Terri's Fight: No Real Answers

One of the critics of the Schiavo autopsy called it an "Orwellian Masterpiece" for good reason. The report on the autopsy of the remains of Terri Schiavo unambiguously reveals the cause of the brain damage that left her in a state of such severe disability that she was unable to perform some of the most rudimentary of functions - yet left unanswered the question of how it happened.

According to the report, Terri's condition was due to the loss of blood to her brain for a period of time sufficient to damage large parts of it but leaves wide open the crucial question of what brought about that circulatory failure in the first place.

The report dismisses bulimia, alleged by her husband and widely reported by the media as the cause, and rules out a heart attack, also named as a cause. It makes no attempt to identify the real cause of the incident, or answer the key question: if neither bulimia nor heart attack were the cause, what did stop Terri Schiavo's brain from receiving its life-giving supply of oxygen?
Instead of clearing up the many questions concerning the life and death of Terri Shiavo, the report on the autopsy of her remains only raises even more questions. Rather than confirming the many dubious claims of her husband, his lawyers and their allies in the media about her real condition and its cause, it strongly suggests that the claims were unsupported by the facts.

Moreover, instead of being conducted free of any possible bias, the medical examiner largely relied on the so-called medical records supplied by one of Michael Schiavo's lawyers.

According to the authoritative The Empire Journal, the major source of inside information about Schiavo case, the medical examiner, Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner (ME) Jon Thogmartin said he based some of his autopsy findings on medical reports and records provided by Gary Fox.
Fox was one of two medical malpractice attorneys for Michael Schiavo. Thogmartin's refusal to allow an independent medical expert chosen by Terri's parents, the widely acclaimed Alleghany County Medical examiner Dr. Cyril Wecht, or even one chosen by Terri's husband Michael for that matter, to observe the autopsy procedure raises serious doubts that his report on the post mortem examination was unbiased.

Even though it was not possible for an autopsy to reveal that the deceased was in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) and could not be rehabilitated, the ME and an associate claimed that the evidence indicated she was.

Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.

Dr. Hammesfahr has released a statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo. You read it here.

Governor Bush has asked Bernie McCabe, Pinellas-Pasco County State Attorney to investigate why Michael Schiavo waited 40-70 minutes to call the paramedics following Terri's intial colapse.

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