LETTERS: JUDGE'S ORDER SETS FRIGHTENING SCENARIO FOR LIFE

To the editor:

On Aug. 8, a Florida judge ruled that Terry Schindler-Sciavo's life was not worth living. Without the consent of her parents -- in fact, denying them the right to present witnesses on behalf of their daughter -- the judge signed an order to disconnect Sciavo's feeding tubes, which will result in slow starvation. The order was to have been carried out Aug. 28, but the judge recently extended her life until October. Sciavo is not in a vegetative state, nor is she terminally ill. She is simply disabled.

I could have sworn the U.S. Constitution gave every citizen the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It is so critical to keep track of who is being nominated as judges. It is the responsibility of all to know what is going on. When we hear of a case like this, we must not just shrug our shoulders and pretend that it will never happen to us. If this ruling is allowed to stand, it sets a dangerous precedent. It sets us up for the same treatment when we are dependent sometime in the future.

JULIA B. BUEHRLE

Cape Girardeau