From CNN.com:

"Hours earlier, President Bush signed into a law a bill authorizing the federal courts to review the case after emergency weekend sessions in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. "

I have not written earlier on Terri Schiavo largely because I didn't want to add additional exposure to what should be a completely private affair. But when President Bush cut his vacation short to fly back to Washington to sign this, I felt it now was a larger issue. President Bush while he was governor of my great state (Texas) signed a law that allows a hospital to remove extraordinary measures from patients who cannot afford medical care even against the wishes of the family. From Mark A. R. Kleiman:

"Sun Hudson, a six-month-old boy with a fatal congenital disease, died Thursday after a Texas hospital, over his mother's objections, withdrew his feeding tube. The child was apparently certain to die, but was conscious. The hospital simply decided that it had better things to do than keeping the child alive, and the Texas courts upheld that decision after the penniless mother failed, during the 10-day window provided for by Texas law, to find another institution willing to take the child ."

What happened to Republicans who in their own Contract with America advocated that government was "too intrusive"? This is shameful political posturing and blatant hypocrisy. It is not hard for me to believe that her husband might not be a person who has "simply moved on," as Ann Coulter tried to paint him, but a man who actually loves his wife and wants to carry out her wishes. Is it not logical to entertain the idea that a woman might tell her husband what her wishes were in this area even if she didn't share them with her parents? My partner and I have had similar conversations and my parents were not aware of them. Since it obviously can now be the government's or a hospital's decision what steps can or will not be taken in regards to personal medical care, I would suggest that anyone who has concerns and feelings in this area have a living will drafted as soon as possible.

¶ 3/21/2005 12:30:00 PM

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