[extropy-chat] Thoughts on Schiavo

[Mike Lorrey]

--- BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 11:37:44 +0200, Giu1i0 Pri5c0 wrote:
> > I did not know that the parents had volunteered to front all
> financial
> > expenses to keep Terri on life support.
> > This being the case, I now believe removing Terri from life support
> > constitutes an extremely bad precedent for life extension, cryonics
> > and experimental therapies, not to mention civil rights in your
> > country.
> > If one is not allowed to spend her or his own money on medical
> > procedures that the majority of the medical establishment condemns,
> I
> > can easily imagine a judge ordering to bury all Alcor and CI
> patients,
> > and I can easily imagine a judge preventing people to pay their own
> > money for experimental rejuvenation therapies.
> > I also did not know that until now life support costs were paid
> with
> > the compensation awarded to Terri by the court, and that the money
> > remaining is enough to provide a significant financial benefit to
> > someone if Terri dies.
> > G.
> 
> 
> Search Google News for 'Schiavo money'
> 
>
<http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1010049&tw=wn_wire_story>
> Attorneys: Schiavo Settlement Money Spent  Saturday, March 26, 2005 
> 
> More than half of the $700,000 earmarked from the malpractice award
> for Terri Schiavo's care has been spent for that purpose, with the
> rest going toward litigation, said Deborah Bushnell, one of Michael
> Schiavo's attorneys. 
> Today, the money from the lawsuit settlement is almost gone, Grieco,
> the attorney, says. Just $40,000 to $50,000 remained as of mid-March.
> The $700,000 in Terri's trust has paid for her care, lawyers, expert
> medical witnesses. Michael Schiavo's $300,000 share evaporated years
> ago, he says.
>  
> Looks like the fight was over the parents wanting a share of the
> husbands settlement of $300,000 (which they were not entitled to
> under
> Florida law). Now all the money has gone. Even the lawyers are not
> getting paid. The care home is not getting paid. Medicaid pays the
> (small) medical bills.

$700k for legal bills? That is an expensive hit man contract. There are
plenty of people that do that sort of wet work for under $50k. I
suppose getting the state to do your dirty work for you is a bit higher
price tag and comes with partial immunity. Just goes to show that
private industry is more efficient, I suppose.

The fact still remains that her parents are willing to care for her at
their own expense at home.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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