The autposy reports have been finished for Terri Schiavo, so the entire nation will have to revist this case again. At any rate, it appears that Dr. Frist’s faith-based video diagnosis was a touch off:
He said she would not have been able to eat or drink if she had been given food by mouth as her parents’ requested.
“Removal of her feeding tube would have resulted in her death whether she was fed or hydrated by mouth or not,” Thogmartin told reporters.
Thogmartin said that Schiavo’s brain was about half of its expected size when she died March 31 in a Pinellas Park hospice, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.
“The brain weighed 615 grams, roughly half of the expected weight of a human brain. … This damage was irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons.”
Terri’s brain weighed less than half of what a normal brain weighed, and she was blind, suffering from what is called cortical blindness. Remember the videotapes tracking balloons- it wasn’t happening. Those were, and remain, selective edits of hours of tape.
The clinical diagnosis of Persistent Vegetative State was accurate, and don’t let the knuckleheads out there tell you that ‘the Doctors said their diagnosis was consistent, not confirmed’.
She was not responding to people. She was not talking. She was essentially brain dead, she was not going to recover, and Terri Schiavo as a person died years ago.
But you knew that. The usual supects will try to spin this that the results are inconclusive, but they should be ignored. And keep in mind, when they try to spin their nonsense- these are the same folks that want to take over the science curriculum and infuse it with ‘divine design’ and other ascientific garbge.
But hey- Tony Perkins and Randall Terry got some camera time and jammed a lot of money in their pockets, didn’t they? So it wasn’t a total loss.
JDRhoades
You know the wingnuts are spinning the “coverup” fantasies as we speak.
Jay C
Sad. Sad, Sad.
For Theresa, that is: I suppose the only saving grace, if there is one in this whole mess, is that the autopsy results may prove that she was non-cognizant of what was going on with her (I am assuming this from the apparent deterioration of her brain), and thus, not “suffering”.
But these results, I’m sure, will not, and would not, make one whit of difference to the “Save Terri” wack-jobs and their jackal-chorus of followers. Since Ms. Schiavo’s actual condition, important factor as it might be for us reality-based types, was probably only a secondary consideration for the “pro-life” gang – way less important, IMO, than the opportunities for media exploitation that were their real aim.
RIP, Terri Schiavo (finally?).
John Cole
Terri Schiavo had less ‘life’ than a fetus. A fetus has the potential, if fed, nurtured, and protected, to become a thinking, feeling, living humand being. Terri had no such potential.
Terri Schiavo the person slipped off the mortal coil years ago.
Jon H
I’m sure the ‘pro-life’ people will cling to the unknown cause of the original collapse as evidence of evil on the part of her husband.
Never mind that young people do, occasionally, drop dead.
Hell, two twenty-something women I’ve known died suddenly. One while running last miles of the Marine Corps marathon, the other on a perfectly normal evening.
norbizness
But her soul was vibrant and aware of what was happened. That’s what the Holy Spirit told me after my 14th shot of Goldschlager.
SeesThroughIt
What’s the over/under on one of the wingnutters claiming her brain weighed half of what it should because it withered away once the feeding tube was removed? I say it’s pretty good odds. I’m also gonna go pop some popcorn because the loony-tunes fringe getting all up in arms again should prove to be an amusing spectator sport.
Aaron
It’t not the size, it’s how you use it.
Really, it’t the beer talking, and yeah, you can mock me when I’m vegetative too.
Rick
But hey- Tony Perkins and Randall Terry got some camera time and jammed a lot of money in their pockets, didn’t they? So it wasn’t a total loss.
And Balloon Juice got a spike in traffic, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Now in Summer re-run.
Cordially…
John Cole
And Balloon Juice got a spike in traffic, so it wasn’t a total loss.
No, I really didn’t. Traffic is roughly the same pre and post-Schiavo.
If I really wanted a boost in traffic, I could become an sycophantic apologist ala LaShawn Barber or Hugh Hewitt. That is where the bucks are…
Joel
Apparently Mark Fuhrman has a book soon to be released on Schiavo. It’s being hyped by Newsmax so I think we all know what his take will be on the topic. I suspect he’ll be all over the cable news channels in the coming days.
Nash
And Balloon Juice got a spike in traffic, so it wasn’t a total loss.
That from one who should be stunned into blessed silence by facts:
No, I really didn’t. Traffic is roughly the same pre and post-Schiavo.
We predict instead, this spin: But what about “during” the Schiavo case, huh John, what about that? You killed her off for two months of blog hits.
Rick
John,
I knew you’d be watching this comment thread closely, dear to the heart as it is.
In addition to my emailed suggestion for site tinkering, maybe there’s also a way for your posting time to show the date as well.
Just a little thing to speed navigation, if technically possible.
Cordially…
P.S. LB & HH Sychophantic apologists for what, exactly?
KC
John, you get steady traffic though, from people like myself who are tired of the reading blogs that defend and spin every stupid thing some leader in their political party does. Your site is definitely on the top of my list now and I am sure it is rising on others’ lists too.
Ben
“If I really wanted a boost in traffic, I could become an sycophantic apologist ala LaShawn Barber or Hugh Hewitt. That is where the bucks are…”
John,
Please don’t stoop to that. You are the lone voice of reason for recovering Republicans like me. There is nothing more tired than the mental masturbation and shilling that goes on with Hewitt, lush, insanity and NRO, et al. When a person completely agrees with the viewpoints of either side, they have stopped thinking.
Simon
Rick, it would be great if every once in a while, instead of a snarky, and in this case just plain wrong, comment to try to deflate a post you don’t like, you could just admit you or your party were wrong. It would be a breath of fresh air and lead to a lot better back and forth. Honestly, I’d love to hear you comment on the fact that one of the many arguments made by the pro-lifers, that she was responding to visual stimuli (thanks for your ‘medical’ opinion Frist!), had absolutely no basis in fact and was in fact an orchestrated sham. How else to describe a heavily edited video to give such an appearance?
Nikki
What’s the over/under on one of the wingnutters claiming her brain weighed half of what it should because it withered away once the feeding tube was removed?
Already saw this posted in the comments section of another site.
SeesThroughIt
I justs now saw that myself, Nikki. How pathetically predictable. I hope every single one of those nutters–including “Dr.” Bill Frist–chokes on the truth.
neil
…Terri Schiavo as a person died years ago.
But you knew that.
John, I believe you give people too much credit. And I also believe that this is the reason you don’t believe the DSM.
The DSM is the autopsy of Bush’s war which proves that the proof that Saddam was a threat was nothing but “selective edits.” The postwar planning weighed less than half of what it should have, and the administration was blind to the nation-building consequences, suffering from what is called “ideological blindness.”
The usual suspects will try to spin this that the results are inconclusive, but they should be ignored.
neil
Sorry, I meant to say “believe the DSM is significant.” It’s just telling us what we already knew. Just that most people didn’t already know it because they are not as discerning as you.
wild bird
Now just think that if this had involved a vicious dog that had mualed a kid the idiots at PETA and numerous hollywood celeberties would be doing public spots to save the animal or if this involved a rare tree the eco-freaks and again the hollywood idiots would be wanting to save it but since it involved a person they paid no attention to it
Rick
Simon,
I’ll apologize when I’m wrong. There is no such occasion in the Schiavo matter. You, OTOH, may apologize to me for projecting others’ errors and sins onto me.
I supported the large, bi-partisan majority seeking a federal review of Judge Greer’s finding of fact. It was the right thing to do, but judges do protect their own, and the effort failed.
Ain’t that right?
Cordially…