Holt speaks out against Congress' Schiavo bill

As the battle to determine whether Florida woman Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should be reinserted continues, Princeton-area Representative Rush Holt (D-N.J.) denounced Congress' recent intervention in the case.

Holt, who is the former assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, said in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that with this action, Congress "has set aside principles that have served America well for more than 200 years and inserted itself into the hospital rooms and doctors' offices of every American."

The impassioned ethical debate surrounding Schiavo's care has accelerated since her feeding tube was removed last week. Doctors have said that they expect Schiavo to survive for one to two more weeks, unless the tube is reinserted.

In a split decision on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit federal appeals court rejected a request by Schiavo's parents to consider having the tube reinserted. Later, the full federal appeals court upheld the decision. Schiavo's parents filed a new appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday night.

Schiavo's case landed in the federal judicial system earlier this week when Congress passed legislation to allow review of the case by federal courts.

Holt opposed the bill at the time, saying on the floor of the House, "We are turning a sad family tragedy into a grotesque legislative travesty. It is a tragedy. But what we are talking about tonight is nothing other than inserting our judgment for the courts'."

Holt said Congress is not equipped to rule on this case, and that Congressional members have "decided to play doctor" while relying on selective long distance video and hearsay opinions.

"Some of these diagnoses are being offered by members of the House who are not doctors and have never examined Ms. Schiavo," Holt said Wednesday. "If physicians attempted to do this in most states, they might be sued for malpractice and might lose their medical license."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist '74, a heart surgeon, drew criticism last week for saying that Schiavo is not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) — which permits the tube to be withdrawn under Florida law — after reviewing videotapes of her. His statement contradicted the conclusions of court-appointed neurologists, who have examined Schiavo and concluded that she is in a PVS.

Schiavo's brother Bobby Schindler spoke on campus in early March, claiming that Schiavo's medical state is in dispute and that she would not want to be taken off life support.

Center for Human Values director and politics professor Stephen Macedo questioned the legality of Congressional involvement.

"I don't see any justification for Congress getting involved in this case," he said.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"There certainly has to be a point where what we are doing is prolonging a death rather than preserving a life," Macedo added. "There has to be a decision at some point." — Includes reporting by Princetonian Contributor Charlie Stone.