Terri Schiavo's father Robert Schindler has died from heart failure

[The Straight Story]

Terri Schiavo's father Robert Schindler has died from heart failure

Robert Schindler, the father of Terri Schiavo, died August 29th, 2009 at the age of 71, at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. He became an activist through his work trying to keep his brain damaged daughter alive. The courts ruled that his daughter Terri Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state in 2005 after spending more then a decade in a coma after cardiac arrest in 1990. The case was heard more then 20 times in Florida over the years. Each time, the court rules that the decision was her husband’s to make.

Under Florida state law the decision tree is: First – the Health Care Surrogate. If there is not one, then it falls upon the spouse. If there is not a spouse, it becomes the burden of any children over the age of 18 to make the decision with the oldest being the “leader”. It there are no children then it becomes the parent’s decision. If the parents are deceased, it is up to any siblings that are alive, again with the eldest being designated as the “leader”. If there are no siblings then it would be up to a close friend who could act as a health care proxy. If there is no one to do that then the court appoints a proxy.

Terri died after her feeding tube was removed according to her husband’s wishes. Her husband contended that it was what Terri wanted despite the fact that there was no living will or advanced directives to attest to that fact. The battle to keep her alive versus allowing her to die was long and arduous. In the end, Terri was allowed to die without nutrition at Woodside Hospice here in Pinellas Park, Florida. It took her 13 days to succumb. It was a difficult time for everyone involved on both sides of the debate. The only positive throughout the ordeal was it brought the importance of advanced directives to the limelight.

http://www.examiner.com/x-876-Tampa-Wellness-Examiner~y2009m8d30-Terri-Schiavos-father-Robert-Schindler-has-died-from-heart-failure

[Lex]

1. One wonders if he had a Living Will in place.

nt

[fishnfla]

2. more than one wonders

eom

[Joanne98]

3. You mean they didn't put him on life support and keep him alive for 11 years?

He must have had a livng will. Hypocrite!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Well, at least we know where the author's heart lies -

this final paragraph just makes me queasy:

"The Associated Press indicates that Mr. Robert Schindler has been sick for many years and suffered a stroke a couple years ago. He recuperated well from that, however has died from heart failure. Perhaps it was from the stress of decades of fighting for his daughter…or perhaps it is that he just died from a broken heart. God speed."

The DC Examiner appears to be a right-wing rag online. Garbage.

The miserable old fuck made life miserable for his son-in-law because he couldn't acknowledge that someone else loved Terri and had the legal standing to decide what should be done for her.

Broken heart, my ass. That old prick had no heart. He was just interested in having it all his way. The world is a lighter place without him in it, and he should regret forever the lies and the ugliness he spread.............................

[create.peace]

7. these 'examiner' writers are mostly amateur journalists

it's seems to be a 'think the music' type of endeavor. the idea of citizen journalists is fine, but by have the masthead of Examiner, it makes it seem more 'legit.'

[Berry Cool]

18. They are complete amateurs.

True, they get paid according to the hits they can generate, but it's a "no experience necessary" way of getting published, and nobody edits their work to ensure it meets journalistic standards of any kind.

[etherealtruth]

5. I felt so sorry for those parents

They were used by right wing not jobs and the religiously insane to promote their agenda. As a parent I can understand wanting .... needing to believe that a child could recover. Their vulnerabilities were exploited by those with nefarious intentions. I don't agree with the decisions the parents made for their daughter ....but, I am filled with compassion for them.

[Maine-ah]

8. +1

you summed it up very nicely. I feel the exact same way.

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Their son was one of those right wing nutjobs

Bobby Schindler Jr. was a Jeb donor and a failed Repuke politician in Florida. He's the one who got Jeb and the Repukes dragged into what should have been a private family matter in the first place.

[etherealtruth]

10. Doesn't diminish the compassion I feel for the parents ....

... or the husband (believe me I feel for that poor man). I reserve my contempt for the idiot politicians and self-described "leaders".

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. It's impossible to know to what extent the parents bought into the bullshit

though they certainly seemed to be on board with everything their son did, believing the worst of their son-in-law.

I don't envy anybody involved, really.

[etherealtruth]

13. Its impossible to know the pain of a parent losing a child n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

15. True enough.

Even though most people in that position don't get 15 years to come to terms with that loss.

[sabrina 1]

20. I felt for them also. Losing a child is one of the

worst tragedies anyone can imagine. The vitriol and hatred on both sides of that issue was disgusting. Both sides used that family's personal tragedy for their own selfish reasons. Few of them really cared about the people involved. I cannot imagine Terry herself, the person everyone claimed to care so much about, would want to see the vilification of her dead father now, or would have wanted to see it back then, either against her parents or her husband.

It was possible to understand the feelings of both her family and her husband without leveling hateful diatribe at either of them. And it never was our business anyhow.

May her father rest in peace. Just another sadness for the family.

[Ilsa]

11. I hear you. They were horribly manipulated by cruel, indecent people. nt

[Bluzmann57]

6. May he Rest in Peace

That's all. No political statement here.

[Raine]

14. A willing dupe used by RW zealots

to drag out the pain and suffering of the daughter for years. :-(

[TwilightGardener]

16. What a pity he didn't get to experience the wonderful life his daughter had

for so long--years of being fed like a baby and being turned toward the sun like a plant and living without dignity.

[kskiska]

17. The Schindler family has all quit their jobs

and lives off checks from the family "foundation." They travel the red states on a speakers circuit touting pro-life policies, probably to repay the lawyers provided to them during the Schiavo fiasco.

[harry_pothead]

19. He's not really dead.

I can see his face moving on the TV!

[Vickers]

21. "Under Florida state law..."

He tried to subvert the law.

Sorry about your daughter, but the law's the law.