This Blog considers assisted suicide/euthanasia, bioethics, human cloning, biotechnology, radical environmentalism, and the dangers of animal rights/liberation. My views expressed here, as in my books and other writings, reflect my understanding that the philosophy of human exceptionalism is the bedrock of universal human rights. Or, to put it another way: human life matters. (The opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of any organization with which I am affiliated.)
As I wrote previously, barring any new and unforeseen events, I am not going to comment further in this Blog on the Terri Schiavo case. But my good pal Nat Hentoff continues the cause, knocking it out of the old ballpark in this important piece. It's definitely worth a read.
P.S. Nat reports that Michael Schiavo is shopping a book. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 9:42 PM
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I am a Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Bioethics at the Discovery Institute and the author of 12 books, including A Rat Is A Pig Is A Dog Is A Boy, which is relevant to the issues considered by this blog.
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2 Comments:
I read the piece from Nat Hentoff and it is something that is well worth reading.
I am a conservative by nature and in my politics, and not a liberal at all. However, saying that I do believe that Nat Hentoff is one of the most thoughtful commentators in the media today.
He is one of the few who has reflected upon the value of life and has recognized that something was not quite right in the Schiavo case.
It is going to be hard from now on to press for real justice, which will only come when Michael Schiavo is charged with the attempted murder of his wife. It is going to be hard because of the latest whitewash in the saga - the report that has come from the non-investigation that was ordered by the Governor of Florida.
If the saga is to continue, which it must so that something like this can never happen again, then there needs to be more focus placed upon the official approval of spousal abuse that was so prevalent, yet totally ignored. I am certain that the manner in which Terri was deprived of oxygen was due to an attempted strangulation, but not in the manner that is being described by the pundits. I think that the method was something that does not leave marks such as the policeman's choke hold. Another possibility is a judo move that could deprive a person of oxygen.
The reason that I believe that attempted strangulation cannot be ruled out happens to be the neck injury that was sustained by Terri. Upon admission to the hospital she had a stiff neck. The autopsy report mentioned that her neck muscles were atrophied on one side only. As someone who has suffered neck muscle injury due to whiplash, I feel certain that when whatever happened took place, the muscles and ligaments of Terri's neck were damaged. Since she was not involved in a car accident then someone needs to explain how her neck came to be damaged only on one side.
I think that there is sufficient evidence to charge Michael Schiavo over the death of Terri. It will be extremely hard to bring about those charges, because the death was caused by judicial decree. However, I do think that the judge who ordered her death is equally culpable when it comes to a wrongful death.
Nothing will happen to Michael in terms of any kind of prosecution.
What WILL do him in, however, is his capitalizing financially on Terri's death, and any book deal will turn the public against him in a way the case, with all of the pro-Michael media spin, could not.
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