I can’t imagine that this book, which purports to tell “the untold story of Terri Schiavo and what it means for all of us by the attorney who fought for Terri,” will change any minds about the sad life and judicial murder of Terri Schiavo. You see, I’ve signalled already that my mind is made up about the subject. I agree with author and lawyer David Gibbs that “the quality of a person’s life and the hearsay testimony of a spouse who has moved on to another committed relationship regarding end-of-life medical treatment wishes should never again become the basis for which life can be ended.”
So, you can read this book in order to reinforce your own opinion about the Terri Schiavo catastrophe and to get more facts to add to your arsenal of arguments whenever someone tries to convince you that Terri was already dead or didn’t want to live when the court ordered that she be deprived of food and water. For instance, Michael Schiavo testified in court in 1992 during the medical malpractice trial that eventually ended in a $2 million award for Michael to use to care for Terri:
“I believe in the vows I took with my wife–through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m going to do that.”
He then refused to allow Terri to receive rehabilitation therapy. In fact, Terri Schiavo “received absolutely no rehabilitative services, swallowing tests, or therapy of any kind between 1992 and her death in 2005.” And Michael began living with his new companion, Jodi Centonze, in 1993. Do these actions sound like the acts of a loving husband who should be trusted to give truthful testimony concerning Terri’s wishes or make decisions about her medical treatment or have anything at all to do with his abandoned and handicapped wife, Terri Schiavo?
Did you know that Judge Greer, the judge who made the decisions in Terri’s case, never once went to see her nor did he ever have her brought to his courtroom?
Did you know that a number of people, non-family members including Mr. Gibbs, claim to have seen Terri interact in a meaningful way with other people respond to her environment?
Did you know that Michael Schiavo refused to have Terri evaluated by an independent physician after 2002 even though her family asked repeatedly that she be re-evaluated?
Still not convinced? If not, you could read the book and argue with it. I’ve done that before with other books. However, I warn you that Mr. Gibbs’ arguments against the travesty that was Terri Schiavo’s death are irrefutable. But, then, I was already on Terri’s side.
A few other items of interest in the book are: Mr. Gibbs’ opinion of living wills, answers to some frequently asked about Terri Schiavo’s case, and some ideas on what Christians, and others who deplore the direction our society is headed as exemplified in the Schiavo case, can do to change that direction.
I saw this book on the new books table at Barnes and Noble last night, and I hope lots of people pick it up and read it. Maybe an inside view of what really happened to Terri Schiavo will change some minds. Maybe we’re not as far gone as I fear we are. I pray not.
I received a review copy of Fighting for Dear Life from Bethany House publishers. Thanks to them and I do hope my pessimism about the effects of such a book won’t keep them from publishing other books that defend the sacredness of all life.
What constitutes a valid marriage? Clearly Michael Schiavo had a warped view of marriage, fidelity and love. Perhaps if Florida had laws recognizing common law marriage, the court might have acknowledged Michael Schiavo’s longstanding relationship with another woman as an illicit marriage. Would that have played a factor for the courts to weigh Michael’s adultery into considerations of his moral fitness as Terri’s husband? Even though Michael Schiavo had committed adultery, sired illegitimate children, and openly shared Terri’s marriage bed with another woman, it’s maddening that he was still considered fit by the courts to undertake his role as a husband.
He was allowed to choose actions that would cause her death, but was also allowed to benefit by inheriting her estate. Why didn’t the Florida courts expose his bigamy?