Democracy for Virginia: Virginia's Schiavo-Like Case; Moran Speaks Out

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Virginia's Schiavo-Like Case; Moran Speaks Out

The Washington Post this morning has a fascinating article about a 1998 case in Virginia which is very similar to the current bitter personal, political, and legal dispute in the Terri Schiavo case.

"When this happened to me," Michele Finn said, "I thought and hoped that it would send a message to government to stay out of these decisions, these very heart-wrenching decisions. It is very disappointing to me that this has gotten up to Congress the way it did over the weekend."

In related news, Congressman Jim Moran (VA-8) has released his statement from Sunday's floor debate on the Schiavo issue. The most dramatic points follow; his full statement appears below the jump:

The reason this issue is before us, I think, is that it is all about religion and politics. But does not every religion teach, first of all, that no human being has the right to play God? And is not one of the very first principles of politics is that we should not use individual human tragedies, people suffering in anguish, political pawns to appease the interest groups that keep us in power.

Mr. Speaker, the night that this was brought up last week, we also voted on a budget resolution, and we decided to cut tens of billions of dollars out of the program that enables the poorest and the sickest and the most dependent among us throughout this country to be able to live in a dignified, safe and sanitary nursing home. We decided to cut that money. I did not agree with cutting that money from Medicaid, but I do agree we have that right. We have the right to cut taxes for the wealthy, while we cut health care for the poor. But we have no legislative, constitutional authority to intervene in these very personal family matters, and most importantly, we have no moral right to be doing this tonight.

Jim Moran and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3) were the only Virginia Representatives to vote against the bill. Senator John Warner (R) joined Moran and Scott in opposing the measure, as reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Eric Cantor, Tom Davis, JoAnn Davis, Thelma Drake, Randy Forbes, Virgil Goode, and Bob Goodlatte, all Republican members of Congress from Virginia, voted in favor. Rick Boucher (D-9) and Frank Wolf (R-10) were not present.

Text of Congressman Moran's statement on the House floor regarding S686:

FOR THE RELIEF OF THE PARENTS OF THERESA MARIE SCHIAVO" -- (House of Representatives - March 20, 2005)

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, the most traumatic moment of my life was when my mother died in my arms. She had chosen not to be dependent on a respirator in a hospital but to die at home with her family. These circumstances, or some variant of them, occur eventually within every family, and whether the Federal Government has the right to intervene in those private tragedies is the issue before us tonight.

I talked to Terri Schiavo's brother today, and then finding what he said convincing, I read through all of Mr. Schiavo's testimony and interviews. And now I do not know who is right and who is wrong. But that is the point. Neither do my colleagues. But 10 courts have heard from all sides, from every relevant witness, and all of them, 19 judges, many of them conservative Republicans, all have reached the same conclusion, that in fact Terri Schiavo's husband's wishes are consistent with his wife's, that the feeding tube should be removed.

I have never met, certainly not examined, Ms. Schiavo; but nor have any of the so called medical experts in this body that have testified on the basis of edited videotapes ever examined her either. But every qualified doctor who has examined her has reached the same conclusion: she is in a perpetual vegetative state; she has no cerebral cortex.

The reason this issue is before us, I think, is that it is all about religion and politics. But does not every religion teach, first of all, that no human being has the right to play God? And is not one of the very first principles of politics is that we should not use individual human tragedies, people suffering in anguish, political pawns to appease the interest groups that keep us in power.

Mr. Speaker, the night that this was brought up last week, we also voted on a budget resolution, and we decided to cut tens of billions of dollars out of the program that enables the poorest and the sickest and the most dependent among us throughout this country to be able to live in a dignified, safe and sanitary nursing home. We decided to cut that money. I did not agree with cutting that money from Medicaid, but I do agree we have that right. We have the right to cut taxes for the wealthy, while we cut health care for the poor. But we have no legislative, constitutional authority to intervene in these very personal family matters, and most importantly, we have no moral right to be doing this tonight.

Posted by Maura in VA on March 23, 2005 at 09:44 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink

Comments

well said, mr. moran. even if i disagree with a few of them regularly, at least they're on the same epistemological plane as myself. that's really saying a lot.

Posted by: ben | March 24, 2005 at 04:41 PM

Thanks for digging this case up Maura. Good work. They have been laying the ground for a while...

Posted by: kathy | March 25, 2005 at 09:43 AM

this congress is despicable. we have a chance to throw them all out in 06.
the fact that a 6 month old baby was taken off life support in texas because his parents couldn't afford to pay for his care, a statute signed into law by gw bush, is a travesty.
and the fact that someone wants to pay $250000 to have michael shiavo killed and also the judge who made the ruling is a real calling to take this country back from the zealots.

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