The “this day in history” feature from Associated Press published this today, March 31:
In 2005, Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.
In only 28 words, we are reminded of one of the great legal, moral, and cultural battles fought between the pro-life and right-to-die movements.
You can Google and turn up an endless number of news articles from before and after Schiavo’s death. Here is one published by WND just one week before she died, containing a full run-down of the entire case up to that point.
Millions of words were printed in newspapers and legal briefings, defending her life or supporting her death. Ultimately, the latter prevailed; thirteen days after her feeding tube was taken out, Terri Schiavo died.
The anniversary today struck me in a powerful way today, for I’m now 41—the same age as Schiavo upon her being allowed to die.
I read in Proverbs 31 this morning an exhortation repeated throughout all sections of Scripture:
“Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (verses 8-9)
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