Legally, Michael Schiavo was within his rights to remove his wife Terri's feeding tube. Florida Statutes allow for him to submit a Petition to Withdraw Life Support; he is considered the next of kin as her spouse. Judge George W. Greer was just doing exactly what he is expected to do - uphold the state Constitution to the best of his ability. The fact that the Court of Appeals confirmed Judge Greer's initial ruling, and that the Florida Supreme Court declined to even hear the case provides clear evidence that this matter was cut and dried in terms of the law.
I believe it was inappropriate for President Bush to call a special session of Congress with the intention of intervening where he clearly had no jurisdiction. According to Article 2 Section 3 of the US Constitution, the president's power to call special sessions is only on "extraordinary occasions" and he has the responsibility to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The law, according to Florida Statute 765 had already been faithfully executed by the Pinellas-Pasco's Sixth Judicial Circuit, and he chose not to heed their ruling. The executive branch has clearly overstepped its bounds when it attempts to force the US Supreme Court to hear a case it had already deemed unworthy. "Terri's Law" was a despicable attempt to void state's rights. It is in fact the Founding Father's version of federalism that ensures such things do not happen. Florida has certain powers as a state in this union that cannot be infringed by the central government.
Regarding the right-to-die debate and the nature of the federal government's authority, I do not believe that a faceless official should decide if someone's family member can continue (or not) with life support. However, the Terry Schiavo case at its core was not really about the federal government's authority to pull the plug. President Bush and his Congress were rightly censured for attempting to flout our system of checks and balances. Even after the autopsy was performed, Jeb Bush continued to hound Michael Schiavo, primarily because Schiavo had become involved with another woman and had two children during the fifteen years Terri was comatose. The law stands as it should: in the absence of a will, the spouse makes the decision between life or death. We cannot adjust for every case that comes forward.
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