White House sides with Terri
Bush: 'Courts should have a presumption in favor of life'

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Posted: March 18, 2005
8:43 a.m. Eastern

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

On the eve of the removal of Terri Schiavo's life-sustaining feeding tube, while Florida legislators and members of the U.S. Congress scrambled to pass measures to intervene, President Bush weighed in on the matter.

In a statement posted to the White House website yesterday Bush sided with the parents of the severely brain-damaged Florida woman who have waged an exhaustive court battle to block the efforts of her husband, Michael Schiavo, who seeks her death.

"The case of Terri Schiavo raises complex issues," Bush stated. "Yet in instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern. It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed, and protected - and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities."

The "serious questions and substantial doubts" Bush refers to are the fact that Terri has no written directive as to whether she would wish to have her feeding tube removed.