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 Editorials | Opinions | June 2005 
Conduct Unbecoming Florida's Governor
 PVNN
Shame on Gov. Jeb Bush for reopening an investigation into the death of Terri Schiavo. The governor's request is intrusive and unnecessary. His continued personal involvement in this case is stunningly arrogant. It is a waste of state resources in a fully settled case that, thanks to the governor and like-minded politicians in Tallahassee and Washington, makes a mockery of state law and continues political intrusion into a private family matter.
Timeline discrepancies
The case has been reviewed repeatedly in Florida courts, argued in the state Legislature, debated in Congress and rejected six times by the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the Pinellas County medical examiner issued what should have been the concluding report on the case: Ms. Schiavo died of severe brain damage. She could not eat and was blind.
Gov. Bush said he talked with the medical examiner prior to release of the autopsy and was concerned about discrepancies in the timeline of Ms. Schiavo's case. In a memo to Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe, Mr. Bush outlined his concerns. He said that the autopsy wasn't clear about the cause of Ms. Schiavo's original injuries, that there was little evidence of an eating disorder and that Michael Schiavo - Ms. Schiavo's husband - had given contradictory statements about the time of his wife's collapse on Feb. 25, 1990.
The implication of the governor's inquiry is that Mr. Schiavo somehow may be responsible for his wife's collapse and death, or at least culpable for not handling the situation properly.
But with an autopsy report that concludes definitively that Ms. Schiavo died of brain damage with no indications of other injuries, what does the governor hope to find? Intentional homicide, otherwise known as first-degree murder, is the only potential offense for which the statute of limitations hasn't already expired and for which Mr. Schiavo could be prosecuted. Is this where Gov. Bush is headed with his renewed investigation? We asked the governor's spokespersons Monday, but have received no answers.
No new complaints
Absent any point to the investigation, it is easy to conclude that the governor is motivated by other - political - concerns. Recall that after the courts ordered Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube removed, the governor attempted to use the Department of Children & Families to reinsert the tube. As with the current review, Gov. Bush said then that new abuse complaints needed to be investigated. But reports showed that there weren't any new abuse complaints.
Gov. Bush's inability to accept the judgment of the courts and the findings of the medical examiner represent unwarranted meddling. There is no reason for his shameful interference. He should withdraw. |
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