Cardinal says enough of euphemisms—Terry Schiavo was killed

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Lima, Peru, Jul 26, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The President of the Pontifical Council for Heath Care, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, recalled the Terry Schiavo case this week and said “they killed her” by denying her food and hydration. According to the cardinal, “Food and hydration are never considered medicine.” “To remove them means euthanasia, it means killing, and so this woman was killed by hunger and starvation. Let’s stop with the euphemisms—they killed her,” he stated.

“Law consists of a rational ordering that seeks the common good and not the common evil,” Cardinal Lozano noted, “but many times there are laws that are called laws but are nothing more than arbitrary norms. In fact, the President of the United States was against this court decision because he had enough sense to realize it was incorrect.”

In today’s world, he stated, there is an abundance of euphemisms to disguise euthanasia. “The dignity of death means that this person has the capacity to reach the fullness of maturity so that upon crossing the threshold he or she does so in full consciousness, blossoming forth completely in the Lord,” the cardinal added.

He also called for advances in palliative care in order to “resolve the problems of pain and so that individuals can be more aware and more united to Christ on the cross, and thus be more conscious of the beginning of the resurrection.”

Likewise, the cardinal pointed out that “a doctor who is not a believer is always a frustrated doctor. The most advanced techniques, the most advanced medicines, are always met at the exit by the ironic laughter of death; on the other hand, the believer says no to death,” he said.

Comments: 14

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Carol Stysiack
Lindenhurst, NY, USA 07/27/2005 11:06 PM EST

John Healy from Wasington DC is incorrect when he compared pulling a mechanical respirator from someone as being the same as depriving them of food and water. Terri Schiavo was not brain dead, not comatose, not terminal,but disabled. A Florida Judge decreed that Terri was not allowed to be fed by natural means, even though she could handle baby foods. That is murder, any way you look at it. Water and food must never be considered extraordinary.
Pope John Paul 11, did not allow himself to be killed. He had food and hydration during his entire dying process. He didn't go to the hospital, because he had the facilities set up to care for him at his Vatican Residence. You speak wrongly of our beloved Pope by inferring that he allowed himself to be killed. Pope John Paul 11 gave us the example of himself to show how a person who has a disability can go on and make a difference in the world. He fought heroically to live his life as God wanted it, and
when his body gave out naturally, he submitted to his death with extraordinary grace and dignity.
Mr. Healy should get his facts straight.

Published by: Josephine wong
Sydney, Australia 07/27/2005 07:29 PM EST

I tremble for those who were involved in killing all the Terrys of the world...one day, they (and all of us) will die and meet our Maker, God the Almighty and boy, what a day of reckoning that will be for the murderers! They are very powerful now; with power to kill and take INNOCENT LIVES. They are very powerful behind the laws of man; they will be powerless when they leave this world; when they will stand face to face with the SUPREME JUDGE! We have to pray mighty hard for God's mercy on us all!

Published by: Jennifer
Chester County, PA 07/27/2005 07:25 PM EST

Mr. Healey obviously did not read the autopsy report very carefully. Although she had been blind at her death, she most certainly was aware of what was happening to her.

JPII's condition was much different than Terri's. Terri would have continued to live for a period of at least ten years with her feeding tube. Our Holy Father would not have. He knew his age and comorbidities were such that it was his time and he entered into eternal life with grace and dignity.

Published by: Jim Boggie
Dedham,MA 07/27/2005 07:13 PM EST

The people who defend the starvation of Terry Schiavo are the same ones who defend the taking of an innocent babies life in abortion. Life has many difficulties, and the right answers are not always the easy ones, but the decisions that we make do show what we hold dear in this life. Pope John Paul struggled for the last few years of his life, yet he did all that he could to show people the true meaning of life. In the end he accepted all that was neccesary to maintanin his health, but he knew that the end was at hand and accepted that it was his time. He was not afraid to die, but neither was he in a hurry to bring it on. I honestly believe that anyone who thinks that the right thing was done regarding Terry Schiavo either has no faith in God or they never looked any deeper than the reasons why the court approved it. I can certainly understand the despare of her husband Michael, who being a young man didn't want to be tied down for the rest of his life to a woman who would never be able to be a wife to him again, but does that excuse a judge who is supposed to be looking out for her interests, to callously deny her her life? Terry seemed from what I saw a desire to live. Even if what I believe is wrong, she had a family who loved her and would be willing to care for her. Why does the fact that Michael was married to her make his love any more important than the love of those who gave her life? I know that the love that I have for my children is unconditional.I'm sure

Published by: lorraine deyette
e.hfd ct. u.s.a. 07/27/2005 03:55 PM EST

i as a 7 day a week Catholic have been taught that life is a precious gift from GOD. i also have been taught that we should always exhaust every oportunity to live as long as possible,we do not have the right to kill ourselves or another by the commandments we live by.Our precious pope was living and dying as he was taught by our creator in holy scripture. He exhausted all avenues to live and knew that there was no more to do and he gave his life ,a life well spent in showing us how to live and how to die, he gave his life up freely to the God he loved and lived for. He was an example for the whole world; while on the other hand mrs.shiavo was not dying she saw and felt whe was alive and was killed by a ruthless band of people who put themselves in place of the God who made them.we as a people should stand together to fight this evil that exists in our world for if we dont we all will have to pay the price for standing in GOD'S PLACE!

Published by: Kathleen M.Virnig
St. Cloud, MN 07/27/2005 11:41 AM EST

Re:John Healy's questions. There is a great deal of difference between administering oxygen or medications to a sick person and stopping the medications or oxygen for a dying person. Notice in neither case am I saying that you should stop feeding or hydrating a person. Terri Schiavo was not in poor health, she was handicapped and needed a great amount of care, which was being given all the years she was in the hospice, and other health care facilities. Terri didn't have a change in her health status but it was arbitrarily decided that she no longer wanted to live. The indicators, in other words, to stop medication or respiratory equipment to an ailing person, is whether they are in the process of dying, or are just in need of care to help them live. Mr. Schiavo decided he didn't want to keep up the care of his wife, and he went further and had the ordinary means of survival, food and water, removed from his wife. If you remember the autopsy said Terri was in good health and died not from her infirmities, but from DEHYDRATION.

Published by: Elizabeth
Bucks County, Pennsylvania 07/27/2005 10:50 AM EST

This is misunderstanding what the term "extraordinary measures" means. Using a ventilator to keep someone breathing is extraordinary because it involves a great burden and effort (and cost); a feeding tube for nutrition and hydration is not a burdensome medical intervention; people live comfortably with them inserted. It is considered ordinary care. Food and hydration are only allowed to be removed when they cause harm to the patient (at the end of a person's life, they often stop eating and drinking because their bodies can no longer process it --very different from a hunger strike where someone simply decides to stop eating.)

Pope John Paul demonstrated death with dignity perfectly--he received a tube for feeding and hydration (I found the timing of this, during the execution of Terri Schiavo, to be remarkable), but notice that the Holy Father did not get rushed back to the hospital when he spiked the fever and they realized he had a urinary tract infection. He knew his time was near, and met his death with complete faith. His final word was "Amen."

Terri's life was in the hands of a man who had abdicated his sacred marriage vows, and had a family with another woman. He stood to gain over a million dollars upon her death, plus had a looney-tune lawyer who has a bizarre death fetish.

Basically, we all have to die of something, and it frightens me to think that a person can be killed by others who have different opinions. We should err on the side of life!

Published by: Mike Jiencke
Holden Ma 07/27/2005 10:41 AM EST

Some help for the confused. Terri Schiavo was NOT terminal. She did NOT decide for herself in a verifiable way. There were many reports of her appropriate responses (laughter, crying, attempted answers) to external events (good news, bad news, questions). Alleged medical experts were never able to explain this beyond the mere claim they were involuntary responses. There was expert medical opinion to the contrary.

The inability to recover is NOT grounds for ending a life. Not meeting your personal standard for a meaningful existance is NOT grounds for ending a life. Those unable to speak for themselves deserve special consideration, our protection and the right to life.

Laws that assume a spouse is always the best decision maker is one obvious problem that needs to be resolved.

Published by: Elizabeth
Bucks County, Pennsylvania 07/27/2005 09:56 AM EST

Published by: John Kacarab
Riverside, CA, United States 07/27/2005 09:37 AM EST

John Healy is a good example of those who have eyes but do not see and he has ears but he does not hear.

His staement about Terry's incapacities are those of the people who wanted her dead.

Healy refuses to take into consideration the extensive documentation of the professionals who examined Terry and showed that she could see, hear and respond to those areound her.

John Healy and those like him stood by while an innocent disabled woman was murdered.

Published by: Dorothea Malloy
Irving, TX 07/27/2005 07:29 AM EST

When the body does not breath on its own, the person dies unless kept alive artificially by a respirator. Terry was breathing on her own. All she needed to live was food and water. To put ice chips in her mouth, or spoon feed her baby food is not artificial life support. Her feeding tube was not necessary to feed her--it was a convenience for the hospice workers. They did not kill her by removing the tube. They killed her by refusing to allow anyone to feed her by mouth.

Published by: Ray Ranzau
San Antonio, TX, USA 07/27/2005 07:14 AM EST

The brain is not the soul. The secularists among us said she was brain dead, and therefore, dead. The Church teaches that the body isn't dead until the soul leaves. The Church is "dead-on" right on this issue. The state of Florida and Michael Schiavo killed Terri Schiavo just as surely as night follows day.

Published by: Maggie C Palmer
Marble Falls, Texas 07/26/2005 06:03 PM EST

I wonder why parents have been jailed for starving their children in this country and it was not considered murder to withhold food and water from Terri.
What actually stopped the police and courts from being able to defend a defenseless life. Was this judge so powerful that his evil will imposed a death sentence on this innocent women and we could do nothing to stop him? Where is the line drawn? If someone has a stroke and is unable to eat are they now considered throwaways? Are we now a society that will decide who has the right to live or die by one solitary judge with his own agenda?
So many questions have now been raised by this evil act. Our country has gone far from our founding fathers belief of "life, liberty and the persuit of happiness". Now our lives can be taken by a loved one who is not so loving.
God help us all.

Published by: John Healy
Washington, DC 07/26/2005 12:55 PM EST

If I take someone off life support, I am killing them by withholding oxygen. Oxygen is not much different than food - we need both to live. So according to Barragan's logic, pulling the plug is killing someone. This means that about 1/2 of the people in the US will eventually be labeled murderers by the Church leader, Barragan.

Terry Schiavo had no cognitive brain functions. She could not see, hear or feel anything. She could not think. She would never regain consciousness. She had been unconscious for almost 15 years. Pulling the plug on her was the only rational, human thing to do. Even Pope John Paul II refused medical treament that would have allowed hime to live longer - he allowed himself to be killed (what is the difference in refusing medical treatment and refusing food?). It would be nice if the world were as simple and as black and white as people like Barragan would want. Unfortunately, it is not.

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