Chris Smith: “Terry Schiavo smiles, tries to talk to her family and friends, and moves her arms and legs on command. But at the…”

“Terry Schiavo smiles, tries to talk to her family and friends, and moves her arms and legs on command. But at the direction of her husband, and against the will of the rest of the family, her feeding tube was removed last Wednesday. This is what Terri is experiencing right now in this, the 7th day of her court-ordered dehydration and starvation: Extreme thirst, nausea and stomach cramping, dry skin, dizziness, extreme headaches, cramping in her arms and legs because she is losing electrolytes, sodium and potassium in her blood. Her mouth is very dry. Her saliva is thick. And as the abuse continues, soon her lips and her mouth will crack, she will bleed, and her heart rate will increase, her blood pressure will drop, and she will probably experience stroke. She will finally go into shock as her whole body begins to shut down. No one, Mr. Speaker, deserves to be treated with such incredible cruelty. Terri's life is valuable and she should not be sentenced to death because she has a disability or someone feels she is a burden. Hopefully, the Florida Legislature will act in time and the Governor will intervene.”