More on Schiavo
Some commenters have pointed out that the Schiavo case is not as cut and dry as the press would have me believe. Notably, David Codrea informs me that she’s not in a coma; her husband has allegedly denied her therapy; there have been allegations of abuse; and there’s money involved.
The money, I don’t think, is an issue and Mr. Schiavo has offered to give it to the parents. I was mistaken about her being in a coma. Regarding the denial of therapy and alleged abuse, those should be (and likely have been given the coverage of the case) investigated.
One thing I didn’t change my mind about is that this case does not warrant Federal intervention.
March 22nd, 2005 at 12:55 pm
The allegations of abuse are specious. In all the times this has gone to court, you would expect that if there were any substance to those allegations, they would be brought up there. To my knowledge, they never have been. If these folks had any legitimate dirt on Michael Schiavo, believe me, it would be plastered everywhere. Instead, we get the infamous whisper campaign.
As for her not being in a coma, I’m not sure why that matters. What she’s “in” is a persistent vegetative state, which is one step closer to death than a coma.
In fact, a good portion of her brain has atrophied away. It’s never going to come back.
To date, the best information I’ve found on the Schiavo case is here, from a Florida law blogger who’s been following the case since before it was “cool.” I found it to be pretty even-handed and free of incendiary rhetoric. The Q&A section is particularly interesting.