Both mainstream and alternative media miss the truth in the Schiavo case

It is absolutely nauseating to hear the relentless framing of the Schiavo case as a "right to life" issue, or that Michael Schiavo is an evil husband who never cared for his wife and just wants her out of the way of his life.

Careful review of the evidence shows that Terri Schiavo is not being deprived of her right to life; she made it clear to her husband and others that she did not wish to be kept alive by tubes or similar life-prolonging means in the event she was incapacitated. The right that is being denied is NOT being denied by the courts or by Michael Schiavo. The right that IS being denied is right of a person to choose not to avail himself/herself of medical treatment and to die in peace. That was Terri Schialvo’s desire and her right, and it is being trampled on by her parents and opportunistic politicians who deceptively mis-frame the basic issue. The alternative media has gone right along with this deception. The problem is that the full story of Michael Schialvo’s efforts to save Terri have not be told to the public.

Michael Schialvo worked very hard for four years to reverse his wife’s condition, using the best medical treatments and technology available. But when it became undeniable that Terri’s condition was irreversible, Michael decided to honor Terri’s wish to die in peace after enormous effort to restore her to health.

The reality is that Terri Schialvo’s parents do not want to let go, to allow Terri to have her wish and to die in peace. The Schindlers selfishly seek to override Terri’s wishes, probably due to their own fear of death and separation. It is certainly understandable for any parent to recoil of the idea of losing their child, even an adult child. But it is wrong and immoral for parents to seek to prolong the life of an adult child whose wishes were to be allowed to die in peace and not have life artificially prolonged.

Many of us know that they could be stricken with a stroke and incapacitated. Many of us would prefer not to be kept alive in a vegetative condition, or even in a minimally conscious state. And many of us know that our parents would never agree to "pull the plug" and would endeavor to keep us alive at all costs. Terri Schialvo may have known her parents would attempt this, and that may be why she extracted a promise from her husband to let her die if she was incapacitated.

Michael Schiavo has resisted offers of hundreds of thousands and perhaps even a million or millions of dollars to abandon his promise to his wife. Michael Schialvo has resisted the temptation to take the money and run away from his promise. He honors his wife by honoring her wishes to be allowed to die in peace.

The Schindlers and the politicians right up to the Bush Brothers make a mockery of Terri Schialvo’s wishes and right to deny medical treatment to prolong her life in vegetative condition. So far, the courts have resisted the political pressure to deny Terri her wishes. The likely reason the courts have been able to withstand the lies and pressure is that the courts have obtained all the facts of the case, unlike the politicians and the parents whose pronouncements regarding Terri’s condition at times seem positively delusional.

The tragedy of the Schialvo situation is the relentless straying from truth. The framing of the case is designed to play on emotions based on deception. The Schindlers are putting their own fear of death as priority over their daughter’s proven desire to die in peace and have drawn out their illegitimate struggle for years and years. How much better it would be for the Schindlers and the politicians to use their energies and efforts to protect those whose lives and rights have truly been trampled on. Certainly the process could begin in Terri’s home state and county in Florida if a careful search for justice was undertaken.