That is exactly the problem. This particular Florida law, which considers a feeding tube as a life prolonging procedure, is a rotten law. The rabbis tell us that all of the wicked behavior of Sodom's inhabitants was anchored in Sodom's local statutes. Florida, by adopting such an evil law, has become today's Sodom.
It is interesting to note that Florida's legislature adopted this law only recently. This I learned from "The Title of Liberty" blog's timeline of the Schiavo affair:
April 6, 1999 - House Bill 2131 was introduced in the legislature by the Florida Elder Affairs & Long-Term Care Committee to amend Section 765 (Civil Rights) of the Florida Statutes. two weeks later, the legislature Committee on Judiciary recommended that House Bill 2131 should also change the Section 765.101 legal definition of life prolonging procedures to add: "INCLUDING ARTIFICIALLY PROVIDED SUSTENANCE AND HYDRATION, WHICH SUSTAINS, RESTORES, OR SUPPLANTS A SPONTANEOUS VITAL FUNCTION".
Oct 1, 1999 - Senate Bill 2228 (formerly HB2131) becomes law changing Section 765.101 of the Florida Statutes to include the above.
Jan 24, 2000 - Trial begins to decided whether to remove Terri's feeding tube.
Feb 11, 2000 - Judge Greer orders that Terri's feeding tube can be removed.
("The Title of Liberty" blog's post deals with issues of alleged impropriety and corruption in the Terri Schiavo case. If half of what is written there is true, not only is the law problematic, but those charged with upholding the law are also problematic. While this is certainly an important issue, in this post I'm dealing with the law itself from a Jewish point of view.)
As a Jew, I cannot accept the definition of Florida's Legislature. I have already quoted several times the excellent article on the aish hatorah web site explaining that providing one with sustenance is not a "life prolonging procedure." Florida's legislators have unwittingly permitted a murder to transpire in their state as far as Judaism is concerned.
2 comments:
Shalom ~ The average, reasonable person does not equate food and water with medical treatment or intervention, regardless of the manner in which it is received. Even if Terri made a passing comment prior to 1990, how could she ever imagine that food and water would one day be considered "artificial," and she starved to death? And if the law was passed almost 10 years after her collapse to drastically redefine food and water as "artificial" means, who can say with a straight face that she somehow consented to this? I am not a Judge, but if someone made that argument, it would fly with me.
Hi, I can see your personal feelings as a Jewish person, and I understand how you believe that something should not be based on your religion, but, you must understand that you live in the united states. You are expected to conform and assimilate to the laws the government has set out, not your beliefs.
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