How Family's Cause Reached the Halls of Congress

[rodeodance]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/22/politics/22cong.html?

March 22, 2005

How Family's Cause Reached the Halls of Congress
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON, March 21 - When a judge set last Friday as the deadline for removing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, Ken Connor, a Florida trial lawyer and prominent Christian conservative who represented Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida on this issue, decided to appeal to a higher power, Congress.

He turned to an old acquaintance, Representative Dave Weldon, a Florida Republican and doctor, in a long-shot effort to persuade Congress to intervene. Convicted murderers have more chances to appeal to the federal courts than patients who are incapacitated, Mr. Connor argued......


That was three weeks ago. The plans hatched by Mr. Connor and Dr. Weldon eventually snowballed into Congress's marathon weekend session, resulting in the recall of more than 260 members of the House from their spring vacations to try to preserve the life of one brain-damaged woman who has spent 15 years unable to speak, feed herself or move much more than her eyes.

Their success was the culmination of a two-year campaign by social conservatives who had been building support for the cause, along with the diligent efforts of Ms. Schiavo's parents and brother. Senator Mel Martinez, a newly elected Republican of Florida who is Mr. Connor's former college roommate, also played an influential role. (continurs that Senate Dems were helpful also).......

[Demit]

1. "appeal to a higher power, Congress"? I rather thought that the branches

of government--legislative and judicial--were equal. Plus if the NYT was slipping in a religious reference there, that is unbelievably irresponsible of them. I am SO glad I cancelled my subscription to that increasingly smarmy rag.

[salin]

2. Interesting... esp if you note that DeLay and the leadership

didn't want a "private" bill... that is - they didn't want this to be strictly for Schaivo - they wanted it to broadly reach other cases.

What does that mean in light of this story?

A stumbling DeLay - just two weeks ago the gambling story broke, recall? - finds potential "salvation" (renewed power) by appealing to the far right/right to lifers - but pushing a bill that would potentially reverse end of life decisions by individuals and families...

Recall - the house voted by voice on a "private bill" earlier and turned it down (probably with a lot of arm twisting by DeLay).

It was only when the senate voted - and made it a private bill that the House Leadership went (was forced) into this direction.

To the question of why the sen dems went along - I am beginning to think that they realized that with the emotional momentum building - a law was going to be passed and signed - and that by getting their first (eg the Senate bill - a private bill) it would pre-empt the house efforts to go for a broad reaching bill.

This item - of how it came to congress in the first place - the short timing - and then the speed with which delay picked it up and became the "front" man for it... is very, very interesting.