Still Running Off at the Keyboard

Elected representatives are being called upon to support H.B. 701 and S.B. 804, which are scheduled for hearings in their final committees today and may potentially come up for a vote on the floors of both chambers by Thursday.

On 03-14-05 the House and Senate reached an agreement on the proposed bill. The legislation would prohibit a guardian from allowing a person in a "persistent vegetative state" to die by withholding food and water, unless that person had written instructions asking not to be kept alive with artificial feedings. In the absence of written instructions, a guardian could withhold food and water, but only if there was "clear and convincing evidence" that the incapacitated person clearly expressed his or her wishes. Rep. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, said that "clear and convincing" is a tough standard. A casual conversation "sitting around the dinner table, that's not going to rise to the level that will permit the denial of sustenance and hydration," Simmons said, as reported in The Orlando Sentinel.

Kenneth L. Lewis, Founder of ChristianNewsToday.com Christian International News has asked Christians to contact their Representatives and call upon them to support H.B. 701 and S.B. 804. Mr. Lewis in a brief statement said today, he was pleased that the House and the Senate is working so hard to pass a bill in a timely manner that would save Terri's life. " It would make a terrible decision...right. "We are praying for Terri and her parents. We put our faith in God and we know and trust that God will do what's right for Terri in this matter..."