Letter to my Congressman.
My letter to him - I had to use a stupid [link|http://tomdavis.house.gov/davis_contents/center/feedback/|web form]:
Congressman Davis:
I strongly disagree with your actions in the Terry Schiavo case for several reasons. 1) This case has been litigated for nearly 7 years in the Florida courts. The courts there have made a final ruling and the US Supreme Court has refused to intervene. Separation of Powers mandates that the Florida court ruling must stand and the US Congress must not interfere with the decision of the Florida courts. 2) The Congress has no authority to interfere in state matters like this. 3) It is a private family matter. Attempting to intervene in this unseemly way is counter-productive and will only inflame passions on both sides of the issue. 4) It tells people in your district that you are not a moderate but rather a prisoner of the far right fringe of the Republican Party. It also tells us that you're more interested in interfering in private family matters than addressing the important national interests facing the US.
I urge you to reconsider your position on the Schiavo matter.
Please read the Florida Supreme Court ruling from September. : [link|http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/schiavo/flsct92304opn.pdf|http://news.findlaw....flsct92304opn.pdf] It's only 30 pages. It has a brief summary of the case and includes the following:
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The evidence is overwhelming that Theresa is in a permanent or persistent vegetative state. It is important to understand that a persistent vegetative state is not simply a coma. She is not asleep. She has cycles of apparent wakefulness and apparent sleep without any cognition or awareness. As she breathes, she often makes moaning sounds. Theresa has severe contractures of her hands, elbows, knees, and feet.
Over the span of this last decade, Theresa\ufffds brain has deteriorated because of the lack of oxygen it suffered at the time of the heart attack. By mid 1996, the CAT scans of her brain showed a severely abnormal structure. At this point, much of her cerebral cortex is simply gone and has been replaced by cerebral spinal fluid. Medicine cannot cure this condition. Unless an act of God, a true miracle, were to recreate her brain, Theresa will always remain in an unconscious, reflexive state, totally dependent upon others to feed her and care for her most private needs. She could remain in this state for many years.
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Despite Sen. Frist's comments, it is clear that her condition was properly diagnosed by her doctors and was determined to be a correct diagnosis by the courts. She is in a PVS and has been for over 10 years. Much of her brain is gone. Her wish for her body not to be kept alive by artificial means, as verified by the Florida courts, must be respected.
I reiterate that I am very upset and disappointed that you are helping the "conservative" fringe of the Republican party interfere in this case. There is no legitimate legal basis for you to do so. I expected better of you.
Shame on you, sir.
Regards,
Scott.
