What Will Michael Schiavo Do?

[jgibson2[$]]

pippadaisy said

Ah! Judy, I wasn't thinking along those lines. *sigh* More straws.

I'm sure you weren't, Pippa. It's just that some days the labelling of entire groups based on the actions of a few fringe members really plucks me the wrong way - even when it's carelessness and not malice that leads to the mislabelling.

[AuntieEmma[$]]

But speaking of one of those fringe members -- the protestor who got a ton of publicity for sending or letting his 10 year old son get arrested in front of the hospice is apparently a registered sex offender (rape of a minor).

[jgibson2[$]]

AuntieEmma said

But speaking of one of those fringe members -- the protestor who got a ton of publicity for sending or letting his 10 year old son get arrested in front of the hospice is apparently a registered sex offender (rape of a minor).

There's no question that there is a Howard Scott Heldreth listed as a registered sex offender on the Florida web site. What is peculiar is that even though it lists his offenses as occurring in Ohio, he's not on the Ohio sex offender registry

He lives in NC, and there's no record of him in the NC sex offender database


Also, The Scott Heldreth who was outside the hospice in Pinellas has 14 year old twins, in addition to the 10 year old who was also arrested. He's frequently in the news in Kannapolis, NC where he is quite active in the Operation Rescue sort of activity. If he was the SAME Scott Heldreth, the police would surely have connected him to this flyer some time ago. I think it's a coincidence about the name. The Scott Heldreth who let his 10 year old get arrested is pretty much over the top, but I don't believe he's the registered sex offender.

[pippadaisy[$]]

I dunno, Judy... looking at the pictures of the Operation Rescue guy with his son and the sex offender registry picture, they look pretty much the same.

Also, the Florida registry information lists him as "absconded from registration" and his last known address as Kannapolis, NC.

[jgibson2[$]]

pippadaisy said

I dunno, Judy... looking at the pictures of the Operation Rescue guy with his son and the sex offender registry picture, they look pretty much the same.

Also, the Florida registry information lists him as "absconded from registration" and his last known address as Kannapolis, NC.

I didn't look quite far enough before. There is an article about him in the Charlotte observer (registration required) which describes his offenses. He was 19 (makes me wonder if the twins are his) and the conviction was sexual battery. The victim was a minor (under 18), gender not listed in the Florida records. He may be a convicted rapist, rather than a child molester. He's been pretty open about the conviction in Charlotte. I suppose he'd have to be. He gets himself arrested fairly regularly for protests outside abortion clinics. The local police would have to know about his record.

Howard Scott Heldreth, now 32, was in jail for parts of 1992 and 1993, court records show; he eventually pleaded guilty to sexual battery and served time on probation.

It also explains why I couldn't find him in the NC registry. NC only goes back to 1996 in requiring people to register. Ohio only goes back to 1997. It makes sense Florida would go back further. I can't remember the last name - first name of the boy was Adam. His dad still works to upgrade protection for kids from sexual predators.

So we're supposed to presume that everyone involved in the Right to Life movement is a nutfudge because there are some fringe members? I guess that makes any anti-war protestors nutfudges too.

[drmomentum[$]]

Here is a side-by-side comparison. You make the call.



Same guy, or coincidental name?


The cheery sex offender pic is at:
http://www3.fdle.state.fl.us/sexual_...asp?keys=38964

Looks an awful lot like the same fellow to me. And, if it is the same guy, you can add "stupid" to his list of offenses. I can understand Judy's skepticism; why would a sex offender want this sort of attention.

That poor kid.

-JP

[jgibson2[$]]

drmomentum said

Looks an awful lot like the same fellow to me. And, if it is the same guy, you can add "stupid" to his list of offenses. I can understand Judy's skepticism; why would a sex offender want this sort of attention.

That poor kid.

-JP

Thanks, JP. Apparently he doesn't have to worry. He's listed as "absconded from registration" in Florida because he moved to a state where he's not required to register. He's not hiding, because he doesn't have to. I suppose that means he's cleaned up his act, because all those pictures ought to bring any more recent victims out of the woodwork in droves.

[drmomentum[$]]

jgibson2 said

So we're supposed to presume that everyone involved in the Right to Life movement is a nutfudge because there are some fringe members? I guess that makes any anti-war protestors nutfudges too.

I think "nutfudge" is too kind for this guy.

-JP

Edited to add... I'd certainly rather have him pulling nutfudge stunts than raping people.

[realtraveller]

mjfrombuffalo said

Not a good analogy, since she cannot eat by mouth, she only receives nutrition through special technological intervention.

I think it is a good analogy because if the issue is: "Anyone who has expressed a wish to die if they are in certain medical circumstances should be permitted to have assistance to do so", then the question of whether they need mechanical assistance or not is irrelevant.

If she said she did not want to live in a PVS, then how she is being fed is irrelevant.

So if a person can swallow food but did not wish to live in a PVS could a spouse lawfully stop spoon feeding that person.

Feeding tube or spoon feeding (if the brain function is the same) seem a distinction without a difference.

[hymie[$]]

jgibson2 said

such things have been documented.

In the very, very loose sense of that word. The material on the referenced page is laughable:

No non-Catholic religion has experienced such undeniable, unfakable miraculous events that can be compared to events we review below

Devout Catholics by their nature are truthful

[jgibson2[$]]

hymie said

In the very, very loose sense of that word. The material on the referenced page is laughable: [/color][/b][/font]

OK, I was too lazy to find a better source for that. So sue me.

[thinkerlady[$]]

pippadaisy said

The controversy was about Communion, not Extreme Unction, and my thought is that it's a bit odd that you'd fight to get your daughter Communion when she can't swallow.

This morning's paper said that they gave her a drop of wine, she could not swallow the Host (communion wafer). I question whether or not she knew what she was receiving.

Also, the Sacrament is called Annointing of the Sick now, not Extreme Unction. It is more of a sacrament for the healing of the person, be that physical healing or spiritual. It can be received at any time a person is extremely ill, or anticipating major surgery. I do believe that there is a part of the Sacrament for those in danger of death--it may be a whole other part tho. I remember my grandfather receiving this sacrament almost every day before he died. Then after he died, a priest came in and said prayers and blessed the body.
Many years ago, way back when I was a child the idea of the sacrament of Extreme Unction meant death. The sacrament today is meant to be more of a positive. I am sure Terri has received it many many times.

[jgibson2[$]]

Giving Communion at the end of life is called the Viaticum (food for the journey).
Confession, if possible, and Anointing of the Sick are also done.

What I was trying to say before, and didn't quite manage to express, is that in addition to wanting to provide this Sacrament for Terri, her parents may have some hope of a Eucharistic miracle, like the ones on the page I linked to.

[jgibson2[$]]

realtraveller said

I think it is a good analogy because if the issue is: "Anyone who has expressed a wish to die if they are in certain medical circumstances should be permitted to have assistance to do so", then the question of whether they need mechanical assistance or not is irrelevant.

If she said she did not want to live in a PVS, then how she is being fed is irrelevant.

So if a person can swallow food but did not wish to live in a PVS could a spouse lawfully stop spoon feeding that person.

Feeding tube or spoon feeding (if the brain function is the same) seem a distinction without a difference.

Regardless of the law, it's not very likely that the spouse would be prosecuted, as long as he didn't do something like that man here in MD who locked his brain-injured wife in a room and left her to die in her own excrement with his current live-in and children living in the house. I'm not saying that it would be OK, just probably not prosecuted.

There is a huge amount of work that goes into the care of an invidual in a PVS. It's not possible for one person to do it all. Other people would have to be in and out of the home, if your theoretical spouse was at home. In order for her to be starved to death, they'd have to go along with the plan.

[pippadaisy[$]]

Interesting Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/politics/28delay.html

Apparently, Tom DeLay's family removed his father from life support, including dialysis, years ago.

Now, realizing that a respirator <> a feeding tube, here was an interesting quote, which also applies to the PVS thread:

However, Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, said that Mr. DeLay did not act inconsistently, and that the congressman's father could not be compared to Ms. Schiavo, who was receiving no medical treatment other than nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube.

Why is it that even the Times, which is supposedly so left-leaning leaves out SO MUCH of what has gone into this poor woman's care for the past 15 years?

I for one, though, would like to know where the line is drawn for DeLay.

[jgibson2[$]]

Mentioning kidney dialysis after saying that the man was thrown head first into a tree makes me think he was in multi-system failure. While that's not always irreversible, it implies ventilator, multiple IV medications to maintain bloodpressure and sometimes heart rhythm.

For them to opt not to do dialysis, the head injuries must have been pretty severe.

[drmomentum[$]]

pippadaisy said

I for one, though, would like to know where the line is drawn for DeLay.

A cynical person might say "it depends on the political situation."

But there's no one like that around here.

-JP

[hadassahchana[$]]

What? We've run out of cynics in the Box??


Quick, call someone. Do something!


Cindy

[pippadaisy[$]]

LOL JP. I THOUGHT it, but didn't say it. No, really though. I'd be seriously interested in him answering the question for himself. It might get a lot of people thinking.

Also, after DH had a conversation with his parents on Easter, we are now rushing to get Living Wills and conditional POAs done. Why? Because they don't think that her spouse should be allowed to make the decision.

I'm scared.

[rmthunter]

No links or quotes, just an impression: Just from a quick survey yesterday, the Bush-Bush-DeLay-Frist-Santorum axis, as well as the "pro-life" protesters, are getting raked over the coals, not only from the left but from the right. I was a little bit surprized to see Andrew Sullivan quoting Glenn Reynolds in an attack on the conservative religionists. (Not surpprized that Sullivan was quoting Reynolds, but the context of the remarks. Both consider that particular "core constituency" to be the greatest danger to America right now, as well as destructive of conservatism.)

As I said myself, these people are really out of step with mainstream American values, and it's becoming more and more obvious.