Love is Tough Enough
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Terri's Real Family Speaks
Terri Schindler is now free of that control freak named Michael. He thinks he has won but I am here to tell you his problems have only just begun.
Schindler Family Statement on Medical Examiner's ReportPress ReleaseFor Immediate Release – 06-16-05 2 PM (EST)Statement of the Schindler Family re: the IME’s reportMinneapolis, MN and Seminole, FL –
As you are aware; the Pinellas County IME has released his report regarding Terri. We would like to thank the IME for his time and effort in making this report. We are not challenging the findings in his report, but we would like to make a few comments publicly. We do not intend to take questions afterwards. First, the IME’s report confirms Terri’s physical condition and disability. We all knew Terri was seriously brain-injured before the IME report. This is nothing new. The IME’s report also confirms that TERRI WAS NOT TERMINAL. THAT TERRI HAD NO LIVING WILL, THAT TERRI HAD A STRONG HEART, and THAT TERRI WAS BRUTALLY DEHYDRATED TO DEATH. Second, our family would encourage the media to remember that this case was allegedly about “Terri’s choice.” There is absolutely no evidence that Terri wanted to die of dehydration, or that she believed that the level of one’s disability gives anyone the moral and legal right to end another’s life. Third, the IME said clearly that dehydration, not her brain injury, was the cause of her death. Terri was dehydrated to death before our eyes The moral shame of what happened is not erased because of Terri’s level of disability. No one would say that “blind people” or “brain-injured” people should be put to death. That would be an irresponsible and heartless position to take. Tragically, that is what happened to Terri. As a society, it seems that we have lost our compassion for the disabled.We asked our attorney, Mr. Gibbs, to meet with the IME prior to the press conference, to attend the IME’s press conference, and to speak to the media for our family afterward. In our opinion, some of the significant items from the IME’s report are as follows:* Terri had a strong heart according to the IME. In addition to her strong heart, Terri also demonstrated a very strong will to live.* Terri was not terminal. The IME said with proper care Terri would have lived at least another 10 years even in her disabled condition. Terri’s case was NOT an end-of-life case. Terri’s case was about ending a disabled person’s life.* Terri was brain-injured. This does NOT mean that she was brain-dead. Many seem to not understand this absolutely critical distinction.* The IME essentially ruled out bulimia and heart attack as causes for Terri’s condition. In one sense the IME’s report created as many questions as it may have answered. The major question for our family that now remains is what happened? A troubling 70-minute gap appears in the timeline on the day Terri collapsed in 1990:* According to Michael Schiavo, Terri collapsed at 4:30 AM. Mr. Schiavo said this on Larry King Live and he also re-confirmed it to the IME during his investigation.* 911 was called at 5:40 AM. Emergency services arrived at 5:52 AM.* Both Bobby Schindler Jr. and the original police report gave similar descriptions as to Terri’s state – laying face first, on the floor, hands crossed and up high against her chest, making gurgling noises.* Our family doesn’t understand what led to Terri’s collapse. Our family doesn’t understand why this major discrepancy in time is not fully understood. When a person is without blood and oxygen to their brain, 70 minutes is a terribly long time when each second counts.* With the IME effectively ruling out bulimia, the underlying basis of the malpractice case appears to now be disproved. Our family would encourage Michael Schiavo to do the right thing and return the funds that were paid by the innocent doctors who were sued for Terri’s collapse. In addition to returning the funds to the doctors who were sued, we would also ask Michael to bring closure to Terri’s death for our family by allowing us to give her a proper Christian burial as required by our faith. To this day, we have no idea where Terri’s ashes are. That is particularly hard on our mother. * The IME’s report stated that Terri’s inability to swallow was the result of muscle atrophy. Terry was denied therapy for 12 years, and muscles atrophy when they are not used. We will never know if therapy would have helped.* The IME clearly stated that PVS is a clinical diagnosis made on a living patient. That is something an IME cannot do by looking at a corpse.* Dr. William Cheshire, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, agreed with our family’s perception that Terri was awake, aware, and at least minimally cognitive.* We knew that Terri was visually impaired, but we did not know to what extent. Our attorneys and other witnesses clearly saw Terri recognize her mother and father and treat them differently. According to the IME’s report, it appears that after her severe dehydration, Terri was blind at the moment of her death.* The IME stated that no conclusive medical studies have been done on what a MCS brain should look like as opposed to a PVS brain in an autopsy.* According to the IME, Terri was given morphine for pain as she died. This seems contradictory that if Terri could feel no pain, as some would say, why would these drugs be necessary? In our opinion, the treating health care officials understood that Terri felt pain.I would like to restate a few words from our family’s statement to Terri that we issued on March 31, 2005, the date of Terri’s death:“Our prayer at this time is that our Nation will remember the plight of persons with disabilities and commit within our hearts to defend their lives and their dignity for many generations to come.”In closing, the love, prayers, and concern for our family from so many around the nation are deeply appreciated. God has sustained us through these most difficult days, and we do hope that no other family ever has to live though the nightmare that our family and Terri endured. No mother and father should have to watch their child that they love more than life itself, be dehydrated and starved before their eyes. Civilized societies should not tolerate such barbaric acts.Our family stands by its strong belief that Terri was not in PVS, and we appreciate the many noted neurologists, including Dr. Cheshire who saw Terri just weeks before she died, who agree with our position. We also thank the brave men and women in public office in Florida and Washington, D.C. who nobly stood on the side of life regardless of one’s disability. While their valiant efforts were not able to ultimately save Terri, our family is forever grateful to them for their compassion and for their conviction to do the right thing. The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation ¶ 10:59 AM 7 comments
Schindler Family Statement on Medical Examiner's ReportPress ReleaseFor Immediate Release – 06-16-05 2 PM (EST)Statement of the Schindler Family re: the IME’s reportMinneapolis, MN and Seminole, FL –
As you are aware; the Pinellas County IME has released his report regarding Terri. We would like to thank the IME for his time and effort in making this report. We are not challenging the findings in his report, but we would like to make a few comments publicly. We do not intend to take questions afterwards. First, the IME’s report confirms Terri’s physical condition and disability. We all knew Terri was seriously brain-injured before the IME report. This is nothing new. The IME’s report also confirms that TERRI WAS NOT TERMINAL. THAT TERRI HAD NO LIVING WILL, THAT TERRI HAD A STRONG HEART, and THAT TERRI WAS BRUTALLY DEHYDRATED TO DEATH. Second, our family would encourage the media to remember that this case was allegedly about “Terri’s choice.” There is absolutely no evidence that Terri wanted to die of dehydration, or that she believed that the level of one’s disability gives anyone the moral and legal right to end another’s life. Third, the IME said clearly that dehydration, not her brain injury, was the cause of her death. Terri was dehydrated to death before our eyes The moral shame of what happened is not erased because of Terri’s level of disability. No one would say that “blind people” or “brain-injured” people should be put to death. That would be an irresponsible and heartless position to take. Tragically, that is what happened to Terri. As a society, it seems that we have lost our compassion for the disabled.We asked our attorney, Mr. Gibbs, to meet with the IME prior to the press conference, to attend the IME’s press conference, and to speak to the media for our family afterward. In our opinion, some of the significant items from the IME’s report are as follows:* Terri had a strong heart according to the IME. In addition to her strong heart, Terri also demonstrated a very strong will to live.* Terri was not terminal. The IME said with proper care Terri would have lived at least another 10 years even in her disabled condition. Terri’s case was NOT an end-of-life case. Terri’s case was about ending a disabled person’s life.* Terri was brain-injured. This does NOT mean that she was brain-dead. Many seem to not understand this absolutely critical distinction.* The IME essentially ruled out bulimia and heart attack as causes for Terri’s condition. In one sense the IME’s report created as many questions as it may have answered. The major question for our family that now remains is what happened? A troubling 70-minute gap appears in the timeline on the day Terri collapsed in 1990:* According to Michael Schiavo, Terri collapsed at 4:30 AM. Mr. Schiavo said this on Larry King Live and he also re-confirmed it to the IME during his investigation.* 911 was called at 5:40 AM. Emergency services arrived at 5:52 AM.* Both Bobby Schindler Jr. and the original police report gave similar descriptions as to Terri’s state – laying face first, on the floor, hands crossed and up high against her chest, making gurgling noises.* Our family doesn’t understand what led to Terri’s collapse. Our family doesn’t understand why this major discrepancy in time is not fully understood. When a person is without blood and oxygen to their brain, 70 minutes is a terribly long time when each second counts.* With the IME effectively ruling out bulimia, the underlying basis of the malpractice case appears to now be disproved. Our family would encourage Michael Schiavo to do the right thing and return the funds that were paid by the innocent doctors who were sued for Terri’s collapse. In addition to returning the funds to the doctors who were sued, we would also ask Michael to bring closure to Terri’s death for our family by allowing us to give her a proper Christian burial as required by our faith. To this day, we have no idea where Terri’s ashes are. That is particularly hard on our mother. * The IME’s report stated that Terri’s inability to swallow was the result of muscle atrophy. Terry was denied therapy for 12 years, and muscles atrophy when they are not used. We will never know if therapy would have helped.* The IME clearly stated that PVS is a clinical diagnosis made on a living patient. That is something an IME cannot do by looking at a corpse.* Dr. William Cheshire, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, agreed with our family’s perception that Terri was awake, aware, and at least minimally cognitive.* We knew that Terri was visually impaired, but we did not know to what extent. Our attorneys and other witnesses clearly saw Terri recognize her mother and father and treat them differently. According to the IME’s report, it appears that after her severe dehydration, Terri was blind at the moment of her death.* The IME stated that no conclusive medical studies have been done on what a MCS brain should look like as opposed to a PVS brain in an autopsy.* According to the IME, Terri was given morphine for pain as she died. This seems contradictory that if Terri could feel no pain, as some would say, why would these drugs be necessary? In our opinion, the treating health care officials understood that Terri felt pain.I would like to restate a few words from our family’s statement to Terri that we issued on March 31, 2005, the date of Terri’s death:“Our prayer at this time is that our Nation will remember the plight of persons with disabilities and commit within our hearts to defend their lives and their dignity for many generations to come.”In closing, the love, prayers, and concern for our family from so many around the nation are deeply appreciated. God has sustained us through these most difficult days, and we do hope that no other family ever has to live though the nightmare that our family and Terri endured. No mother and father should have to watch their child that they love more than life itself, be dehydrated and starved before their eyes. Civilized societies should not tolerate such barbaric acts.Our family stands by its strong belief that Terri was not in PVS, and we appreciate the many noted neurologists, including Dr. Cheshire who saw Terri just weeks before she died, who agree with our position. We also thank the brave men and women in public office in Florida and Washington, D.C. who nobly stood on the side of life regardless of one’s disability. While their valiant efforts were not able to ultimately save Terri, our family is forever grateful to them for their compassion and for their conviction to do the right thing. The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation ¶ 10:59 AM 7 comments
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Expert Opinion Backs Moral Ones
This was posted over at Prolife blogs and blogs for Terri. It confirms that what was done to Terri was wrong on many levels. She will not get justice in this life but this life is not all there is. "Death were is thy sting?"
Physician Who Examined Schiavo Critical of Autopsy Report :: Terri Schiavo :: ProLifeBlogs Terri Schiavo: June 19, 2005Physician Who Examined Schiavo Critical of Autopsy Report Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in Medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.Dr. Hammesfahr has been identified in helping patients with chronic brain injuries from many causes actually leave long term disability, and return to work. Dr. Hammesfahr, was identified by Judge Susan Kirkland, for the State of Florida Department of Health, in her judicial ruling in which, for the State of Florida, Department of Health, found that he was "the first physician to restore deficits caused by stroke."Dr. Hammesfahr has released the following statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo:We have seen a lot on the autopsy of Terri Schindler Schiavo in recent days, that I feel needs to be addressed. To ignore these comments will allow future "Terri Schiavo's" to die needlessly after the wishes of clinicians and family are ignored.Considering that there were so many physicians and therapists who were willing to step forward to treat Terri Schiavo, from university based practitioners to those in private practice, it clearly shows that the mainstream medical community across the board, those involved in treating patients, knew that they could help Terri.The record must be set straight. As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making).Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were "relatively preserved."The purpose of the therapies offered by so many, from major universities, brain injury centers, and from private practice physicians, is to improve and restore quality of life, and function, which the mainstream medical community clearly tried to get to her.I have had a chance to look at Dr. Nelson's analysis of the brain tissue, and essentially, as a clinician, these are my thoughts.The autopsy results confirmed my opinion and Dr. Maxfield's opinions, that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact. To use Dr. Nelson's words, "relatively preserved." In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape. The Spect scan confirmed these areas were functional and not scar tissue, and that was apparently also confirmed on Dr. Nelson's review of the slides. Dr. Maxfield's estimates of retained brain weight were apparently accurate, although there may have been some loss of brain weight due to the last two weeks of dehydration.Dr. Maxfield and myself both emphasized that she was a woman trapped in her body, similar to a child with cerebral palsy, and that was born out by the autopsy, showing greater injury in the motor and visual centers of the brain. Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality, and thus his assessment must represent sampling error. The videotapes clearly showed her seeing, and even Dr. Cranford, for the husband, commented to her that, when she could see the balloon, she could follow it with her eyes as per his request. That she could not swallow was obviously not borne out by the reality that she was swallowing her saliva, about 1.5 liters per day of liquid, and the clinical swallowing tests done by Dr. Young and Dr. Carpenter. Thus, there appears to be some limitations to the clinical accuracy of an autopsy in evaluating function.With respect to the issue of trauma, that certainly does not appear to be answered adequately. Some of the types of trauma that are suspected were not adequately evaluated in this assessment. Interestingly, both myself and at least one neurologist for the husband testified to the presence of neck injuries. The issue of a forensic evaluation for trauma, is highly specialized. Hence the wish of the family to have observers which was refused by the examiner. Ultimately, based on the clinical evidence and the autopsy results, an aware woman was killed. Dr. W. HammesfahrDr. Hammesfahr's prior report on Terri Schiavo can be found here ¶ 5:56 PM 2 comments
Physician Who Examined Schiavo Critical of Autopsy Report :: Terri Schiavo :: ProLifeBlogs Terri Schiavo: June 19, 2005Physician Who Examined Schiavo Critical of Autopsy Report Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in Medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.Dr. Hammesfahr has been identified in helping patients with chronic brain injuries from many causes actually leave long term disability, and return to work. Dr. Hammesfahr, was identified by Judge Susan Kirkland, for the State of Florida Department of Health, in her judicial ruling in which, for the State of Florida, Department of Health, found that he was "the first physician to restore deficits caused by stroke."Dr. Hammesfahr has released the following statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo:We have seen a lot on the autopsy of Terri Schindler Schiavo in recent days, that I feel needs to be addressed. To ignore these comments will allow future "Terri Schiavo's" to die needlessly after the wishes of clinicians and family are ignored.Considering that there were so many physicians and therapists who were willing to step forward to treat Terri Schiavo, from university based practitioners to those in private practice, it clearly shows that the mainstream medical community across the board, those involved in treating patients, knew that they could help Terri.The record must be set straight. As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making).Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were "relatively preserved."The purpose of the therapies offered by so many, from major universities, brain injury centers, and from private practice physicians, is to improve and restore quality of life, and function, which the mainstream medical community clearly tried to get to her.I have had a chance to look at Dr. Nelson's analysis of the brain tissue, and essentially, as a clinician, these are my thoughts.The autopsy results confirmed my opinion and Dr. Maxfield's opinions, that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact. To use Dr. Nelson's words, "relatively preserved." In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape. The Spect scan confirmed these areas were functional and not scar tissue, and that was apparently also confirmed on Dr. Nelson's review of the slides. Dr. Maxfield's estimates of retained brain weight were apparently accurate, although there may have been some loss of brain weight due to the last two weeks of dehydration.Dr. Maxfield and myself both emphasized that she was a woman trapped in her body, similar to a child with cerebral palsy, and that was born out by the autopsy, showing greater injury in the motor and visual centers of the brain. Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality, and thus his assessment must represent sampling error. The videotapes clearly showed her seeing, and even Dr. Cranford, for the husband, commented to her that, when she could see the balloon, she could follow it with her eyes as per his request. That she could not swallow was obviously not borne out by the reality that she was swallowing her saliva, about 1.5 liters per day of liquid, and the clinical swallowing tests done by Dr. Young and Dr. Carpenter. Thus, there appears to be some limitations to the clinical accuracy of an autopsy in evaluating function.With respect to the issue of trauma, that certainly does not appear to be answered adequately. Some of the types of trauma that are suspected were not adequately evaluated in this assessment. Interestingly, both myself and at least one neurologist for the husband testified to the presence of neck injuries. The issue of a forensic evaluation for trauma, is highly specialized. Hence the wish of the family to have observers which was refused by the examiner. Ultimately, based on the clinical evidence and the autopsy results, an aware woman was killed. Dr. W. HammesfahrDr. Hammesfahr's prior report on Terri Schiavo can be found here ¶ 5:56 PM 2 comments
Friday, June 03, 2005
Smack Their PP Today!
Just because a turd moves to the middle of a toilet does not mean it stinks any less.
Feminists like Hilary Clinton who harassed her husbands female accusers and support Perverted Parenthood need to get booted out of office. Instead the liberal elite shower her with allocades and money. I am hoping that she does run for office and just like John Fraud Kerry will get more Democrats voted out of office because of their rank hypocrisy. Rich Lowery is another of my favorite writers and this is a good example of why
Planned Parenthood Perversity Rich Lowry
June 3, 2005
Can you say “perverse”? Planned Parenthood in Indiana and Kansas is effectively fighting to protect child rapists from potential prosecution in two high-profile legal fights. That an organization devoted to the interests of women finds itself in this position is a cautionary tale of abortion-rights extremism.
In Indiana, the attorney general is seeking the records of girls under the age of 14 who have visited Planned Parenthood clinics. Let that sink in: We’re talking about 12- and 13-year- old girls. It is a crime to have sex with a child under 14 in the state. Under law, individuals with reason to believe a child is a victim of sex abuse are required to report it to the proper authorities. In Kansas, the attorney general is carrying on the same fight (he is also looking for evidence of illegal late-term abortions).An Indiana judge has just upheld the Indiana attorney general’s request, although the case is under appeal. “The great public interest,” the county superior judge wrote, “in the reporting, investigation and prosecution of child abuse trumps even the patient’s interest in privileged communication with her physician because, in the end, both the patient and the state are benefited by the disclosure.” The loopiest free-sex advocates might imagine that after sex-ed courses on how to put a condom on a banana, 13-year-old girls blissfully explore their bodies with 13-year-old boys. Put aside that this vision will make most parents gag — it’s not how it works. Teen sex often involves adult men exploiting teen girls. Estimates are that in 60 percent or more of teen births, the father is an adult. A California study found that the fathers in births to junior-high-school mothers were on average nearly 7 years older.Why would a feminist organization not be eager to cooperate in a fight against the sexual exploitation of young girls? Well, Planned Parenthood represents that wing of the feminist billed as “sex positive.” Although that phrase doesn’t quite capture it. Planned Parenthood is developing the “statutory rape-positive” wing of feminism.These feminists are unwilling to pass judgment on any sex in any circumstances, don’t care if parents are cut out of the equation entirely, believe the right to an abortion trumps any other consideration, and embrace a notion of privacy so sweeping it includes men who have, under law, raped their young sexual partners. If only Michael Jackson were interested in girls instead of boys, he might, in the right circumstances, have a friend in Planned Parenthood.Privacy is a mere excuse not to provide the records. It is not at all unusual for criminal prosecutions to involve medical records. And no one is going to make public the names of the girls involved, which are being provided to the authorities, not the news media. “We’ve been doing these investigations since the 1970s, and there’s never been a case where we have not maintained the confidentiality of records,” Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter told a local columnist. In Kansas — where the case is pending before the state supreme court — Attorney General Phill Kline authored the state’s rape shield law when he was in the legislature. It is not the girl in any of these cases who will be in jeopardy, but her adult abuser (if there is one).This fight is so important because our culture relentlessly sexualizes children. The message, for instance, of Britney Spears’s act before she came of age was “teen girls are hot.” Pop culture won’t change, but the law can at least try to send an opposite signal.Key Democrats from Hillary Clinton to Howard Dean have of late said their party needs to become more moderate on abortion. They could add substance to the rhetoric by opposing Planned Parenthood’s position in these cases. Of course, that will never happen. The abortion absolutists control the Democratic party, a sad fact for those Americans who have moral qualms about abortion, but a happy one for men who impregnate 13-year-olds.
Rich Lowry is editor of National Review, a Townhall.com member group, and author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years.
©2005 King Features Syndicate
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/richlowry/rl20050603.shtml ¶ 12:11 PM 12 comments
Feminists like Hilary Clinton who harassed her husbands female accusers and support Perverted Parenthood need to get booted out of office. Instead the liberal elite shower her with allocades and money. I am hoping that she does run for office and just like John Fraud Kerry will get more Democrats voted out of office because of their rank hypocrisy. Rich Lowery is another of my favorite writers and this is a good example of why
Planned Parenthood Perversity Rich Lowry
June 3, 2005
Can you say “perverse”? Planned Parenthood in Indiana and Kansas is effectively fighting to protect child rapists from potential prosecution in two high-profile legal fights. That an organization devoted to the interests of women finds itself in this position is a cautionary tale of abortion-rights extremism.
In Indiana, the attorney general is seeking the records of girls under the age of 14 who have visited Planned Parenthood clinics. Let that sink in: We’re talking about 12- and 13-year- old girls. It is a crime to have sex with a child under 14 in the state. Under law, individuals with reason to believe a child is a victim of sex abuse are required to report it to the proper authorities. In Kansas, the attorney general is carrying on the same fight (he is also looking for evidence of illegal late-term abortions).An Indiana judge has just upheld the Indiana attorney general’s request, although the case is under appeal. “The great public interest,” the county superior judge wrote, “in the reporting, investigation and prosecution of child abuse trumps even the patient’s interest in privileged communication with her physician because, in the end, both the patient and the state are benefited by the disclosure.” The loopiest free-sex advocates might imagine that after sex-ed courses on how to put a condom on a banana, 13-year-old girls blissfully explore their bodies with 13-year-old boys. Put aside that this vision will make most parents gag — it’s not how it works. Teen sex often involves adult men exploiting teen girls. Estimates are that in 60 percent or more of teen births, the father is an adult. A California study found that the fathers in births to junior-high-school mothers were on average nearly 7 years older.Why would a feminist organization not be eager to cooperate in a fight against the sexual exploitation of young girls? Well, Planned Parenthood represents that wing of the feminist billed as “sex positive.” Although that phrase doesn’t quite capture it. Planned Parenthood is developing the “statutory rape-positive” wing of feminism.These feminists are unwilling to pass judgment on any sex in any circumstances, don’t care if parents are cut out of the equation entirely, believe the right to an abortion trumps any other consideration, and embrace a notion of privacy so sweeping it includes men who have, under law, raped their young sexual partners. If only Michael Jackson were interested in girls instead of boys, he might, in the right circumstances, have a friend in Planned Parenthood.Privacy is a mere excuse not to provide the records. It is not at all unusual for criminal prosecutions to involve medical records. And no one is going to make public the names of the girls involved, which are being provided to the authorities, not the news media. “We’ve been doing these investigations since the 1970s, and there’s never been a case where we have not maintained the confidentiality of records,” Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter told a local columnist. In Kansas — where the case is pending before the state supreme court — Attorney General Phill Kline authored the state’s rape shield law when he was in the legislature. It is not the girl in any of these cases who will be in jeopardy, but her adult abuser (if there is one).This fight is so important because our culture relentlessly sexualizes children. The message, for instance, of Britney Spears’s act before she came of age was “teen girls are hot.” Pop culture won’t change, but the law can at least try to send an opposite signal.Key Democrats from Hillary Clinton to Howard Dean have of late said their party needs to become more moderate on abortion. They could add substance to the rhetoric by opposing Planned Parenthood’s position in these cases. Of course, that will never happen. The abortion absolutists control the Democratic party, a sad fact for those Americans who have moral qualms about abortion, but a happy one for men who impregnate 13-year-olds.
Rich Lowry is editor of National Review, a Townhall.com member group, and author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years.
©2005 King Features Syndicate
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/richlowry/rl20050603.shtml ¶ 12:11 PM 12 comments
