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An anonymous letter, published by the Internet publication World Net Daily which purports to be from a doctor associated with a Miami hospital, has set off a firestorm of controversy with a statement that brain disabled Terri Schiavo had cognition of a "bag of lettuce".
The letter writer, who claims to be a physician, makes statements unsupported by personal knowledge which would likely to be the basis for disciplinary action were she to have identified herself and the Miami hospital where she claims to be employed.
Her comments have elicited a strong response from Barbara Weller of the Gibbs Firm of Seminole, Fla., attorneys for the Schindler family as well as others including Texas attorney Jerri Lynn Ward who represents long term care providers and strongly opposes the Texas Futile Care Law, pushed through by President George Bush as Governor of Texas.
http://texasadvancedirectivesblog.blogspot.com/
The letter writer, who identifies herself only as Dr. Linda, penned the letter in support of Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist after WND's Joseph Farah wrote an editorial earlier this week attacking Crist and his role in the Schiavo case.
Crist's refusal to initiate any investigation or take action in the Schiavo case may stem from the connections of his father, Dr. Charles J. Crist, with facilities and persons associated with the Schiavo case.
Crist was born in Pennsylvania, Michael Schiavo's home state and moved to St. Petersburg in 1960 when his father, Dr. Crist, a family doctor, became associated with what is now known as the Bayfront Medical Center, a facility where Terri Schiavo was a patient.
Terri was at Bayfront in 1990 when Dr. David Baras, medical director, said that her "last hope" would be to undergo experimental surgery in California.
Dr. Crist, now of HealthPoint Medical Group in St. Petersburg, is also listed as a faculty and staff member for the College of Nursing at the University of Southern Florida.
Jay Wolfson, a University of South Florida professor and fellow faculty member of Dr. Crist, was appointed by Sixth Circuit Court Chief Judge David Demers in October 31, 2003, as the guardian ad litem in the Schiavo case, to report to Gov. Jeb Bush whether or not the stay enacted by Terri's Law to keep Terri alive should be continued. Wolfson is also on the faculty at Stetson University, alma mater of Schiavo Judge George Greer and Judge Demers.
Wolfson's report recommended that swallowing tests be performed but concluded that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. Pinellas County probate court judge George W. Greer refused to allow the swallowing tests after Terri's Law was ruled unconstitutional.
Terri Schiavo died March 31, 2005, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order of Greer. Michael Schiavo, her husband in name only, had waged a 10-year court battle against her parents, Mary and Bob Schindler Sr.
Michael Schiavo claimed that the disabled woman had no chance of recovery and would not want to be sustained by a feeding tube. Her parents disputed the diagnosis that she was in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery and attacked Michael's withdrawal of all therapy and rehabilitation during the last 12 years of her life, instead embarking on an intensive quest to end her life.
As attorney general, Crist refused to initiate an investigation into the Schiavo case, claiming that there were no complaints about the abuse and neglect of Terri Schiavo when there is an envelope containing information about alleged abuse in the Schiavo case which was personally handed to him and later returned to the complainant without action, but with Charlie Crist's fingerprints.
Crist blatantly told the public in a televised statement that there had been no complaints of abuse made to the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) a week after a DCF file in the matter was acknowledged in the Schiavo case. He lied to the public.
Crist ultimately shut down any and all investigations into the Schiavo case although he was statutorily and constitutionally empowered and morally obligated to protect the civil rights of the disabled woman.
He now claims in his campaign ads that he is pro life and a "compassionate conservative".
Less than four months after she died a horrific death, Crist called the judges in the Schiavo case "heroes", breaking his silence, saying that he was proud of Pinellas County Court Judge George Greer and U.S. District Court Judge James Whittemore. While he claimed he wasn't endorsing the court rulings against reconnecting Terri's feeding tube which led to her death, others didn't see it that way.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/082606ForkedTongue.html
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/070806PalmTrees.html
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/042306OutOfCloset.html
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/073106LetMyDaughterDie.html
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/101605EditorialCrist.html
On Aug. 29, World Net Daily published a letter from Dr. Linda. It is standard newspaper policy that such anonymous letters will not be published. Authors of letters to the editor must provide their full name and address with phone number for verification purposes. Letters are not published by news organizations without the full name of the letter writer and an address.
World Net Daily allegedly did not abide by this standard policy.
The letter by Dr. Linda, stated:
"Just thought you'd like to know that most, if not all, medical personnel here in Miami are endorsing and voting for Charlie Crist for governor. I'm a physician in Miami and my colleagues, both doctors and nurses, have been strong advocates against any public official who had the audacity to interfere in what should have been a family medical decision. Yes, that's right. Our hospital had a poll two weeks ago which showed that 96 percent of us are voting for Crist, and we hold politicians accountable.
"Terri Schiavo had the cognition of a bag of lettuce. We've had many cases like hers since, but we're smarter now. We'll never let the religious fright know. The psychochristians, like you, have no place in the medical field. Neither do ignoramuses like the Schindlers. If you're interested, we're having a huge celebration after Charlie wins next week. Gallagher doesn't have a chance in hell of winning. Sorry!"
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51775
Dr. Linda
Ms. Ward's response to 'Dr. Linda" follows:
"I read the letter from Dr. Linda regarding Terri Schiavo with horrified fascination. I should not be surprised by her statements. I should be used to such arrogant expressions from members of the medical community.
"All who read Dr. Linda's letter are hereby placed on notice that there is definite moral rot in the medical community. A physician who compares a disabled individual's brain to a "bag of lettuce" is capable of all manner of transgressions against human life and dignity. There are many profoundly retarded individuals that, I hazard to guess, Dr. Linda would compare to "a bag of lettuce" or a "turnip" or various other kinds of vegetables. She may attempt to draw distinctions between Terri and other cognitively disabled individuals - but she has no moral foundation for doing so.
"Once individuals are "sorted out" by cognitive abilities, there is no stopping it.
Further, Dr. Linda's insult of Terri's loving parents as ignoramuses, while in the same breath declaring this to be a "family medical decision" shows the hypocrisy at work in the "futilitarian" branch of the medical community. This is very apparent in Texas as we battle the Texas "Futile Care Statute," where physicians are allowed to withdraw treatment they deem to be "inappropriate" against the wishes of families and patients.
"In the Texas cases, the families are presented the "choice" of ending or continuing life-sustaining treatments. It is first approached as a "family medical decision." But, the moment a family chooses a continuation of life-sustaining treatments, they are treated with condescension, cruelty and verbal brutality. They become "ignoramuses" in the eyes of the health providers - just as Terri's family is so considered by Dr. Linda.
"The present danger, to us all is that a bunch of "the anointed," as Thomas Sowell has termed such people, who believe that their education and knowledge should trump the social values of our society, have begun to wrest control of the medical profession away from those who value human life. They believe that they, alone, should make decisions about whose life is valuable enough to receive medical treatments.
"These "anointed" have grafted a parallel set of ethics upon our communities. Time and time again, as we in Texas fight these pronouncements by futilitarians that treatment should be withdraw from patients in different Texas cities, we find the local community at large to be shocked and horrified that such thinking exists in "their" medical community.
"Rather than allowing the medical community to force these values upon us, we should push back and let them know that, in no uncertain terms, we, the taxpayers and citizens of this country, will not be ruled by a "self-anointed elite." Our Judeo-Christian society values human life and will continue to do so - even in the face of so-called experts like Dr. Linda who see our beloved disabled family members as nothing more than "bags of lettuce."
Jerri Lynn Ward
Houston, Texas
Attorney Barbara Weller responds to Dr. Linda:
"Kudos to Jerri Lynn Ward for her eloquent outrage to the WND Letter from "Dr. Linda." David Gibbs III and myself represented the Schindler family (Terri's parents) during the final year of their family tragedy. We visited Terri many times in her hospice room and watched her interact with her parents and with other family members. Terri laughed, she cried, she expressed pain at least once a month during her menstrual cycle and at other appropriate times, and she expressed annoyance when her radio was turned off since she loved music.
"Despite all of the other outrageous comments by "Dr. Linda," the most outrageous is that fact that she could make such a cruel comment about someone she did not know. I knew Terri and she was a lovely young woman with a charming personality that shown through despite her severe disability. She was definitely not a "bag of lettuce." Terri had enough cognition to know the difference between her mother and her father. She reacted to each of them in different ways. She had enough cognition to laugh at the right time when the family teased her or when she was part of a family joke. She had enough cognition to attempt to repeat phrases her mother spoke to her.
"Although Judge Greer, who authored Terri's civil death sentence, never visited her, many doctors who did visit her at one time or another during the 15 years of her disability did not believe that Terri was unaware of her surroundings. Instead, the judge bought the testimony of pro-euthanasia doctors brought to court by Michael Schiavo and his attorney, George Felos--- doctors who had never spent an appropriate amount of time with Terri to make a diagnosis, nor had they given her the appropriate diagnostic testing. Even Terri's autopsy report acknowledged the fact that her condition could not be adequately diagnosed after her death. David Gibbs III has written a book called "Fighting For Dear Life" about our experience with the Schiavo case and with Terri Schiavo herself. It is a book everyone should read before making statements about something they obviously know nothing about.
Barbara J. Weller
Gibbs Law Firm, P.A.
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 399-8300
The North Country Gazette has received several letters to the editor about "Dr. Linda".
"In my opinion, World Net Daily has a duty to contact the federal government regarding Dr. Linda of a Miami Hospital for an investigation. Her views are radical and it is worth noting that Dr. Linda never examined Terri Schiavo. It is sheer luck that Dr. Linda wasn't in a New Orleans Hospital.
"Hospitals operate on federal, state and local funding. Using hospital grounds to take a poll on the GOP primary is tasteless enough. The candidate of their choice by 96% proves what Republican candidate for Florida Governor Tom Gallagher has been saying all along. Charlie Crist is not pro life. Dr. Linda knows it. So does George Felos.
Who is calling Dr. Linda because the only one she'll answer is a no code.
Jo Ketchum
Tampa, Florida
Another letter writer to The North Country Gazette says:
"Regarding the letter that "Doctor? Linda" wrote:
"God help us all. And people wonder why so many American's have little-to-no faith in doctors anymore? What oath did you take Dr. Linda? You sound exactly like the so called doctor who murdered patients in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The easy way out kind of lady. Life matters to us, lady, even people with disabilities, just like Terri's. You are no doctor, you're a wanna-be god. What hospital did you say you worked for? Oh that's right, you didn't. WHY?
"Your letter sickens me, I mean truly sickens me, especially when you say you've all had many cases like hers but you're all smarter now. What do you do now, write the orders to push the drugs a little more, a little faster, a little stronger to "quiet" the respiratory system and make death come faster, all in the name of helping the patient? You are one sick freak! Anyone who could write a letter such as you did has no feelings for the patients or the family members whatsoever. None. Your words are cruel, worse than cruel and I want everyone to read them, just as you must have when you wrote in, so it will be my pleasure to pass your letter out to everyone I know here in Florida!! I hope I too will aid in helping Charlie in this election. I want everyone in Florida to know the kind of trash that is backing him. Thanks for the help.
Lisa Alonso
Sarasota, Fl.
9-1-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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