Politics: pro-life or pro-vegetativeexistence?

For the love of humanity, let the girl die and be at peace!

Employing an "extraordinary congressional" maneuver, House Republican leadership early Friday made a last-ditch effort to keep doctors from removing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.

Schiavo is scheduled to have her feeding tube removed at 1 p.m. today, under court order.

"Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena, which will require hospice administrators and attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive," a statement from the House Republican leadership said.

That statement was released by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis. Details of the subpoena were not immediately clear and it was not revealed whom it actually targeted.

"The Committee on Government Reform has initiated an inquiry into the long- term care of incapacitated adults, an issue of growing importance to the federal government and federal healthcare policy," the statement said.

"This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over."

What's to understand, Congressman? The girl has no cerebral activity, and cerebral activity is consciousness and life as we know it. Lower brain reflexes that some incorrectly attribute to consciousness might make the neurologically-ignorant think there's something still there, but there's not. What, are senators suddenly all going to go back to college, take pre-med courses, go to med school, and spend four years doing a neurology residency?

Pro-life or not, there's simply no issue here for the mildly educated, and the whims of the ignorant or amateur theologians have no place in a government of rational representation.