And in probably the only comment I will ever make on this case: is there no end to the extent to which Florida's state officials, joined by those craven cowards in US government of course, will attempt to drag this painful drama out for their tawdry political gain?
Apparently not.
Rebuffed by the courts and unsuccessful in the legislature, state officials may attempt to place Terri Schiavo under protective custody so her feeding tube can be reinserted, The Herald learned this afternoon. No timetable for a decision was clear, but events were moving at a rapid pace in the courts and in state offices today. The brain-damaged woman has been without food and water since her feeding tube was removed Friday.
A federal appeals panel early this morning refused to order the tube reinserted, ruling in favor of Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, who says she should be allowed to die. [...] Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and the director of the state social services agency said they were considering an intervention in the controversial and increasingly tangled case -- based on calls alleging that Schiavo is being abused in her hospice. The abuse allegations are based primarily on the removal of her feeding tube last Friday.
"We're looking at the response to the abuse calls," Jennings said. "You'll probably be hearing more." She and other state officials said the governor's office is considering using a state law that allows the state to take a vulnerable adult into immediate custody if there is a demonstrated need for protection. Lucy Hadi, secretary of the Department of Children and Families, said the state investigation into potential abuse is ongoing and the state is required by law to file a petition to bring Schiavo into state care if an emergency exists. The state does not have to wait for a court to act, she said....
Florida's Department of Children and Families has demonstrated a remarkable inability to keep alive those vulnerable children under its care. They also fail to do timely investigation of those children's deaths. The state itself notes that the DCF could and should have prevented at least some of those children's deaths. Moreover, Florida's DCF fails to investigate and protect people in reported cases of elder abuse, again another vulnerable population. Maybe they think they can do better with this vulnerable adult; after all, she's neither very young nor very old and not at all mobile so maybe they'll have better luck. More likely, they hope this case can distract Florida's citizenry from those signal failures.
Posted by iain at March 23, 2005 02:35 PM
