitalized."- go here: Florida statutes expressly prohibit assisted suicide or euthanasia. 765.309 Florida Statute: Mercy Killing of Euthanasia Not Authorized; Suicide Distinguished. -- (1) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to condone, authorize, or approve mercy killing or euthanasia, or to permit any affirmative or deliberate act of omission to end the life other than to permit the natural process of dying. (2) The withholding or withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures from a patient in accordance with any provision of this chapter does not, for any purpose, constitute a suicide. 458.326 Florida Statute: Intractable Pain; Authorized Treatment. -- (4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to condone, authorize, or approve mercy killing or euthanasia, and no treatment authorized by this section may be used for such purpose. 782.08 Florida Statute: Assisting Self-Murder. -- Every person deliberately assisting another in the commission of self-murder shall be guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.775.082, s. 775.083 or s.775.084.- go here: With the death of Terri, if left unquestioned Florida will have its first euthanasia case law for all of the other protections to be legally challenged, clearing way for even more euthanasia edicts. Clearly, it seemed to me some powerful force worked against the Schindler's, pushing the extermination of Terri, but what would have the power, money, and influence to push this case past 3 attempts at removing her feeding tube? While interviewing people outside Terri's hospice, a woman told me that I should check into the Church of Scientology, based there in Clearwater, Florida. Not knowing much about Scientology, I placed the comment on the backburner for later research. It was not until I returned to Atlanta that I was able to take a deeper look into Scientology's role in Terri's death. The day that Terri passed away I began my research into Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, founder of scientology. Zen Garcia Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST