Marine Staff Sgt. Chad Simon suffered a severe brain injury while serving in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded, injuring Simon and killing three other Marines in his unit. Sgt. Simon died on August 4th, two weeks after his wife agreed to pull his feeding tube, which was consistent with the wishes expressed in his living will.
In the wake of these tragic circumstances, Pro-Life Wisconsin chose to politicize the death of a Marine, to score Terri Schiavo linkage points by making comparisons between the two cases in a press release. In addition, they said that Sgt. Simon was a "victim of two different faces of the culture of death" (The implication is - He was killed by International terrorism and a murderous wife). This is an obscene comparison, and it points out the savage hyporcisy exhibited by an extremist group like Pro-Life Wisconsin.
Update [2005-8-25 15:4:41 by ColdFusion04]: Here's the Original, stronger press release. Thanks xoff.
Here's the
Wisconsin State Journal column on the subject.
Simon came home from Iraq and received medical care in Madison until mid- July, when his doctors determined he would not recover. His family honored his "health-care power of attorney," which gave the ability to make decisions to his wife, Regina.
Jack Schuster, the family's attorney, said Regina Simon made the decision after much soul-searching. A judge OK'd the removal of the feeding tube.
"It was all done legally. If they want to debate the morality, who are they to judge?" Schuster asked. "Hospice provided the highest level of loving care. To accuse them of murdering him is the height of immorality."
Schuster said Regina Simon wondered why Pro-Life, "if they were really so concerned about my husband, why didn't they contact the family before he died?"
Well, because it's not about Chad Simon.
It's about a group of publicity-hungry hard-liners that lost its favorite poster girl when Terri Schiavo died this spring.
In the Press Release, dated 8/12/2005, Pro-Life Wisconsin states all of the following:
"Sgt. Simon was a victim of two different faces of the culture of death. He was certainly a victim of international terrorism," said Peggy Hamill, State Director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, "Sgt. Simon, however, died of dehydration not from any sort of brain injuries. Sgt. Simon was rendered handicapped by the bomb in Iraq, he died as a result of having food and water intentionally withheld."
"Killing people in a medical setting lends an air of legitimacy to this cruel and inhumane way of eliminating disabled people whose lives are deemed `not worth living.' Terri Schiavo and Chad Simon are cases in point," says Julie.
"Resistence is not futile, it is morally mandatory. We can make a difference, one voice at a time, by executing life-protective advance directives for ourselves and fearlessly defending the right to life of those who are unable to speak for themselves."
And from the ORIGINAL release:
"Sgt. Simon was a victim of two different faces of the culture of death. He was certainly a victim of international terrorism, but he was also a victim of America's rapidly decaying system of 'hospice' care," said Peggy Hamill, State Director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. "Sgt. Simon died of dehydration, not from any sort of brain injuries. Sgt. Simon was rendered handicapped by the bomb in Iraq, he was murdered by those who were in charge of his medical care."
You may disagree with the comparison between being critically injured in battle and choosing in advance to have a feeding tube removed by your spouse when two thirds of your brain was removed due to your injuries. You may disagree that he was "murdered" by his family. In fact, you may be pissed off by this comparison.
If so, you can reach Pro-Life Wisconsin at info@prolifewisconsin.org or call the Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force at (262)796-1111.
Do you suppose Peggy Hamill proudly displays a "Support the Troops" ribbon on the back of her car?