The Saga of Terri

This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives stepped in to introduce legislation to delay the removal of Terri's feeding tube.

I won't go into the core issue itself because I have conflicting opinions on the matter, and anything I could say would just open myself up to criticism from both sides.

However, I have to say that I am most concerned about this latest development. The Republican party has always been a leading voice for states' rights; twice now federal courts have rejected appeals on this issue, ruling that this matter belongs to Florida and Florida alone. The new legislation aims to give Terri's parents legal standing in a federal court.

It seems the Republican party has a more nuanced stance on the role of the federal government than they like to let on. Apparently government has no right to regulate business, no right to collect taxes, no responsibility to protect the environment or any authority to regulate gun ownership. But when it comes to your personal life, it's the individual who has no rights and the government which has full authority.

Worse, there is now reason to suspect that our favorite bait-and-switch hypocrites in the House are taking advantage of Terri's tragic circumstances to force upon this nation legislation that advances their agenda of eliminating civil rights.

The New York Times reports that Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York criticized the legislation and called it "a dangerously reckless way to deal with some serious issues.''

"It does not deal just with feeding tubes. It would allow intervention in any decision affecting any kind of medical care. Read the bill,'' Nadler said.

Terrific. Republicans will claim they are just protecting the sanctity of life, and they've framed the debate in terms of Terri and Terri alone; anyone who tries to oppose the legislation will therefore be forced to vote "against Terri" and will surely be lambasted for doing so. Meanwhile, your right to determine medical care and course of treatment for yourself or for loved ones is about to be taken away. The advice of doctors and experts will be officially rendered irrelevant.