[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         FOR THE RELIEF OF THE PARENTS OF THERESA MARIE SCHIAVO

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. GIL GUTKNECHT

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Sunday, March 20, 2005

  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of the first 
legislation introduced to protect the life of Terri Schiavo, I am 
pleased Members of Congress from both bodies and from both sides of the 
aisle were able to come together to pass legislation that gives Terri 
Schiavo a chance at life. S. 868 will allow members of Terri's family 
to file a claim in the U.S. District Court in Florida for an alleged 
violation of her Constitutional rights. Our Constitution states that no 
state shall ``deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without 
due process of law.'' Yet Terri has never had her own attorney 
exclusively representing her interests in court. This action will 
finally give her that opportunity. Convicted criminals on death row are 
granted this right; should not an individual who has never been 
convicted of a crime?
  I understand issues involving long-term family illness are areas in 
which Congress should tread softly, if at all. This is an extremely 
sensitive area. But the facts of this case show that Terri's parents 
and siblings are willing to care for her and bear her medical expenses. 
This is not someone in a coma or with a terminal illness. Terri is 
awake and is able to see and hear and is often alert and interacts with 
her environment. We have a responsibility to protect the most 
vulnerable among us. Though we sometimes are led astray, every man, 
woman and child is precious in God's eyes. Terri's family must be given 
the opportunity to give her the treatment and care she deserves.
  It was vitally important that Congress pass this legislation; not 
just to protect Terri's life, but also to avoid setting the disturbing 
precedent of ending human life against the wishes of someone's family 
and those willing to give her care. What kind of statement would we 
have been making to other incapacitated or disabled individuals who 
aren't able to survive without the assistance of medical technology or 
the care of others? As many have stated, when it comes to life and 
death decisions we must always err on the side of life.
  I regret I was not available to vote for S. 868. Had my vote been 
needed for passage, I would have returned immediately.

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