The tragic case of Terri Schiavo, sentenced to death by courts willing to accommodate the desires of a husband itching to “get on with his life”, is back in our consciousness today. This powerful woman still speaks to us.

Father Frank Pavone will celebrate a special Mass tonight in Florida, marking the “International Day of Prayer & Remembrance for Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters”.

Brandi Swindell issued a press statement this morning, recalling her time in Florida during the battle to save Terri’s life:

“My heart broke every day outside of Terri’s room thinking about the pain and suffering she was experiencing,” Swindell said. “As a nation, we must offer the neediest of our society compassion, dignity and justice. Regrettably, we forced Terri to die the most painful and barbaric of deaths.”

Indeed, Terri’s demise continues to stand as a warning post to all of us as we come to grips with the federalization of our health care. Just yesterday the NY Times posted a story about the Left finally admitting that ObamaCare is designed with built-in cost saving mechanisms: Death Panels and Abortion.

Appearing on ABC, Paul Krugman acknowledged that the federal bureaucracy will use its new powers to deny treatment for seniors and the disabled, arguing that this will save the government “quite a lot of money”. Of course the great fear here is that these bureaucrats will be making decisions from a pure utilitarian perspective – as opposed to a sanctity of life perspective.

It is more than ironic that the AARP – who raised such a ruckus about our conscience bill and its potential impact on Living Wills – signed on to support these Death Panels. There is no doubt that federal bureaucrats will have the power to over-ride any patient’s Living Will or advance directive by denying payment for life-sustaining treatment.

Labels: AARP, conscience protections, Terri Schiavo