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Republican Candidates Romney, Giuliani, McCain Repudiate Government Effort to Save Terri Schiavo

Only Senator Brownback supported political actions to save Terri’s life

By Peter J. Smith

UNITED STATES, May 23, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The three front-runners in the Republican presidential primary repudiated Congress’ intervention to save the life of Terri Schiavo, the Florida brain-injured woman who died of court-ordered dehydration and starvation in 2005 at the behest of her husband who was then living with another woman.

Front runners Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain, and former Gov. Mitt Romney were all asked in the debate moderated by MSNBC: “Terri Schiavo: Should Congress have acted or let the family make the decision, the husband?”

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who is campaigning on his pro-life conversion responded by saying Congress had made a “mistake” to try to save Schiavo’s life, showing a profound ignorance of the facts of the battle over Terri Schiavo’s life.

“I think we should generally make the family make a decision of this nature,” said Romney. The moderator then asked “The husband should have decided” to which Romney replied, “Generally, we should make that decision.”
 
 “But I think the decision of Congress to get involved was a mistake,” said Romney, who then quickly added “I think the Congress's job is to make sure that laws are respecting the sanctity of life.”

However Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael was having an affair and children by another woman Jodi Centonze, while he had asked the court to remove the feeding tube to starve and dehydrate his incapacitated and brain-injured wife. Terri’s own family, the Schindlers had pleaded to take care of her instead.

Perceiving injustices were being committed by the Florida judicial system, Congress and President Bush acted to try and save Terri’s life in March 2005. Congress first subpoenaed Terri to appear before a US Senate Committee as a way to reinstate her feeding tube, which Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer brazenly rejected. Congress then passed the Palm Sunday Compromise, which allowed the case to go before the federal courts, which then ruled against saving Terri’s life.

After two excruciating weeks without food and water, Terri Schiavo died on March 31, 2005, her killing ensured by armed guards who would not allow anyone to give her any food or even water.
 
Senator John McCain called it “a very difficult issue” adding that “In retrospect, we should have taken some more time, looked at it more carefully, and probably we acted too hastily.” While pro-abortion candidate Rudy Giuliani said “The family was in dispute. That's what we have courts for.”

Only Sam Brownback emphatically responded, “Yes, it should have. And it gave her the right, and the family the right to take that appeal to the court.”

 “America needs to know what really happened to this lady because Terri's death by dehydration should never have been permitted in a civilized society,” said former Schindler family attorney David C. Gibbs III according to Christian Newswire. “These candidates must understand the truth because if elected, they will be making policies that impact all of us.”

See related LifeSiteNews story with links numerous other reports on the Schiavo case
Two Years Later, Terri Schiavo Case "Shrouded in Massive Ignorance"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07040204.html

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