What Florida's "Culture of Life" Does When the Cameras Aren't Rolling

Attaturk at Atrios brings us this from the Palm Beach Post:

"Fifteen years after brain damage put Terri Schiavo in a persistent vegetative state, the Florida Department of Children and Families went to excruciating lengths to block the removal of a feeding tube that was sustaining her. Fifteen days after a toddler was beaten nearly to death despite DCF cataloging numerous alarming signs of abuse, the agency began seeking a Do-Not-Resuscitate order for her.

"I thought she would potentially live in a vegetative state," DCF's chief medical director told The Post two months after examining 2-year-old Moesha Sylencieux on Jan. 26, 2001...

...Gov. Bush has appointed two more secretaries to lead DCF since the agency initially mishandled Moesha's case under Ms. Kearney, but an unfair practice of valuing some lives more than others continues to hurt some of the neediest and most fragile Floridians. In 2003, after failing to protect a severely mentally retarded woman from being raped while in state custody, DCF fought to save the woman's fetus. Similarly, late last month, after failing to protect a 13-year-old in state custody from becoming pregnant, DCF fought to save the girl's fetus. While the state was fighting fiercely to save the unborn, it continued quietly fighting — using private lawyers — to avoid financial responsibility for a living child, one irreversibly harmed while dependent on the state for protection.

Outrageous? Nowhere near a strong enough word.

There is little doubt this child is poor and black, as many of the kids disconnected from life support have been (I'm sure that poor Chinese or Hispanics or even many whites fair no better - the operative word with this crew is poor).

But if you're pro-life, why would it matter to you the financial circumstances? Before Michael Schiavo got a medical settlement for his wife's traumatic brain event, I believe Terri Schiavo was also on public assistance (her birth family paid for almost nothing after she became ill).

Mind you, I suspect this case warranted removal from life support but I cannot say authoritatively. No, what irks me is that a Terri Schiavo, given 15 years to recover, was supposed to hang on forever more, while the same crew that wanted "Terri saved regardless!" are perfectly happy to end the lives of poor children who do not have financially stable parents or the glare of media attention.