Cirucit Court Judge George Greer is speaking during an April ethics symposium at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics. He will appear with Michael Schiavo, the Flordia man who won a 12-year legal battle in Greer's court and ended his wife's life by withholding nutrition and hydration.
The meeting, titled The Legacy of the Terri Schiavo Case: Why is it so hard to die in America? also features Dr. Ron Cranford, a well-known euthanasia advocate who drew national attention in the Terri Schiavo case by testifying that she was in a persistent vegetative state. Reportedly, he has been on the board of the Euthanasia Society of America, has ties to the Hemlock Society and testified similarly in other cases.
The North Country Gazette has published an editorial related to Greer's appearance titled, "Eroding Public Confidence."
Pinellas' probate court judge Greer has done more, in our opinion, to erode the public confidence in the judiciary than any other judicial officer in the United States of America today.Referring to Florida's Judicial Code, the editorial notes that "a judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of the judge's activities." Consequently, it is unfortunate (but not surprising) that Greer has chosen to speak with Schiavo, Cranford and several other individuals who both advocated and facilitated Terri Schiavo's death. His appearance in public with the plaintiffs of the Schiavo case seem to remove any question regarding his impartiality.
