are increasingly governed not by law or elected representatives, but by unelected, unrepresentative, unaccountable committees of lawyers applying no law other than their own will. …  What judges have wrought is a coup d'etat – slow-moving and genteel – but a coup d'etat nonetheless."

Recently, Roman Catholic Robert Bork wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

"The Supreme Court has created a more permissive abortion regime than any state had enacted; prohibited any exercise or symbol of religion touching even remotely upon government; made the death penalty extremely difficult to impose and execute; disabled states from suppressing pornography; catered to the feminist agenda, including outlawing state all-male military schools; created a labyrinth of procedures making criminal prosecutions ever more difficult; used racial classifications to exclude children from their neighborhood public schools; perverted the political process by upholding campaign finance limits that shift political power to incumbents, journalists and labor unions; licensed the advocacy of violence and law violation; and protected as free speech computer-generated child pornography. These decisions are activist, i.e., not plausibly related to the actual Constitution."[12]

World moral leader Pope John Paul II declared recently that withholding 'nutrition and hydration' is "euthanasia by omission" and is forbidden.[13]

"No matter how sick a person is, he is and will always be a man, never becoming a vegetable or animal," said the Holy Father.  Thank God, the ailing Pope does not reside in Pinellas County.

Nonetheless, disregarding Terri's personal Catholic faith, the arrogant activist Judge Greer had twice before ordered Terri's 'nutrition and hydration' removed.  The first execution was commenced in April 200l, whereas Terri suffered two-and-a-half days of starvation and dehydration.  Again, another execution was commenced in October 2003. 

Due to the 'special session' intervention of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the Legislature on October 21, passed "35E Bill – Terry's Law," allowing Terri's palliative care resumed after six days of excruciating pain.

On May 6, 2004, liberal activist Judge W. Douglas Baird of Pinellas Circuit Court, ruled "35E Bill - Terri's Law" unconstitutional.

Terri Schiavo is non-terminal, non-PVS, she is not near death, she is not even sick.  Terri can speak a few words and expresses joy and excitement at seeing her family.  In fact, Terri can be trained from requiring the 'feeding tube.'  Terri suffers from brain damage or cognitive disability, which can be treated and improved, although there are varying 'opinions' as to the degree of improvement expected.  To date, her estranged, adulterous husband, Michael Schiavo, has curiously withheld this traditional, basic therapy from Terri.

The Catholic Church teaches that morally no one may remove 'nutrition and hydration' from another simply because they suffer from illness or are near death.  If a person were near death, and Terri Schiavo certainly is not, compassionate caregivers and loved ones would not want to cause excruciating pain and agony due to withdrawal of food and water to a terminal patient in their last days.  Nutrition and hydration should always be administered as humane, palliative, and ordinary care.[14]

Recently, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, spoke to Vatican Radio in an appeal to Judge Greer, Terri's husband Michael and Michael's 'right-to-die' attorney George Felos to save Terri's life.[15]

"If Mr. Schiavo succeeds legally in causing the death of his wife, this not only would be tragic in itself, but would be a grave step toward the legal approval of euthanasia in the United States.

"I would like to remind everyone in this connection, about all that the Holy Father has said in past days to the Pontifical Academy for Life, confirming that the quality of life is not interpreted as economic success, beauty and physical pleasure, but consists in the supreme dignity of the creature made in the image and likeness of God," Cardinal Martino said.

"No one can be the arbiter of life except God himself" [Pope JPII].

©Copyright 2004 by Barbara Kralis – All rights reserved.

Endnotes:

[1]  Pope John Paul II, 2/21/05, quoting from Pope Paul VI's
'Humanae vitae,' n.13, (l968); and Pope John XXIII encyc.'Mater et Magistra,' in AAS LIII (l961), ...