Speedkill

The fundamentalists are still grasping at straws:

Truth comes out? Zogby poll counters others, shows opposition to starving Terri Schiavo

WASHINGTON (BP)–Americans apparently did not support the starvation and dehydration of Terri Schiavo after all.

Stunning! Let’s see the question that was asked in the poll:

In the Zogby poll, the public was asked, “If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water?” The result showed 79 percent said the person should continue to receive food and water, while only 9 percent said food and water should be withheld, LifeNews reported. The question closely described Schiavo’s condition when her feeding tube was removed.

And it all comes crumbling down. It’s a testament to how pollsters’ questions can influence the public. She wasn’t technically terminally ill or in a coma, though she was on life support. It seems very misleading to apply this to Schiavo’s condition.

ABC’s question was much more accurate:

Schiavo suffered brain damage and has been on life support for 15 years. Doctors say she has no consciousness and her condition is irreversible. Her husband and her parents disagree about whether she would have wanted to be kept alive. Florida courts have sided with her husband and her feeding tube was removed on Friday.

What’s your opinion on this case – do you support or oppose the decision to remove Schiavo’s feeding tube?

It actually describes her specific condition, rather than some less specific general condition that only sort of applies to her.