Rate Yahoo! - Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy

[reprehensor]

Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy

By William Douglas, Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The federal law that President Bush (news - web sites) signed early Monday in an effort to prolong Terri Schiavo's life appears to contradict a right-to-die law that he signed as Texas governor, prompting cries of hypocrisy from congressional Democrats and some bioethicists.

In 1999, then-Gov. Bush signed the Advance Directives Act, which lets a patient's surrogate make life-ending decisions on his or her behalf. The measure also allows Texas hospitals to disconnect patients from life-sustaining systems if a physician, in consultation with a hospital bioethics committee, concludes that the patient's condition is hopeless.

Bioethicists familiar with the Texas law said Monday that if the Schiavo case had occurred in Texas, her husband would be the legal decision-maker and, because he and her doctors agreed that she had no hope of recovery, her feeding tube would be disconnected.

"The Texas law signed in 1999 allowed next of kin to decide what the patient wanted, if competent," said John Robertson, a University of Texas bioethicist.

more@link

RATE A 5!!

[SpiralHawk]

1. Striking a minor cyber blow

for the truth.

And supposing the Republicans will be all over this on Yahoo to Once Again suppress the Truth

[fryguy]

2. done and kick

important to get this on the MSN radar. NPR mentioned it yesterday, would be nice if there was more talk of the inherent hypocrisy of the first use of the texas law coming mere days before the gop passed terry's law

[rodeodance]

5. Its current average rating is 4.68 with 105 vote(s).

[HockeyMom]

15. Husband's behavior

I think a MAJOR reason so many people are taking the parents side in this is because they see him in the same light as Scott Peterson; an unfaithful, "murdering" husband. Am I wrong? But the problem is that they cannot see the can of worms this thinking opens up. Do we investigate ALL spouses to make sure they aren't committing adultery? Does this mean ALL spouses must have a Living Will or their word means nothing? Do we want FEDERAL Government getting involved in our personal lives? Some people just aren't thinking of the consequences of this case.

[fryguy]

30. no comparison with peterson

scott peterson murdered his wife. shciavo is trying to abide by the wishes of his wife. yes, he's been dating someone for the last five years, but his wife has been in a persistent vegitative state for 15 years and is only still "living" because her parents are clinging to the hope that a miracle will revive her. technically its adultry because he's still married, but the comparison to peterson is ridiculous and misguided.

there has been no evidence presented that schiavo was anything but faithful to his wife while she was alive and her condition was not the result of anything he did. his fight to have her tube removed and allow her to pass away with dignity is nothing close to murder.

[rodeodance]

31. hubby has been character assinated. i suspect their are many who do

see the hubby as a Scott Peterson.

[Clark2008]

19. Keith Olbermann drilled on it, too

He more than mentioned it - he had Wayne Snyder ("Bush's Brain" author) on to discuss it.

[DODI]

3. I wish there was at 10!!

Thanks.

[rodeodance]

8. lets make it one of the most "popular"

[fryguy]

11. and keep it there all day - n/t

[Kber]

4. Proving once again that it's not about life

it's about state control.

[rodeodance]

9. using the word 'hypocrasy' in a headline with 'Bush' is so sweet!!

[Supersedeas]

35. yet, the libertarians continue to sing the * praises.

[efhmc]

6. So truly, truly bush, this action. Perhaps this time it won't fly.

[rodeodance]

27. I so much hope that you are right!

[unhappycamper]

7. done. kick.

[Demit]

10. still 4.68, with 119 votes.

[liberal_in_GA]

12. kick

:kick:

[Dhalgren]

13. Kick!

[pstans]

14. Done

Olbermann had a columnist from Dallas on last night. This guy co-authored "Bush's Brain" so he is not a Bush-bot. This guy said that the Texas law was consistant with Bu$h's Pro-life stance because Bu$h had failed to sign a previous bill on the same matter a year or so earlier. The bill that Bu$h signed made it harder to take the person off of life support. The second bill added the 10 days time.

[Greylyn58]

16. Done and Kicked Big Time n/t

[Catshrink]

17. Still 4.68 with 128 votes!

[me b zola]

33. It's dropping

4.59% with 219 votes

[Inland]

18. Done nt

[nickinSTL]

20. still at 4.68

You have given the news article Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 4.68 with 137 vote(s).

[Discord]

21. Gave it a 5 rating...

with all 3 of my Yahoo accounts.

:evilgrin:

[rodeodance]

24. it was yesterday's article--guess it was a slow Monday

Mon Mar 21, 7:22 PM ET

[ProudToBeLiberal]

22. done nt

[pnutchuck]

23. Done eom

[aintitfunny]

25. Now I got it

If the dispute is between a Business and a family, the business get to make the decision and if it is between family and family the religious right gets to decide. It is clear now.

[BrklynLiberal]

26. Done.

[rodeodance]

28. the Daily Grill has a comment on this issue today. (Schoty comments)

From an email newsletter from American Progress Report that I recieved today:

DAILY GRILL

"The legislation he signed is consistent with his views.... The legislation was there to help ensure that actions were being taken that were in accordance with the wishes of the patient or the patient's family."

– Scott McClellan, 3/21/05

VERSUS

If the patient or the person responsible for the health care decisions of the patient is requesting life-sustaining treatment that the attending physician has decided and the review process has affirmed is inappropriate treatment.... The physician and the health care facility are not obligated to provide life-sustaining treatment after the 10th day.

– Texas Law, Section 166.046, Subsection (e)

[rodeodance]

29. other comments from today's American Progress Report:

This is from the same email that I got today (related to this issue):


VALUES
'Defending Life for All Americans'

President Bush said that he intervened in the Terri Schiavo case yesterday morning because he believes in "defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities." Supporting life, however, takes more than political grandstanding. Time and again the Bush administration has pursued policies that undermine the lives and health of the American people. While the Schiavo case is being considered by the federal courts, President Bush has an opportunity to show his commitment to "defending life for all Americans" by reconsidering his policies that affect millions of Americans.

ELIMINATING HEALTH CARE FOR THE POOR: According to the Institute of Medicine, lack of health insurance already "causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." Since President Bush took office the number of Americans who are uninsured has swelled by more than 5 million people. Now he's poised to make the situation worse. President Bush is proposing significant funding cuts to Medicaid and the related State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Bush's 2006 budget slashes funding for the programs – which provide vital health coverage to 1 in 6 Americans and 1 in 4 children – by more than $20 billion over five years. According to Heather Boushey, an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, "the cut would make 1.2 million children unable to access the system." Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) said of Bush's proposed Medicaid cuts: "

eople need to remember that to balance the federal budget on the backs of the poorest people in the country is simply unacceptable.... You don't pull the wheelchair out from under the child with muscular dystrophy."

EXPOSING CHILDREN TO TOXIC MERCURY: Mercury is a powerful toxin that can have serious neurological effects, especially in kids. It is known to directly harm the nervous systems of children, causing birth defects and other maladies. Currently, 600,000 babies born in the United States every year "may be exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in the womb." Yet, the Bush administration recently issued rules which would allow some power plants to "increase pollution, while others turn a profit selling unused pollution allowances." The new "cap-and-trade" policy rolls back a plan created by the EPA in 2000 which "would have mandated curtailing emissions at every plant by the maximum amount possible, which proponents said could bring a 90% reduction in three years using existing technology."
.......

LEAVING THE DISABLED ON THE STREET: Bush's statement about his intervention in the Schiavo case implies that he is a champion for the well-being of the disabled. Not quite. He is proposing "to stop financing the construction of new housing for the mentally ill and physically handicapped." The program has existed for three decades.

[rodeodance]

32. Advance Directive's (living wills) were the rage a few years back. I am

glad this sad case has once again illuminated them.

[pacalo]

34. Glad this is getting some coverage.

I don't have the stomach to hear what the network news' spin is on this, but I heard this mentioned on both Keith O & The Abrams Report last night.

[Nashyra]

36. 4.53 with 302 votes

[golden voyages]

37. chimpy looks so upset ... like he can't remember where he left his banana