A promise is a promise

Based on the promise he alleges he made to his 20-something wife, Michael Schiavo has sought for the authority to remove a gastric feeding tube from Terri Schiavo through the Florida courts. Doing so would cause her death by dehydration and starvation over the course of many days of suffering and anguish. The Florida courts believe Mr. Schiavo made that promise to his bride so many years ago and, because of that, have ordered that he have the authority to end his wife’s life by a deliberate act of deprivation.

Four years after Michael allegedly promised his wife not to let her linger, Terri Schiavo collapsed under mysterious circumstances in the home they shared. She was unresponsive when rushed to the hospital and emerged many days later from that state to be left dramatically brain injured and dependent on others.

After being denied rehabilitation benefits from Terri’s insurance provider and unable to litigate against them, Michael Schiavo turned to sue the doctors Terri had been seeing at the time of her collapse. He testified to the court that he loved his wife and intended to care for her for the rest of her life. He promised.

“She's my life and I wouldn't trade her for the world. I believe in my wedding vows,” testified an emotional Michael Schiavo during the medical malpractice trial in 1992. “I believe in the vows that I took with my wife, through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm going to do that.”

Impressed with his pledge, the jury took pity on him and awarded him money that was placed into trust for Terri’s medical care and rehabilitation.

Soon after the money was in the bank, Michael Schiavo became intent on doing the precise opposite of what he promised the court he would do. He instructed doctors not to treat his incapacitated wife for an infection as early as 1993 and again in 1995. He would later testify that he knew doing so could be fatal to her.

Then, in 1997, Michael Schiavo sought out the services of right-to-die attorney, George Felos of Dunedin, Florida. In a letter to the court, dated May 14, 1997, Schiavo (through his attorney, Deborah Bushnell) asked that the court grant fee petitions against his wife’s medical fund to employ and pay Felos to represent his legal interests in pursuing the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube.

Upon learning of this, Terri Schiavo’s parents and siblings objected, stating they would care for her and assume any financial responsibility for her continued care.

With that, one of the country’s longest and most contentious legal battles began. Throughout the years of litigation, Michael Schiavo has maintained his only motivation was a promise he made to his wife.

Which promise?

No one was witness to Michael’s promise not to allow his wife to live on artificial life support, but more than 200 were witness to Michael’s promise to love, honor and obey his bride in 1984 when they wed. Now, Michael is living with another woman and has two children by her, all the while refusing to end his marriage to Terri Schiavo.

The conditions of Michael’s promise to end his wife’s life aren’t particularly clear, but his promise to act as her guardian, file annual guardianship reports, take mandatory guardianship training and provide his wife with necessary medical care and rehabilitation are a requirement under Florida law. He has failed miserably in these commitments time and again since 1992.

The promise Michael made to a malpractice court and jury in 1992 to care for his wife for the rest of his life seems long forgotten as well. As soon as 1993, he was taking steps to end her life. Not since receiving her malpractice award has Schiavo allowed any rehabilitation or progressive therapy for his disabled wife.

Even the promises Michael made to Terri’s parents following her medical incident (he would bring Terri home, he would allow Terri’s parents to provide her care) have vanished into thin air.

Only one promise seems to hold any measure of importance in Michael Schiavo’s eyes – the promise to end his wife’s life. Flimsy as his story is, it is the one the courts have chosen to listen to, disregarding the legal obligations of his guardianship, his commitment to a malpractice jury and his overwhelming conflicts of interest.

In stark contrast to Michael Schiavo, Terri’s parents (Bob and Mary Schindler) made a different kind of promise when they brought her into this world. That was to place her before themselves from the moment of her birth until the end of time. Not once have they given anyone cause to believe they wouldn’t make good on that promise. Not once have they denied their daughter because it was more convenient than loving her. And, unlike Michael Schiavo’s, their promise is believable.