Souder Votes for Terri Schiavo Reprieve Act of Congress Gives a Chance to Disabled Woman Now Being Starved

Souder Votes for Terri Schiavo Reprieve Act of Congress Gives a Chance to Disabled Woman Now Being Starved

WASHINGTON, D.C., Mar 21 - U.S. Rep. Mark Souder voted today for S. 686, legislation written to ensure that Terri Schiavo's constitutional right to life will be given the federal court review that her situation demands. The House passed the bill by a bipartisan majority vote of 203-58.

On Friday, a judge ordered that Mrs. Schiavo be deprived of food and water. Without congressional action, she will die following a period of starvation and dehydration that could last as long as two weeks. Members of Mrs. Schiavo's family, including her parents, have pleaded with Congress to intervene.

"We don't allow animals to starve to death, and early this morning we voted to let Terri's parents make their case," Souder said. "This young woman isn't unconscious, comatose or brain dead. And she's not on artificial life support. She smiles, cries and responds to those around her. She's a disabled woman who needs help eating, just as many disabled people do."

"We only have one chance to get this right," Souder added. "There's no second chance, because she'll be dead from starvation. This Act aims to ensure that a proper diagnosis can be made and that the wishes of Terri and her family are truly being followed."

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power and the responsibility to protect the constitutional rights of Americans, even against abuses authorized by state laws. Congress has passed many statutes pursuant to this 14th Amendment authority (which was added to the Constitution after the Civil War to protect the rights of emancipated slaves), including the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. While the particulars of this situation are unusual, it is not unusual for Congress to consider legislation for the private relief of individual citizens. Private relief bills have been a tradition since 1817, and the Congressional Research Service estimates that Congress considers nearly 30 such bills a year.

Specifically, S. 686 aims to reinsert Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube in order to keep her from starving to death while federal appeals are pursued to see if any of her federal rights have been violated. The Senate passed S. 686 on Sunday. The Act will now be sent to President Bush, who has pledged to sign it into law.

http://souder.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=7362