Terri needs your help: FAXES TO GOV & PRES + Contact Talk

Terri needs your help: FAXES TO GOV & PRES + Contact Talk Radio Hosts to spread word of Michael admitting he DIDN'T know! + Call FLA Senators ++
This is a Hospice Patients Alliance Newsletter March 21, 2005, 5th edition, sent out periodically reporting about news affecting hospice and end-of-life care.

Hospice Patients Alliance has the greatest respect for the dedicated professionals serving in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and doctors' offices who respect patients' rights to self determination, practice ethically and do NOT impose death on their patients!

###

ARTICLES, DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

FAX THE GOVERNOR & PRES

Contact the Talk Radio Show Hosts about Michael's Lies

(get them to spread the word of Michael's lies!)

Call FL Senators

Schiavo's life worth extraordinary effort

The Slow, Horrible Death of Terri Schiavo

###

sent in from friends of Terri,

to fax to Governor Jeb Bush & Pres Bush

---

YOUR JOB IS TO ENFORCE FLORIDA LAW

765.309 Mercy killing or euthanasia not authorized;

(1) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to condone,

authorize, or approve mercy killing or euthanasia, or to permit

any affirmative or deliberate act or omission to end life

other than to permit the natural process of dying.

A JUDGE CANNOT NULLIFY LAW

---

Please fax to Jeb Bush.

Governor Jeb Bush

(850) 488-4441

Fax 850-487-0801

Please fax to Pres Bush:

Federal Law

Title 28 35.130(e)(2) Nothing in the Act or this part authorizes the representative or guardian of an individual with a disability to decline food, water, medical treatment, or medical services for that individual.

President Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

FAX: 202-456-2461

###

Note from Ron Panzer: We have to get the truth out about Michael's lies about Terri. Please email blast the following talk show hosts till they "get it." They get millions of emails, but if we all email them MANY times over and over again for today, maybe the truth will come out about Michael contradicting himself. Email the following short message to Greta Van Susteren, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh.

Message to be sent with Subject line:

"MICHAEL SCHIAVO ADMITS HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TERRI WANTED (false basis of court ruling to kill her)"

body of message:

Michael admitted on Larry King Live that he didn't know what Terri wanted. His lie about Terri's wishes is the basis of the court's approval of euthanizing Terri. See Larry King Transcript:

CNN LARRY KING LIVE March 18, 2005

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/18/lkl.01.html

Larry King: Do you understand how they feel?

M. SCHIAVO: Yes, I do. But this is not about them, it's about Terri. And I've also said that in court.

WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TERRI WANTED, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE WANT..."

---

Sean Hannity

http://www.hannity.com/story.php?content=/contact

Greta VanSusteran

ontherecord@foxnews.com

and her blog:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,151022,00.html

Michael Savage at:

michaelsavage@paulreveresociety.com

Laura Ingraham at:

http://www.lauraingraham.com/asklaura;jsessionid=InWaNBwEjB4iQ5owLi3Y-g**

(web email available)

Rush Limbaugh at:

rush@eibnet.com

and fax at: 212-563-9166

###

PLEASE call Florida Senators, begging them to give Terri a chance. - Ron P]

from:

http://www.conservativealerts.com/terri-tj.htm

HERE ARE THE NINE KEY FLORIDA SENATORS WE NEED TO REACH:

Larcenia J. Bullard

850-487-5127 (Tallahassee)

305-668-7344 (District Office)

305-668-7346 (Fax)

Walter Campbell Jr.

850-487-5094 (Tallahassee)

954-346-2813 (District Office)

Mandy Dawson

850-487-5112 (Tallhassee)

954-467-4317 (District Office)

954-467-4331 (Fax)

JD Alexander

850-487-5044 (Tallhassee)

863-679-4411 (District Office 1)

863-679-4413 (Fax 1)

863-386-6016 (District Office 2)

863-298-7677 (District Office 3)

863-298-7680 (Fax 3)

Nancy Argenziano

850-487-5017 (Tallahassee)

352-860-5175 (District Office 1)

352-402-6664 (District Office 2)

Lisa Carlton

850-487-5081 (Tallahassee)

941-486-2032 (District Office)

941-486-2050 (Fax)

Paula Dockery

850-487-5040 (Tallahassee)

863-413-2900 (District Office)

863-413-2902 (Fax)

Evelyn J. Lynn

850-487-5033 (Tallahassee)

386-676-4000 (District Office)

850-487-5542 (Fax)

Burt L. Saunders

850-487-5124 (Tallahassee)

239-417-6220 (District Office 1)

239-417-6223 (Fax 1)

239-338-2777 (District Office 2)

239-338-2779 (Fax 2)

###

http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/230925-3972-021.html

Schiavo's life worth extraordinary effort

March 22, 2005 Indy Star today's editorial

Our position is: Terri Schiavo's case is extraordinarily difficult, but presumption always should be for life.

Who decides when a life should end? How much value should be placed on an individual life? Should a person -- even a brain-damaged person -- be protected by all reasonable means from those, who in the name of mercy, would kill by withholding food and water?

How you answer such questions largely will determine your opinion of the extraordinary events unfolding in the sad and complex case of Terri Schiavo.

Congress, in an unusual emergency session, approved legislation early Monday morning allowing federal courts to review Schiavo's case. President Bush signed the bill into law a short time later.

Schiavo, a 41-year-old Florida woman, suffered brain damage 15 years ago. For the past seven years, her husband, Michael Schiavo, has asked state courts to allow Terri to die by removing her feeding tube. Her parents and other family members have fought against starving her to death.

Such cases are undeniably difficult, but the presumption always should be for life.

That is especially true in a case such as this one where the closest family members are in sharp disagreement and no living will or other document exists to detail the person's wishes. It's also worth noting that no MRI or PET scan has been performed on Terri Schiavo to detail the extent of her injuries. Some medical experts, based on a CT scan, argue that she has no hope for recovery; others disagree.

Schiavo's fate would be easier to determine if she had left a living will documenting her desires. The hard questions raised by the case are a reminder to all Americans of the need to make such arrangements before end-of-life questions arise.

But Florida courts have reviewed the case for seven years; shouldn't that be enough? And why is Congress involved? The law enacted Monday simply allows for federal court review of the case. Federal courts routinely review states' death penalty cases under the presumption that the taking of a life by execution, even of criminals convicted of the most heinous crimes, should be done only after careful review. The intentional starving of a disabled person certainly should receive no less scrutiny.

Arguably, given the stakes in this case, congressional intervention should be celebrated no matter your opinion of whether Terri Schiavo should be allowed to live or die. No one should want a society in which death by intentional starvation is not seen as worthy of attention in the highest levels of government.

Individual lives do matter. Every reasonable argument should be exhausted before anyone, including the most disabled of persons, is intentionally killed. To do less is to push American society down a dangerous and frightening slope.

###

http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=328

The Slow, Horrible Death of Terri Schiavo

by John W. Whitehead 3/21/2005

After Congress waged a day-long political fight over the fate of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman's fate is once again in the hands of a federal court.

[go online]

###

We can't stand by and watch her starve to death

By Rabbi Aryeh Spero Jewish World Review March 21, 2005

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0305/schiavo_spero.php3

Long ago Jewish law made a distinction between withholding medication and special treatments from a patient as opposed to withholding food and water. Whereas there comes a time when we are no longer required to proactively employ "heroic" medicines and treatments to keep a non-functioning body operating, it is always necessary to continue feeding a patient.

A heart, for example, that beats not on its own but only through an artificial respirator is surviving outside the pale of physiology - its maintenance is artificial. There is nothing artificial, however, in people being fed by others. Babies do not feed themselves, nor do the frail and very sick - for example, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's patients. While we do not breathe for others, we certainly feed others. It makes no difference if the person is fed from without or within, conventionally or by machine.

[go online]

###

[Comment: It's ironic that the AMA apparently isn't concerned about the ethics of withdrawing food and water from non-dying, disabled patients but rather-like the politicians' ethics committees-talks about having ethical guidelines regarding such idiocies as how big can a drug rep's gift be!

The citing of "overtreatment of patients to boost income" seems surprising in view of insurance companies' tight rein on coverage and fraud investigations. Nancy V.]

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/03/28/prsb0328.htm

While most survey respondents said they were concerned about unethical practices, most said such practices didn't occur in their own organizations.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. March 28, 2005.

A new survey shows that nine in 10 physician executives are "very concerned" or "moderately concerned" that unethical business practices are impacting U.S. health care.

[go online]

###

Till next time,

Ron Panzer

President, Hospice Patients Alliance

http://www.hospicepatients.org

"What I do you cannot do;

but what you do, I cannot do.

The needs are great, and none of us,

including me, ever do great things.

But we can all do small things, with great love,

and together we can do something wonderful." - Mother Teresa

###

What better way to show your support for the original hospice mission than

to help save those disabled who are wrongly being held in a hospice that

supports the killing of the disabled. Help save Terri Schiavo by purchasing

the beautiful music CD "LIFE" by Mr. Wayne Galley created just for Terri

and other vulnerable individuals. Sales of the CD support the efforts to

save the disabled who are targeted for killing within hospice.

Those who have already ordered the LIFE CD know how inspiring and uplifting

it is! We urge all of you to order the LIFE CD and to spread the word by

letting others know about this wonderful musical tribute to Terri and the

cause of LIFE! You cannot listen to this music without being deeply moved!

Listen to the Demos ...

"I HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE" and

"I AM ALIVE" at:

http://www.hospicepatients.org/life-cd.html

If you already have the CD, please let everyone know how it affected you.

Terri's family and friends encourage you to get the LIFE CD: each purchase

benefits Terri's Foundation. You will not be disappointed when you hear

the music MR. Galley has written for Terri.

The LIFE CD: only $15 plus shipping and handling! Your order directly

benefits Terri's Foundation. PLEASE place your order now at:

http://www.hospicepatients.org/life-cd.html

###

HPA works to preserve the ORIGINAL hospice mission of CARING for the dying

and allowing a natural death in its own timing, NOT hastening death or

imposing death! We support the role of hospices to care and relieve

suffering, just as Mother Teresa did for so many years! We urge you to

share this message with others who are interested.

###

We are against unsolicited email and don't want anyone to receive our

mailings who doesn't wish to receive them. To be taken off future mailings

send an email with the SUBJECT "UNSUBSCRIBE" to:

unsubscribe@hospicepatients.org To subscribe to the newsletter, simple

send us an email FROM the email being subscribed, with the subject

"SUBSCRIBE" to subscribe@hospicepatients.org

To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add

patientadvocates@hospicepatients.org to your address book.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (C ) material the use of

which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance

understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and

social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair

use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C.

section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This material is distributed without

profit.