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Schiavo case finally closed

It appears Gov. Jeb Bush is finally going to let Terri Schiavo rest in peace. In a two-sentence letter to Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe, the governor said he would accept the findings of McCabe's office and end any further inquiry into Schiavo's death. We are relieved to hear it. Bush has spent far too much time interfering in this family tragedy.

The Schiavo case should have been closed last month after Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner John Thogmartin issued his autopsy report. The report provided clear evidence that Schiavo had not been the victim of physical trauma or strangulation - as alleged by supporters of Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler - and Schiavo's condition at the time of her death had been consistent with a persistent vegetative state. Her brain had shriveled to half its normal size.

But the governor couldn't accept this reality and joined with the Schindlers and their implacable supporters in trying to pin something ugly on Schiavo's husband, Michael. Bush asked McCabe to investigate discrepancies in Michael Schiavo's statements over the years about precisely what time he called for help after his wife collapsed in 1990.

McCabe asked two of his most seasoned prosecutors to conduct the inquiry. Their conclusions were unequivocal, finding "no proof" that a crime has occurred. They noted that Michael Schiavo wasn't the only one who couldn't pin down exact times for the chaotic night of Terri Schiavo's collapse. Neither could the Schindlers or Terri's brother.

The governor acted vindictively and irresponsibly by using his influence over a state prosecutor to harass an innocent man. But it appears Michael Schiavo's Orwellian struggle to be free of government meddling is finally over. He deserves an apology, and then to be left alone.

[Last modified July 9, 2005, 01:01:15]